NFC Notes: Leonard Williams, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

If going solely based on the number of first-team reps so far this spring, Commanders QB Sam Howell would look like the clear starter for Washington heading into the 2023 season. But he will still have to fend off veteran QB Jacoby Brissett in training camp, who reiterated he signed expecting an open competition. 

“Oh for sure,” Brissett said via FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. “I wouldn’t be brought here if it was something else. If I thought otherwise, then I’d have a problem, right?”

“Anybody that steps on the field, we’re all in competition,” he added later. “Somebody is trying to take our jobs. Somebody’s trying to earn a job. That’s what it is every day in this league. I’ve been in this league for a while and that has always stuck with me. And this year is no different.”

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said they’ve been pleased with what they’ve seen from Howell so far but added Brissett shouldn’t be counted out. 

“It’s one of those things that just because I said (Howell) is going to start off as QB1 doesn’t mean he’s going to finish as QB1,” Rivera said. “I like to believe though that if he goes out and does the things he’s capable of, he’s got a very, very good chance of doing that. (But) I think Jacoby has shown us some things that have really gotten people’s attention. We talk about Jacoby almost as much as we talk about Sam.”

Cowboys

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy is relishing the challenge of calling plays on offense again. It’s something he did his entire time in Green Bay but set aside when he arrived in Dallas to accommodate incumbent OC Kellen Moore. Getting back in the driver’s seat was a factor in the two sides parting ways this offseason. 

“That’s the ultimate seat you want to sit in,” McCarthy said via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “It’s everything that goes into preparing that game plan. … That’s the guy that gets to compete on game day with the coordinator on the other side of the field. I think it’s only natural that I’m enjoying it. It’s been a lot of fun to get back into it.”

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn says he’s seen McCarthy be energized by the change this offseason. 

“It looks, from my opinion, like he’s having a blast,” Quinn said. “Sometimes as a head coach, when you’re not the play caller and you are yearning for it, I’ve seen that with him, the energy he has for it. He sets the whole menu and the table for us and we’re having a good offseason. But him specifically, I’ve felt some happiness and some joy for him going out there and you can see his competitive juices going. We’ll have some good battles (at training camp). I’ve coached against Mike for a long time, he’s one of the very best. Hopefully, we have a lot of fun out in California.”

• Seth Walder reports the Cowboys are hiring Sarah Mallepalle as a Strategic Football Analyst from the Ravens. 

Giants

Giants DL Leonard Williams expressed his desire to remain with the team and hopes the two sides can come together on a contract extension.

“I think I have a good camaraderie with my teammates. I would love to keep playing with Dex [Dexter Lawrence]. I would love to keep playing with these coaches that I’ve gotten to know,” Williams said, via Big Blue View. “I’m also not one of those players that wants to bounce around from team to team. I want to be able to be here.”

Williams added that the neck injury that cut his 2022 campaign short has been recovering nicely this offseason and he’s focusing on keeping better care of his body moving forward.

“During the season it was just hard for it to recover just because every time I made a tackle I would feel it,” Williams said. “It wasn’t really going to go away until the season ended. I’ve had a few months off now and I’ve been back in the weight room and I haven’t been feeling it at all. Now that I’m getting older that’s just something that I have to pay more attention to, though, is my recovery and my body.”

Williams added that he believes he still has a lot of good football left in the tank.

“I’m definitely not feeling older,” Williams said. “We have this chart with the GPS tracker that shows our high-end speed and short 10-yard sprints and stuff like that. I pride myself on always being first on that list. I still have my explosiveness. I still have my power. Honestly, I feel like I know the game more and I still have a lot more years left in me. I just joke around about the age thing because this is a young team.”