NFC East

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would "of course" welcome a quarterback controversy between Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.

"That means we'd won," Jones said. "If he comes in and plays as well as Prescott played ... I'd walk to New York to get that."

Rush is preparing to make his second straight start Monday against the New York Giants after leading the Cowboys to victory in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. It comes as Prescott recovers from thumb surgery after suffering an injury in Week 1.

Prescott was initially expected to miss six to eight weeks because of the injury, although Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said this week the quarterback could be back by Week 4 or 5.

The two-time Pro Bowler has been the team's undisputed starter since he won the job his rookie year in 2016. He signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2021, ensuring his status as the face of the franchise.

It would take quite a bit for anyone to win the starting job from someone making $40 million per year.

This means if there is a quarterback controversy, Rush will have played well enough to at least get the media and fans buzzing. That would certainly represent a win-win scenario for Jones and the Cowboys.

Dallas has shown plenty of faith in Rush, signing him after he went undrafted in 2017 while keeping him in the organization for multiple years across two stints. He made his first start in 2021 and threw two touchdown passes in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.

After leading Dallas to a 20-17 win over Cincinnati last week, Rush has the chance to add to his resume with a battle against the divisional rival Giants.

Prescott has enough guaranteed money on his contract that he's not going anywhere until at least after the 2023 season, but Rush is getting his chance to shine.

Of course, running back Ezekiel Elliott doesn't believe Jones' comments were serious.

"He want y'all to be clicking and listening, too," Elliott said of Jones, per ESPN's Ed Werder. "It's all marketing. It's all marketing."

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll doesn't appear upset about Kenny Golladay's recent comments about a lack of playing time.

"I've been in the NFL a long time," Daboll told reporters Thursday. "I don't know that I've ever been part of any team where someone’s not happy about something. I have great respect for Kenny. I'm glad he’s not happy he didn't play; that shows competitiveness."

This comes in response to Golladay voicing his frustration about his limited role through the team's first two games.

"I came here to play," the receiver said Wednesday, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. "I'm pretty sure they’re also paying me to play. They want to see more I guess.

"I really don’t agree with it or like it. But I can only control what I can control, and that’s coming to work every day. If I was in the game [against the Panthers], I feel like everything that was done in the game I for sure could've done. We won at the end of the day, which is good."

Golladay played just two snaps in the 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He has just two catches for 22 yards in two games this season, although the Giants are 2-0.

The role certainly isn't what Golladay expected after he signed a four-year, $72 million deal in free agency last offseason when former general manager Dave Gettleman was in charge. The 2019 Pro Bowler had a disappointing first year in New York, totaling 37 catches for 521 yards and no touchdowns.

A coaching change from Joe Judge to Daboll offered a fresh start in a more offensive-minded system, but it's clear the current staff doesn't trust Golladay on the field.

Unheralded players Richie James and David Sills were the Giants' leading receivers in Week 2, while Golladay and 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney barely saw the field.

The latest comments from Daboll indicate the door isn't closed on Golladay getting more snaps in the future, but it's clear he will have to earn them.

Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott resumed practice for the first time since undergoing thumb surgery.

The two-time Pro Bowler remains limited for now as he works his way back to 100 percent.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday he thought Week 4 or 5 was the earliest Prescott is expected to get back on the field for game action.

That's better than the initial timeline.

ESPN's Todd Archer reported on Sept. 12 the veteran signal-caller was potentially out for six-to-eight weeks after surgery and was "likely" headed for injured reserve. One day later, however, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said an IR designation wasn't on the table.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday that Prescott would have the stitches from his surgical procedure removed at some point this week, which represented a small step in his recovery. Still, McCarthy couldn't provide any more insight as to when his starting QB might be good to go.

Cooper Rush ran the offense in Week 2 and helped Dallas earn a 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished 19-of-31 for 235 yards and one touchdown.

Maybe the Cowboys can tread water long enough until they have Prescott back, but the NFC East is shaping up to be more difficult than it has been in recent seasons. The New York Giants look like a different team under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, while Jalen Hurts might be making the leap for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The longer Dallas is without Prescott, the more his absence could put a serious dent in the franchise's playoff ambitions. Luckily for McCarthy, it looks as though Prescott's recovery is on track.

The attorneys for the former Washington Commanders employees who accused the organization and owner Daniel Snyder of mistreatment, Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, called for Snyder to sell the team in the wake of Robert Sarver's decision to sell the Phoenix Suns and Mercury following the results of a workplace misconduct investigation of his own.

Sarver, 60, was suspended for one year by the NBA and fined $10 million after the league's investigation into allegations of using racist and sexist language in the workplace, among other accusations.

Amid growing public pressure that he sell the team, however, Sarver relented on Wednesday, announcing his intention to sell in a public statement that, in part, seemed like an attempt to paint himself as a victim in the situation.

"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness," he wrote. "I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.

"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible—that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past," the statement continued. "For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury."

Snyder, 57, has himself been a constant source of negative publicity in recent years and oversaw a toxic workplace environment in Washington. Among the allegations levied against him and the workplace culture he fostered were sexual harassment, sexual assault, financial impropriety and bullying and intimidation from over 50 former employees.

The NFL fined Snyder and the organization $10 million as a result of its own investigation into Washington's workplace culture but didn't publicly reveal its findings. The House Oversight Committee has since opened its own investigation into the situation.

New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who is in the second year of a four-season, $72 million deal, played just two snaps in a 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Golladay made his displeasure regarding his reduced role clear in a chat with reporters on Wednesday.

"I came here to play," he told reporters. “I’m pretty sure they’re also paying me to play. They want to see more I guess.

"I really don’t agree with it or like it. But I can only control what I can control, and that’s coming to work every day. If I was in the game [vs. the Panthers], I feel like everything that was done in the game I for sure could’ve done. We won at the end of the day, which is good."

ESPN's Jordan Raanan provided more remarks from the ex-Detroit Lion, who signed with Big Blue during the 2021 offseason in free agency.

Golladay has not fared well with the Giants, catching just 37 passes for 521 yards and no touchdowns in 2021. He had two catches for 22 yards in Week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans this year but was unable to get in the box score Sunday in limited action.

It's a new era in East Rutherford, New Jersey as general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have taken over.

It's clear that Daboll is going to play those he fills puts the Giants in the best position to succeed regardless of one's contract status.

"It’s a continual competition at receiver," Daboll said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

"We are just going to keep rolling guys [through the lineup] and play the guys we think are going to give us the best chance—and the other guys have to be ready to go as backups."

In Week 1, the Giants rarely used Kadarius Toney, who the team took with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Toney got back on the field more frequently in Week 2, but it appeared to be at the expense of Golladay, whose 77 percent of snaps played led all Giants wideouts in Week 1.

The Giants offense has largely struggled outside the second half of the Titans game, which saw New York score all of its points in a 21-20 win over Tennessee. Four field goals and one touchdown were good enough Sunday in the Panthers win.

Now the Giants will take their 2-0 record back to the Meadowlands as they welcome the Dallas Cowboys into town on Monday evening.

Philadelphia Eagles undrafted rookie and punt returner Britain Covey was elevated from the practice squad on Monday, and he's apparently still a relative unknown in Philadelphia.

Ahead of the Eagles' 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, he reportedly wasn't granted passage into the players' parking lot, according to Howard Eskin of 94.1 WIP (h/t the Philadelphia inquirer's Mike Sielski).

Per that report, Covey "tried to park his car in the players' lot before the game, but the attendants didn't believe he was a player and wouldn't let him into the lot. Covey ended up parking elsewhere among several tailgaters. They apparently didn't recognize him, either."

Covey essentially verified the story on Twitter, along with talking about his first experience playing at Lincoln Financial Field:

Getting into the stadium itself, of course, was a bit of an ordeal; it seems unlikely he'll have any issues going forward.

To hear Dallas Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones tell it, quarterback Dak Prescott may be back from his broken thumb as soon as a Week 4 game against the Washington Commanders.

Jones addressed the quarterback's status during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan:

"I don't know that anybody knows [when he'll be back]. But when he [gets enough strength in his hand], then you'll probably see some real advancement in his timeline. I don't know when that is but I do know that with a good airing out last week, everybody recognizes that he'll be back sooner than later as far as the timeline. It really could be a minimum of two weeks up here in my mind [Washington in Week 4]. Now, that's very optimistic. But he's got the kind of repair there that will allow him to not have a lot of fear of re-injuring it. It's just a question of the grip."

There has been no shortage of optimism from Jones when it comes to Prescott's status, but he isn't the only one who suggested the Washington game as a potential return date.

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that the Mississippi State product could come back by Week 4 at "the very best" even while pointing out there is still some uncertainty following the surgery he underwent for the injury he suffered during a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dallas decided not to put Prescott on injured reserve even though ESPN's Todd Archer reported the initial timeline was expected to be six to eight weeks.

While Prescott is a two-time Pro Bowler who threw for 4,449 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year, the Cowboys at least have a solid insurance policy in Cooper Rush. Rush won his only start last season against the Minnesota Vikings and led the team to a 20-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

He went 19-of-31 passing for 235 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions, directing touchdown drives on each of the team's first two possessions and moving them into field-goal range in crunch time after Cincinnati came back to tie it.

Brett Maher made the 50-yard field goal as time expired, putting the Cowboys into the win column for the first time this season.

Dallas will ask Rush to do the same at least one more time during a Week 3 game against the New York Giants before Prescott may be ready to return.

Jalen Hurts is on the shortlist of NFL MVP candidates through the first two weeks of the season, and Nick Sirianni doesn't even think we've seen the best of his quarterback.

"I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I've seen the growth," the Philadelphia Eagles coach told reporters after Monday's 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. "We talk about this so much with Jalen. Why is he going to continue to reach his ceiling? Because he's tough, he has high football character, and he loves football. He's going to reach his ceiling. It's fun watching him grow."

Hurts has thrown for 576 yards and one touchdown against one interception as a passer while adding 147 yards and three scores as a runner to lead the Eagles to a 2-0 start. He's exhibited massive improvement as a passer, completing 69.8 percent of his passes while averaging 9.1 yards per attempt through two games.

Neither the Vikings nor the Detroit Lions are strong defensive teams, and the Eagles' schedule is relatively light on top defenses until a Week 6 matchup with the division-rival Cowboys.

There's a good chance Hurts single-handedly locks some fantasy managers into the playoffs over the first five weeks of the season and sets himself up as a no-doubt franchise quarterback in Philadelphia.

That's a far cry from where Hurts and Sirianni were early last season, when some in Philly were calling for Hurts to be benched and wondering whether the first-year coach was the right guy for the job.

A year later, and both are the toast of the town after a dominant win on national television.