NFC Notes: Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney, Tyrod Taylor, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

• Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports the Commanders will retain WR coach Bobby Engram on staff under new OC Kliff Kingsbury.
• Washington will hire former Chargers secondary coach Tom Donatell as their DB coach. He’ll work with defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons. (Ben Standig)

Cowboys

• Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline has heard the Cowboys come up as a potential suitor for Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed if he makes it to free agency. 
• ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Giants denied the Cowboys’ request to interview DL coach Andre Patterson for a position on their coaching staff. Patterson worked with new Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. 

Giants

Dan Duggan of The Athletic took a look at the Giants’ upcoming offseason. New York has the fifth-most players set to hit free agency of any team. After finishing 6-11, retaining key players is essential for them to try and build on the foundation they have.

• Duggan thinks the Giants should bring back S Xavier McKinney due to his versatility and recent durability. While PFF projects his market value at around $12.5 million, Duggan believes the Giants should be willing to pay that price especially considering the projected $16.3 million franchise tag.
• When it comes to RB Saquon Barkley, Duggan points out the chance the star running back hits the open market just to gauge his value. Duggan states the Giants “would have to consider” paying Barkley even if the contract reaches $11 million annually because of their lack of playmakers.
• Duggan adds the hiring of DC Shane Bowen isn’t a good sign for CB Adoree’ Jackson, as Jackson was cut the offseason after the Titans hired Bowen for the same role back in 2021. While his $7 million estimated price tag is reasonable, Duggan figures the Giants will go elsewhere and let the 28-year-old walk after he missed 14 games in three seasons.
• Backup QB Tyrod Taylor stepped in for a few games this year, but Duggan thinks he likely earned a raise from his two-year, $11 million contract signed in 2022. Taylor lost his job briefly last year to undrafted QB Tommy DeVito, and Duggan believes Taylor might not be “eager” to return to New York.
• Other pending free agents for the Giants include DL A’Shawn Robinson, OL Ben Bredeson, OL Tyre Phillips, LB Isaiah Simmons, WR Parris Campbell and WR Gunner Olszewski.
• According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, New York is hiring former Titans head strength and conditioning coach Frank Piraino as director of strength and conditioning.
• The Giants blocked special assistant to the GM Jessie Armstead from leaving for a similar role with the Raiders. Las Vegas thought it had a good chance of hiring him to the point where he had a presence at their facility. (Ryan Dunleavy)