Martin Mayhew met with the Washington press in conjunction with the NFL owner’s meetings in Florida.
Here are some excerpts:
Mayhew really likes Carson Wentz’s skill set, his big arm and says he is a great person as well. “Carson was the best option for us.” Mayhew said he also had conversations with Frank Reich a former teammate in Buffalo, and Colts’ GM Chris Ballard. “We were very comfortable making that decision.”
When asked about pressure, Mayhew actually laughed saying there is always pressure in the NFL. “We are in this thing to win and every team is always under pressure to win.”
Mayhew did not agree that good players don’t want to come to Washington, stating they have talked with several agents about players who wanted to come to Washington. He also assured the press that NFL free agency doesn’t end after the first week. It is an ongoing process and they are still talking with free agents.
Mayhew mentioned it was a priority trying to get Cam Sims and J.D. McKissic back for 2022 and that they have already talked with the agents for Terry McLaurin, Daron Payne and DeAndre Carter, but didn’t feel he should elaborate any further right now.
When asked if this team is now a contender Mayhew wisely responded, “I think when you start thinking that way, you lose sight of what is important. What is really important is getting better every day. I was on two teams that went to a championship and we never really talked about that. It was about continual improvement…”
When asked what Wentz brings to the team: “An elite skill set, he is 6-foot-5 a tremendous athlete, a guy with a great arm, can make plays down the field, can see the entire field, can read coverages, can go through progressions. He has the ability to make everyone around him better.”
When asked regarding the 2022 NFL draft: “We have needs. We need good football players, across the board.”
Mayhew spoke highly of last season’s offensive line, the coaching of the line, and losing two guys who played well for that line. He expects them to have another good offensive line in 2022.
Some of the rookies had flashes of good and some struggles as well. He was not overly concerned, pointing out the different positions some being more difficult to learn than others.
He has not seen Curtis Samuel or talked with him, but he has talked some with Chase Young regarding his rehab.
Mayhew conveyed there has been talk with other teams regarding each of those teams’ draft positions and possible movements in the draft. He understandably did not elaborate further.
There is more, so here is the link.