The latest news from around the division.
Dan Quinn explains how he helped turn the Commanders around – Ivan Lambert, USA Today
Quinn’s turnaround of the Commanders started from day one.
Dan Quinn took the job as Commanders head coach in 2024 and made it clear, “We are not going to be for everybody.”
A guest on the “Glue Guys Podcast” recently, Quinn and GM Adam Peters made it clear from day one, to those who wanted to coach and work with the Commanders and those who wanted to play for the Commanders, there were going to be standards, there were going to be boundaries and Peters and Quinn were going to work hard to be consistent in maintaining those from the start.
Quinn told the hosts that he and Peters understood not everyone would buy in, and therefore, they had to be willing to move on from some people. “It wasn’t like a threat, though,” insisted Quinn. “I just wanted to make sure it was like, ‘This is how we are going to do things moving forward.’”
One of Quinn’s keys was conveying to the Commanders that it was not Quinn’s team. Rather, it’s our team, and all of the team needs to buy in together, hold each other accountable, and encourage each other to the standard.
The overall principle Quinn employs and preaches is “Protect the Team.” That is, whatever situation arises, what would protect the team? What would be best for the team? The standards come into play in how the teammates and coaches work together. Quinn expressed, “Now it is so much easier when it comes to accountability, because it is not like, ‘This is what I (Quinn) said’. No, it is, ‘This is what we said.’”
Quinn clearly stated, “The tighter (closer) a team gets, the better you are going to play. And all of us who have been on good teams have been in pretty good locker rooms. So I want them to be able to be themselves around one another, and that includes game day.”
Giants may need to pivot draft plan after latest Browns update – Kevin Hickey, SportingNews.com
It seems New York’s top two needs may go in the two picks before them.
What the New York Giants plan to do in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft remains a mystery, but things are becoming clearer as the biggest weekend of the offseason approaches.
With just over two weeks remaining until the Giants are on the clock at No. 3 overall, their franchise-altering decision hinges largely on what the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns do with the two selections ahead of them.
As it currently stands, quarterback Cam Ward is the overwhelming favorite to go to Tennessee at No. 1 overall. The pipe dream of the Giants trading up to the top overall spot is dead, which means the other prospects New York is considering falls between edge rusher Abdul Carter, two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
In recent weeks, Hunter has seemingly emerged as the preferred option for New York. However, the latest update from Adam Schefter of ESPN suggests the Browns are planning on taking the Heisman-winning superstar ahead of the Giants.
After signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to contracts in free agency, the Giants have seemingly built their roster to afford them the flexibility of passing on a quarterback at No. 3 overall. They can still take Sanders at No. 3 if they’re convicted in their belief that he’s a franchise player, but they don’t have to force the selection after their free agency moves.
If Ward and Hunter are the selections ahead of the Giants, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Carter was the selection. Despite the fact that edge rusher isn’t a priority, a team can never have too many pass-rushers, especially when a prospect with Carter’s upside comes along.
Yay or nay? Eagles face a tricky situation with Jordan Davis and his fifth-year option – Jake Beckman, Fansided.com
The NFL draft will likely determine Jordan Davis’ future.
The next big thing in the NFL calendar is the draft at the end of the month. Shortly after that, though, comes May 1 — the deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year options on their 2022 first-round draft pick. That means the Philadelphia Eagles need to make a decision on Jordan Davis.
It’s a tricky situation because Davis is obviously a really valuable part of the defense, but relative to other first-round defensive linemen, he hasn’t exactly developed as well as you would’ve hoped.
A fifth-year option on a nose tackle?
Fifth-year options are weird. There are four different tiers, and the price for each option is dependent on the guy’s position and what tier he falls into.
There’s a tier for players who have been pro bowlers for multiple years, a tier for someone who was a pro bowler once, a tier based on a lot of playing time, and then a tier for everyone else. Jordan Davis falls into that last tier.
That means if the Eagles exercised his option, he would be paid a fully guaranteed $12.9 million (per OverTheCap) for that fifth year. It’s worth noting that it also makes players’ fourth-year money become guaranteed, but that doesn’t matter for Davis because all of his rookie contract already is guaranteed.
If the Eagles did go the fifth-year option route, it’d be weird and a little contrary to all of their other money-saving moves they’ve made so far this offseason, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
He’s only 25 years old, so throwing an $8 million to $10 million (per year) contract his way seems like it’d be a good move. That way, he can be extended if he breaks out in years four and five, or they can move on if they need to.
It just stinks for Davis because not only was he drafted the year before Jalen Carter, who is showing that he’s a generational talent, but he has to play right next to Carter as well. It’s kind of like when Jalen Reagor was on the field with Devonta Smith; they played the same position, but one guy was a billion percent better than the other one.
