Commanders

Third-year RB Chris Rodriguez is set to have the largest role he’s had in the Commanders’ offense. Washington HC Dan Quinn said Rodriguez is proving to be a consistent player.

“Consistent for one, I would say when somebody can demonstrate over and over again that they’re willing to put the work in, find the right read, not just the physical skill, but mentally on the special teams,” Quinn said, via CommandersWire. 

Rodriguez was a big part of Washington’s punt and kickoff coverage teams last season. Quinn said he’s someone who gained the trust of ST coordinator Larry Izzo. 

“He’s a player that this team really trusts. If you ask [Special Teams Coordinator] Larry [Izzo], yesterday he was giving the look on punt to another player who’s playing the wing. That’s the same spot Chris often plays. So, that move that he hit, he knows what stresses him. And so, I thought what a great example of [S] Jeremy [Reaves] and him providing the look of things that can be troublesome to some of the other players.”

Quinn can see Rodriguez maturing as a player based on his camaraderie with teammates and how he worked on his body over the offseason. 

“I saw it in the preseason games, whether he was just excited when Bill [RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt] had a big run against Cincinnati, as he was for himself,” Quinn said. “And so, that doesn’t happen all the time, but I like his fight. I like that he really worked hard to change his body, and those are things that when can people continue to show you that and then you pay attention.”

Cowboys

Jerry Jones took to the podium in the Cowboys’ press conference after their shocking trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers. Jones explained that the addition of DT Kenny Clark improves their run defense and was a “deliberate move.” 

“This was a move to get us successful in the playoffs,” Jones said in a 46-minute news conference Thursday after the Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. “This was a move to be better on defense, stopping the run. This was a move to, if we get behind, not be run on. And it was a deliberate move, a well-thought-out move to make this happen.”

Jones reiterated that they now have a “better chance” to build a winning team with Clark and their future picks. 

“In our judgment, this gives us a better chance to be a better team than we have been the last several years,” Jones said.

Cowboys executive Stephen Jones added that Clark was a “big part” of the deal and feels they have enough depth at edge rusher to succeed without Parsons. 

“Kenny Clark is a big part of this,” Stephen Jones said. “That was a big part of winning right now. … We hadn’t been able to win the big games in the playoffs, and we think it is a direct connection to not being able to stop the run. And we think Kenny Clark is going to be a big piece to that. We felt like, because of our depth on the edge, as well as the ability to scheme pressure, that we could make up for Micah because obviously he’s elite at rushing the passer.”

Eagles

The Eagles acquired QB Sam Howell from the Vikings earlier this week. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman explained the move, saying they spent a lot of time on Howell when he was coming out of North Carolina in 2022. 

“We know the player really well,” Roseman said, via PFT. “Spent a lot of time on him coming out. Ironically, I think the only college Thursday night game I’ve gone to in the last 10 years was Pitt-North Carolina, and we ended up getting both those quarterbacks, which is ironic, like I said.”

Roseman added that Howell has always been on their radar, and they wanted to make sure to have a capable backup quarterback. 

“We had done a lot of work on him coming out,” Roseman said. “Saw him firsthand as a starter with Washington. Obviously, he had tremendous success in those games, had a lot of appreciation for him as a player and his talent level and the person that he was spending time with him. So, a guy who’s always on our radar. Just felt like for our team right now, the hardest part for us is trying to balance the development of players, the development of young players who we like, and doing whatever we can to go out and defend our title and to put the best team forward here for Dallas and going forward.”

Roseman reiterated that Howell gives them “short-term” security at quarterback, and they are still confident in third-year QB Tanner McKee. 

“We just thought it was an opportunity to improve in the short-term quarterback position, which is obviously a hugely important position,” Roseman said. “For us, having those three guys again as we start the season, the opportunity to have those guys with the experience that they have in that room, just we felt like it was in the best interest of the team for this season.”

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