NFC East news: Giants front office is still pleased with giving Daniel Jones his contract

John Mara ‘still happy’ Giants gave QB Daniel Jones $160M contract: ‘Let’s give him a chance’ – Kevin Patra, NFL.com

New York’s front office still feels Jones is worth his contract.

The New York Giants inked Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract in 2023, a deal that looks precarious after the quarterback played just six uneven games last season before tearing his ACL.

Despite the questions surrounding Jones entering a pivotal 2024 campaign, Big Blue co-owner John Mara said Thursday that he doesn’t regret extending the quarterback’s contract.

“I’m still happy we gave (Jones) that contract because I thought he played really well for us in ‘22,” Mara said, via the team’s official website. “Last year, he got hurt and let’s be honest, when he was playing, we weren’t blocking anybody. So, let’s give him a chance with a better offensive line with some weapons around him to see what he can do.”

Mara is correct that last year’s blocking was some of the worst in the NFL, and the Giants didn’t have enough playmakers. However, Jones exacerbated the issues with questionable reads, poor throws and erratic play. He wasn’t a “raise all boats” player you want from a $40 million-per-year quarterback.

The Giants looked into potentially trading up in the 2024 NFL Draft, eyeing a rookie replacement. Instead, general manager Joe Schoen drafted dynamic receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall.

“I was nervous about giving up too much to go and get a quarterback, but I was prepared to let (Schoen) do that if that’s what they wanted to do,” Mara said. “We made a decision to stay with Daniel and get a weapon for him, and I think that’s going to work out.”

“It’s hard to articulate my expectations,” Mara said. “I obviously want to show significant improvement over last year. But I’m not going to make any specific guarantees or demands or anything like that. But they know what I want to see.”

5 Commanders position battles that have already been decided at training camp – Seth Jones, RiggosRag.com

Depth charts of some position groups still need to be worked out in Washington.

Commanders safeties and nickel cornerback

Several safeties have a good chance of earning a significant role in the Washington Commanders’ defense this year. Those are Jeremy Chinn, Darrick Forrest, Quan Martin, and Percy Butler. Early in training camp, it seems that we have a good idea of who in this bunch is pulling away with the starting roles.

Newly acquired Chinn has impressed head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. thus far. He is starting at safety in camp practices.

The former second-round pick was brought in on a one-year deal and is already showing why he will be here to stay for a lot longer than that if the same trend continues. Chinn has brought an energetic toughness and physicality that is going to be a necessity in Whitt’s defense.

Commanders starting left tackle

Two names are in consideration to start the season as the Commanders’ starting left tackle. Those are rookie Brandon Coleman and veteran Cornelius Lucas.

Coleman was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of TCU. Lucas has been a member of the Commanders since 2020 and was brought back on a one-year deal this offseason.

The first-year pro has reportedly impressed the coaching staff. Coleman can firmly impose himself as Jayden Daniels’ blindside protector in 2024 if this continues. But Dan Quinn brought up how there will be shifts among the offensive line, and the player does have potential at guard, too.

Another note that is necessary to add is there have also been reports of Coleman struggling with inside pressure. This is something he will need to clean up and improve his technique with to secure the starting job.

Eagles’ new quick-strike, motion-heavy offense puts Jalen Hurts ‘in control’ – Ralpj Vacchiano, Fox Sports

Kellen Moore’s offense puts QB1 in command.

Every pass Jalen Hurts threw in the first few days of training camp in Philadelphia looked quick and crisp. He ran the plays fast, didn’t hesitate to find his receivers, and almost every throw was right on target. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said his quarterback looked “smooth.”

“You can just tell he’s in command,” Moore said. “He’s in control.”

In other words, Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are off to a good start, six months after an unimaginably bad ending. Last season, they watched a 10-1 start spiral into a 1-6 finish. And though Hurts was far from the only reason for the inexplicable collapse, it didn’t help that he often looked lost running an offense that suddenly just didn’t work.

That’s why former OC Brian Johnson was fired and Moore was given the task of finding Hurts’ comfort level again. Moore also was asked to cast off what Eagles coach Nick Sirianni lamented was the “staleness” of the old offense. Moore is the fourth different offensive coordinator Hurts has had in his five NFL seasons, and the QB said in June that the scheme is “probably 95 percent” new.

Moore said Hurts has been “a huge part of this process” of building the new offense. The plan is to blend the things he does well — running out of the RPOs, off-schedule throws, his ability to make quick decisions — and add some elements to make it all seem smoother and more in sync.

Hurts has been coy about the changes, but he does seem to believe that they will help him and the offense be at least a little more effective, like during Philly’s Super Bowl run in 2022.

“I think it’s as simple as: If I made it happen, I can make it happen,” Hurts said. “This team has made it happen before. There’s no doubt that we can make it happen again.”