NFC Notes: Jerry Jones, CeeDee Lamb, Jahan Dotson, Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles

Commanders

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes former Commanders WR Jahan Dotson is one of the players who didn’t jive with OC Eric Bieniemy last year and it hurt his production. Washington’s new regime was also willing to let him go this summer, particularly after getting what it thought was a strong offer from the Eagles. 
• According to Matt Maiocco, if the Commanders are back in play for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk it would take a second and third-round pick and maybe something else on top of a new contract.
• Commanders GM Adam Peters on why he traded DT John Ridgeway: “There was a lot of interest in him…. good opportunity for him to go somewhere and play more probably than here and a scheme that fits him a little more.” (John Keim)

Cowboys

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed why he refuses to give up general manager responsibilities.

“I’ve done it all. So I have an ordinate amount of confidence that fuck, if anybody can figure out how to get this shit done, I can figure out how to get it done,” Jones said, via Clarence Hill of ALLDLLS.com. “I’ve been there every which way from Sunday, and have I busted my ass a bunch, a bunch. And there’s nobody living that’s out cutting and shooting that can’t give you a bunch of times they busted their ass. So hell no, there’s nobody that could fucking come in here and do all the contracts … and be a GM any better than I can. Plus, I’m where the buck stops. When it fucks up, I got to cover it. And so there you can’t give anybody enough. Can’t give. There’s nobody can do it.”

Jones detailed why he won’t relinquish control, which comes from his past and starting from humble beginnings.

“I fucking have had hundreds of [bad days],” Jones said. “I’m emotional about it sometimes. Well, running this thing, that’s who I want to make the last call. Now, when I can’t fucking think when I’m old and I can’t even do it… but I’m a long way from not being able to do it too. The reason I don’t let somebody else be the GM is because I don’t have anybody that I will let do it to actually do it right. And they’re gonna have to come to me and because I know where it is you’re going to pay for it.”

Jones said that he portrays the same message during team meetings and reminds owners of when the league didn’t have any money back in 1989.

“I say, ‘Guys, y’all never seen a meeting when they had no money, right?’,” Jones recalled. “I said, ‘They’re no fun now. We sit in here and talk about all this stuff.’ But I said, ‘We could have a meeting when there wasn’t any money.’ And I said, ‘Can any of you imagine not enough money coming through the doors to pay the overhead?’ I said, ‘When I walked in this nobody had enough money coming in. You all had to go get it from someplace else to feed the kitty. The Cowboys? You had to go get a million a month. Go get it each month from the Coca-Cola business or a car business. It fucking sure wasn’t coming from the Cowboys.’ So my point about all of this is there’s a lot here that I think we benefit from when we’re sitting there looking these different issues over.”

• According to Jane Slater, the Cowboys were offering $32.5 million per year to WR CeeDee Lamb but Lamb and his camp wanted $34 million per year. The deal ended up at $34 million APY. 
• According to Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys were granted a two-game roster exemption for Lamb on Tuesday. Pelissero notes that the exemption can be lifted at any time.

Eagles

Eagles GM Howie Roseman said the team was enamored by recently acquired WR Jahan Dotson during his pre-draft process in 2022. They also feel they are getting a good return in exchange for a batch of Day 2 draft picks. 

“A player that we did a lot of work within the Draft, in the Draft process, really liked the player, felt like we knew him really well, brought him into the building, had exposure to him. We felt like we had a vision through the coaching staff of how he could be utilized,” Roseman said, via Zach Berman. “There was an opportunity there to get the player, obviously give up a second-day draft compensation, which is important for all of us, but we felt like it was worthwhile based on what we knew, what we thought that we needed, and made the trade.”

As for veteran DB James Bradberry, who was the subject of recent trade rumors, Roseman said they think he’ll be an important piece to their defense going forward. 

“James always has had really good football instincts. When you see him play safety every day here and see his ability to diagnose his football instincts. I think for all of us, that’s a transition, that’s a different position than playing outside corner,” Roseman said, via Berman. “He’s got a skill set. It’s a long season. We already know that he’s had tremendous success in this league playing outside corner as well. With the goals that we have for this football team, having a veteran player like that on the roster that we know we can rely on when called upon, we felt like was important.”

• Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on Bradberry: “James has had some really good moments here, has been a great teammate, made some great plays here. So, yeah, I’m excited that he’s here and has the versatility that he has.” (Brooks Kubena)