NFC Notes: Saquon Barkley, Jayden Daniels, Jer’Zhan Newton, Commanders, Giants

Commanders

• Commanders HC Dan Quinn on when first-round QB Jayden Daniels will be named the starter: “When he’s ready we’ll know and he will know.” (JP Finlay)
• Washington GM Adam Peters discussed second-round DT Jer’Zhan Newton, who had a brief stint on the NFI list before being activated on Wednesday: “He’s been outstanding in his rehab. We’ve had to hold him back…We’ve been pleased with his progress. We’ll exercise caution. We expect him to be sooner rather than later when they release the reigns.” (John Keim)

Giants

Giants GM Joe Schoen was shown telling Eagles RB Saquon Barkley on “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” they would match any offer Barkley gets on the open market. Barkley mentioned the Giants were never in play and felt disrespected when they wouldn’t make an offer before free agency. 

“They really weren’t in play,” Barkley said, via Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. “When you look at ‘Hard Knocks,’ it (makes it) seem like, ‘Oh, this was a thing that was going on every single day,’ but it really wasn’t.”

“It felt like the only way like the Giants wanted me was if I was able to go show my worth to someone. Like I (had) to go prove that a team would want to pay me. So then maybe they would want to pay.”

“It’s kind of like a slap in the face (to say), ‘You go see what you are worth, and then if you’re worth that, we’ll see if you’re worth it, and maybe we’ll match it.'”

Giants

In his first NFL season, Giants WR Jalin Hyatt finished with zero touchdowns despite having 15 touchdowns in his last season at Tennessee. Hyatt declared he’s scoring his first touchdown in 2024 with an increased chip on his shoulders. 

“Week 1,” Hyatt said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I’m hungry. I’ve never had a season in my life of not scoring a touchdown. That stays with me. That will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. I’ll be ready.”

“Not going to make excuses. I had plenty of opportunities last year, but we couldn’t connect. You can’t look at the past. It’s all about the present and the future.”