NFC Notes: Saquon Barkley, Chase Young, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

Commanders HC Ron Rivera has been clear on the rationale for the team declining DE Chase Young‘s fifth-year option this offseason. Washington did something similar with DT Daron Payne last offseason and he responded with a career year to earn a monster extension this offseason. The hope is the same thing happens for Young. 

“This is a production-based business, and you have to produce,” Rivera said via the Athletic’s Ben Standig. “That’s what Daron did. Our intent is to keep our guys. Guys that produce for us, we want them to be around … to be part of what we’re doing. That’s pretty much been the message, and I believe (Chase has) adapted to it very nicely. … He’s been on top of things.”

• Standig notes Commanders first-round CB Emmanuel Forbes is probably cemented as the other starting outside cornerback across from veteran CB Kendall Fuller. That would push CB Benjamin St-Juste inside to the slot but Standig adds second-round S Quan Martin will also likely see significant snaps there. 
• Commanders WR Jahan Dotson on QB Sam Howell: “We’ve got our QB situation settled. I think Sam Howell is going to be our guy. I have complete faith in him…He makes throws look super effortless on the field, he’s been a great leader.” (JP Finlay)
• Mark Maske reports NFL owners were informed by the league office to be available on July 20 and August 8 as possible dates to vote on approval of the Washington Commanders sale. 
• According to Maske, the meeting’s exact date, location, and agenda will be confirmed in the near future. 

Cowboys

Spring and early summer are the time for NFL teams to tinker, and that’s what the Cowboys are doing as they try to figure out the best combination for their offensive line in 2023. They have three starting-caliber tackles on the roster right now including longtime veteran Tyron Smith, 2022 first-rounder Tyler Smith and RT Terence Steele, who is coming off a torn ACL. Last year the plan was for Tyler Smith to play guard before eventually succeeding Tyron Smith at left tackle, but an injury to the older Smith pushed the younger one into the lineup and he was more than ready for his chance.

The expectation is that he’ll stay at left tackle but the Cowboys experimented this summer with a Tyron/Tyler lineup on the left side like they initially planned to have in 2022. 

“I think it’s good for just staying sharp, and having the best five out there,” Tyler Smith said via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “That’s really the emphasis right now. I’m just staying tight on guard fundamentals, staying tight on tackle fundamentals. Right now, they don’t want me to do too much switching this week so I’ll be able to kind of key in on one, so I’ll be doing mostly guard this week.

“We’re constantly working combinations, Tyron moving to left, Tyron moving to right. … It’s definitely like riding a bike. It’s like those mountain bikes where you have to switch gears sometimes. Just staying sharp on the footwork is the biggest thing. At guard, it’s a little bit more of a phone booth, you have to have quicker hands. At tackle, there’s more space, you have to be quicker with your feet. It’s just going to help me in the long run. I’m just trying to do whatever to help the team. I feel like being elite at both is going to help the team the most.”

Giants

Giants RB Saquon Barkley gave some extensive comments on his contract situation at a free youth camp he was hosting this past weekend, covering everything from why a deal hasn’t happened yet to the possibility of sitting out the 2023 season. 

“That comes up in the conversation if something doesn’t get done by July 17,” said Barkley via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, adding he hasn’t thought much about it yet.

Barkley didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself but it’d be hard to describe his tone as optimistic when he was asked about the chances of the two sides hashing out a long-term deal by the deadline. 

“I think they’re open to talking. I’m open to talking,” Barkley said. “I think at the end of the day, if you really break it down and look at it as a whole, there is no rush. There is still time on the table to get to July 17. July 17 is not tomorrow. It’s not in a week. That is how I look at it. Maybe that is the naïve way to look at it, I could be completely wrong. But for me, that’s how I look at it. I could be completely wrong. Hopefully. I trust in the Giants that we could get something done.”

Barkley also discussed the impasse between the two sides in negotiations so far, summing it up as, “At the end of the day, it’s all about respect. That is really what it is.” Reports have said Barkley turned down an offer in the area of $13 million a year earlier this offseason, higher than the $10.1 million franchise tag he’s scheduled to play under in 2023. But he says those don’t paint an accurate picture of what was actually on the table. He was asked specifically about the guaranteed money and responded to read between the lines and that the devil is in the details. 

“Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged,” Barkley said. “To sit here and say I was frustrated, I was mad, I was upset, what really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out and how misleading they were and how untruthful they were. I feel it was trying to paint a narrative of me, paint a picture of me that is not even true. Not even close to being the truth.”

Barkley reiterated he’s not trying to reset the running back market and he believes the contract offers he’s gotten so far don’t reflect the value of his contributions to the Giants, regardless of what’s happening with other backs for other teams. 

“I see [the RB market]. I’m aware of that,” Barkley said. “I feel like I’m more than that. I feel we finally got to a place where we’re a successful team. We got to start winning games, and I was a big part of that.”

• According to Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News, a source tells him the “real value” of the contract offers the Giants have put on the table for Barkley are lower than $13 million a year due to a combination of lower guaranteed money and per-game roster bonuses instead of straight salary. 
• Heavy.com’s Matt Lombardo notes the expectation from other teams is that the two sides will eventually hash out their differences and get a deal done before the July deadline. One NFC exec said: “I really think Barkley’s situation is just haggling. And it will ultimately be resolved over the summer.”