NFC East

Dan Quinn heard the rumors he might be in line to replace Mike McCarthy as the Dallas Cowboys' head coach in 2022.

So did McCarthy.

Hoping to avoid any tensions that could exist between the two, Quinn said he approached McCarthy and offered to leave the organization.

"I was like, 'Hey, man, let's talk about it and see what you think,'" Quinn said he told McCarthy, per Jori Epstein of USA Today. "'If it's easier for me to go, just say the word, and I'm gone.'"

McCarthy declined Quinn's offer, though the Cowboys coach did note his answer may have been different earlier in his career.

"He kind of laughed and said: 'You know, if this was 10 years ago, I'd say yeah, it would help for you to go. But I don’t want to say that right now,'" Quinn said.

"'Because I think winning is better with you here.'"

Quinn was sought after for several head-coaching vacancies last offseason before deciding to remain with the Cowboys for at least the 2022 campaign. The Dallas defensive coordinator previously spent five-plus seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, compiling a 43-42 record and leading the franchise to Super Bowl LI.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted last week he helped fuel speculation he may want to replace McCarthy with Quinn as a deterrent to opposing teams.

“I had very much early wanted the NFL to wonder if Dan Quinn would be my head coach,” Jones told reporters. “I wanted to deter somebody else from getting him because I wanted him to be our coordinator. I was playing poker.”

McCarthy is heading into his third season with the Cowboys after a 13-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers. The 58-year-old has every reason to feel comfortable in his own skin, given he has a Super Bowl ring as a coach and posted accomplishments on the sideline that far exceed that of Quinn.

Jones has also been exceedingly gracious in granting his coaches time to succeed on their own. There are few owners in the NFL who would have spent an entire decade allowing Jason Garrett to disappoint at the helm.

The Cowboys clearly have Super Bowl expectations this season, and pressure will mount if McCarthy is unable to deliver. That said, it's hard to envision Quinn succeeding McCarthy unless the 2022 campaign is an outright failure.

Terrell Owens hasn't played in the NFL since 2010, but he is still standing by for a call from the Dallas Cowboys:

I’m ready. https://t.co/R2t8WdsSOr

— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) August 2, 2022

The Cowboys have a need at wide receiver after James Washington suffered a fractured foot that will keep him out for six-to-10 weeks.

Owens, 48, recently competed in the Fan Controlled Football League and has consistently said he could compete in the NFL if given the opportunity.

"I'm not your typical 48-year-old," Owens said in April, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. "I think anybody that has seen me ... everybody sees the speed is there. There's a few athletes that can defy the odds or have defied the odds, and I honestly feel like I'm one of those guys."

Owens called on Andy Reid to sign him to the Kansas City Chiefs last season and expressed interest in joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team released Antonio Brown.

To his credit, he did make some plays in the FCF this past spring:

Playoffs on the line and you need a TD? Who else but the HOF WR @terrellowens

Easy 6 for @fcfkodfc @fuboSports pic.twitter.com/zGshagafoN

— Fan Controlled Sports (@fancontrolled) May 29, 2022

Owens was one of the best wideouts in the game during his prime, earning six Pro Bowl selections with five first-team All-Pro honors. He ranks third in NFL history in receiving yards (15,934) and receiving touchdowns (153), ranking eighth in receptions (1,078). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

The superstar also spent three of his 15 NFL seasons with Dallas, reaching 1,000 receiving yards in each campaign.

That type of resume might be enough for team owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to bring Owens in for a workout.

It would still be a leap of faith for any team to add a player in his late 40s who is more than a decade removed from his last NFL action.

With New York Giants star Saquon Barkley heading into the final year of his contract, Peter King of NBC Sports believes the running back will play for another team next season.

"I doubt they want to spend more than $12 million on a running back, even if Barkley plays very well this year," King wrote. "Like so many players on the roster, my guess is he's auditioning for 31 other teams as much as the Giants this fall."

Barkley will make $7.2 million in 2022 from the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but eight NFL running backs are averaging at least $12 million per year on their current deals, per Spotrac. Christian McCaffrey leads the position with $16 million per year after signing his four-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.

When healthy, Barkley has proved to be in this class of elite running backs and worthy of a high-priced deal. He earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie in 2018 when the led the NFL with 2,028 yards from scrimmage, adding 15 touchdowns. A year later, he totaled 1,441 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing three games.

Injuries have been a bigger story in recent years, however, limiting Barkley to just 15 games over the past two seasons combined. He also averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in this stretch after averaging 4.8 yards per carry in his first two seasons.

It could be enough for the Giants to move on next offseason, regardless of what Barkley does in 2022.

After San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel reportedly received a three-year, $71.6 million contract extension Sunday, Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown took a shot at his former team on social media.

Brown, who received a four-year, $100 million extension when he was traded from the Tennessee Titans to Philadelphia, dismissed the notion that he was the problem in Tennessee:

https://twitter.com/1kalwaysopen_/status/1553902784587698179

Brown likely felt the urge to say something because he's faced waves of criticism from disgruntled Titans fans online throughout the 2022 offseason. Prior to being traded on the night of the NFL draft, Brown expressed his frustration with Tennessee fans who called him out for skipping the team's offseason workouts while awaiting a new contract.

Even after his departure from the Titans, Brown has not held back in addressing fans who troll him online. He declared himself to be "the best receiver to play for [the] franchise" last month while responding to a disparaging tweet.

Brown established himself as one of the best young receivers in the NFL, recording over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons in the league. A chest injury limited him to 13 games in 2021, and he finished with 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns. The Titans, who had the best record in the AFC at 12-5, were 11-2 in the games Brown played.

Now with the Eagles, Brown is expected to have a similar impact on a team hoping to compete for a division title. The 25-year-old should see a ton of volume as the top target of young quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he should open up opportunities for second-year wideout DeVonta Smith.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Saturday wide receiver Jalen Reagor will have to earn a place on the team's final roster for the 2022 season.

"We have great depth at the wide receiver position, and so he's battling for a spot," Sirianni told reporters. "He is working with [the second string] right now. He's gotten a lot of balls [thrown his way] over the past two days. He's done a nice job. He's battling for a spot. He's battling for his return spot. He's worked hard in the offseason to come back in great shape."

Reagor, a 2020 first-round pick, has recorded just 64 catches for 695 yards and three touchdowns across 28 games over his first two NFL seasons.

The 23-year-old TCU product finds himself in a crowded battle at the position following the Eagles' blockbuster acquisition of A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans in April.

Brown and DeVonta Smith are locked in as the top two targets for quarterback Jalen Hurts. That leaves Reagor, Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal and Greg Ward, among others, fighting to fill out the remainder of the wideout depth chart.

Track star Devon Allen, who played receiver at the University of Oregon, is making an effort to use his Olympic speed to crack the Eagles' roster, as well.

That leaves a lot of hurdles for Reagor to jump, from both an offensive and special teams perspective, in order to suit up for Philly in Week 1.

Some early reports from training camp suggest he's having a promising start, though:

One clear takeaway from today — Jalen Reagor is definitely with the 2nd team. Expected considering Brown/Smith/Watkins, but still noteworthy. Had a good day of practice tho with 2 TDs. #Eagles

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) July 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/RoobNBCS/status/1552482773398593541

Teams are often hesitant to give up on first-round picks before the end of their rookie contracts—Reagor is signed through 2023 with an option for 2024—because of the significant investment in terms of draft capital.

In turn, the Eagles will likely give the 5'11'', 197-pound playmaker every opportunity to make the squad, even as a limited offensive contributor with a more prominent role on special teams.

The high number of roster-worthy receivers Philadelphia has in camp prevents that from being a lock, however, so Reagor will need to continue to showcase improvement once the focus shifts to preseason games.

The Eagles open the exhibition slate Aug. 12 when they host the New York Jets.

There isn't an NFL team that enters each and every season with loftier expectations than the Dallas Cowboys. A winning record isn't good enough. Neither is claiming the NFC East. It's Super Bowl or bust.

After winning the division only to get bumped from the postseason in the Wild Card Round last year, the Cowboys have Texas-sized aspirations in 2022 as well. But while quarterback Dak Prescott has expressed optimism that this is "the golden year" for the franchise, that shine is actually pyrite.

This isn't a team that's better than last year's iteration. Or one that has what it takes to beat the NFC's best in the postseason. As a matter of fact, it's more likely these Cowboys will miss the playoffs altogether than represent the NFC at Super Bowl LVII.

Prescott turned 29 on Friday, and while speaking to reporters at training camp in Oxnard, California, the seventh-year veteran made it clear what he wanted for his birthday.

"It will be the golden birthday," Prescott said. "I plan for this to be the golden year."

To an extent, Prescott's optimism is warranted. Dallas was a 12-win team in 2021. The Cowboys averaged 407.0 yards and 31.2 points per game last season. Both of those marks led the league. Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that he thinks Prescott is capable of leading the team to a Super Bowl.

"This is Dak Prescott's offense and I think you see him taking ownership of that because at the end of the day, defense wins championships, but the Super Bowl is won by the quarterback. If you look at it statistically, that's my opinion," McCarthy said. "That's how I view the journey and the vision of how you prepare your team and what your team needs to look like. And I think he's a guy that emulates exactly what you're looking for, because he's always looking to improve in all the areas."

For his part, Prescott said that he's well aware that he's expected to lead the Cowboys on a deep playoff run this year.

"I mean, obviously knowing the quarterbacks that played specifically for this team and knowing their legacy and the ones that we hold at the highest standard are the ones that have Super Bowl rings," Prescott said. "It starts there for me, trying to fill the shoes of those guys that have come before me and do something for this organization that hasn't been done in a long time."

It's not difficult to see where Prescott got the idea that the only acceptable way for the season to end is in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12. In a press conference earlier in the week, team owner Jerry Jones made it clear that another one-and-done trip to the playoffs isn't going to cut it.

"Well, I need to win it. I need to win it, but I'll be candid with you, there's degrees. I want to be fair to everybody concerned," Jones said. "We need to be in the playoffs. We need to be viable in the playoffs for it to be a successful season."

The Cowboys have won three Super Bowls under Jones' ownership, but it's been a good long while since the last one in 1995.

Over Prescott's first six seasons as the starting quarterback, the team has one postseason win. Dallas hasn't made the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns since 2006 and 2007 and hasn't done so in consecutive years with the same head coach since Chan Gailey in 1998 and 1999.

That's quite a bit of history working against the Cowboys. But there are pressing issues to deal with in 2022.

The Cowboys fielded the second-ranked passing attack last season for a few reasons. The first is Prescott, who is an excellent starter in the prime of his career. The second was a loaded cadre of pass-catching talent. And the third was an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranked as the NFL's best.

Prescott is still there. But thanks in large part to the annually precarious salary-cap situation in Big D, veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns in what amounted to a salary dump. Fellow wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr. signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Michael Gallup is working his way back from an ACL tear and said he won't be ready for Week 1.

The Cowboys also lost two starters on the offensive line in right tackle La'el Collins and left guard Connor Williams.

The Cowboys still have 23-year-old CeeDee Lamb at wideout, and they added James Washington in free agency and possess a quality tight end in Dalton Schultz. Offensive tackle Terence Steele made 13 starts for the team last year, and Dallas used a first-round pick on Tulsa tackle Tyler Smith.

But the Cowboys' pass-catchers took a step backward in 2022 by just about any objective measure, and Dallas dropped a handful of spots in PFF's preseason offensive line rankings.

The potential problems aren't contained to the offense. The Cowboys have the league's reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year (linebacker Micah Parsons) and interceptions leader (cornerback Trevon Diggs). But for all of Diggs' big plays in 2021, he allowed more yards in coverage (907) than any defensive player in the NFL. Parsons led the team with 13 sacks last year, but the second-leading pass-rusher (Randy Gregory) is now with the Denver Broncos.

Last season, the Cowboys were 19th in total defense, 20th against the pass and 16th against the run. Thanks to a league-leading 34 takeaways, they were seventh in points allowed, but the odds of turnovers bailing out the defense again aren't good.

If Dallas takes a step back offensively (a real possibility), it's going to put that much more pressure on an average defense. That's a recipe for trouble.

Even if you think the Cowboys are as good on paper as last year's team, after the Philadelphia Eagles added multiple impact players on both sides of the ball this offseason, the gap between the two squads has narrowed considerably.

Per DraftKings, the Cowboys are still the favorites to win the NFC East at +135 ($100 bet wins $135), but the Eagles are right behind them at +165. And even if the Cowboys do repeat as division champions, those same oddsmakers gave Dallas only the fifth-best odds to win the NFC.

This isn't to say that the Cowboys aren't a good football team. Or that they won't contend for a playoff spot. But the offense has lost weapons and faces questions along the line. The defense isn't bad, but it also isn't great. The odds of this team winning multiple playoff games just aren't good.

Prescott's "golden year" isn't going to end how he hopes. The 2022 season will more likely than not conclude the same way 2021 did.

And for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, that's not nearly good enough.

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The Washington Commanders announced Friday defensive end Ryan Kerrigan is set to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the franchise.

.@RyanKerrigan91 is officially retiring a member of the Burgundy & Gold

Thank you for everything and congratulations on an amazing career! pic.twitter.com/ysee8ESI6x

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 29, 2022

Kerrigan spent the first 10 years of his career in Washington after being selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. He recorded 457 total tackles, 95.5 sacks, 26 forced fumbles, 25 passes defended and three interceptions across 172 appearances.

From 91 himself pic.twitter.com/udGgeXdBAn

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 29, 2022

He played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 to finish his career.

Kerrigan, 33, emerged as a top prospect while recording 32.5 sacks in 36 games across his final three seasons at Purdue. He earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award and unanimous All-American honors as a senior in 2010.

The Indiana native made an instant impact in the NFL, recording 7.5 sacks during his rookie season, and never finished with less than 5.5 sacks across his decade with the team. He took down the opposing quarterback a career-high 13.5 times in 2014.

In 2020, he passed Dexter Manley (91.5) to set the franchise record for most sacks.

Kerrigan, a four-time Pro Bowler, also took on the role of mentor during the latter stages of his Commanders career, something defensive tackle Daron Payne appreciated.

"Everything he does is the right way to do things, and you can learn so much from him if you just sit back and watch him," Payne said in the announcement. "I appreciate him, I love him to death and I'm just happy that I got a chance to play with him."

Kerrigan played a limited role for the Eagles during his final season, tallying just three tackles in 16 games.

While his career numbers and accolades will likely fall short of enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his consistent, long-term impact on Washington's defense deserves an eventual place on the team's Ring of Fame.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who's celebrating his 29th birthday on Friday, said he's aiming to make the final year of his 20s a memorable one.

"It will be the golden birthday," Prescott told reporters after Thursday's training-camp practice. "I plan for this to be the golden year."

The two-time Pro Bowl selection added he spends "a lot" of time thinking about winning a Super Bowl for the Cowboys to follow in the footsteps of fellow signal-callers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

"I mean obviously knowing the quarterbacks that played specifically for this team and knowing their legacy and the ones that we hold at the highest standard are the ones that have Super Bowl rings," Prescott said. "It starts there for me, trying to fill the shoes of those guys that have come before me and do something for this organization that hasn't been done in a long time."

Prescott has guided the Cowboys to the playoffs three times in his five full seasons as the starter—he was limited to five appearances in 2020 because of an ankle injury—but they've never advanced beyond the divisional round during his tenure.

In fact, Dallas hasn't reached the NFC Championship Game since 1995, when they went on to win their most recent Super Bowl title. The organization has captured five championships: two with Staubach leading the offense (1971 and 1977) and three with Aikman at the helm (1992, 1993 and 1995).

Prescott is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he completed 68.8 percent of his throws for 4,449 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 16 games. He ranked 11th in ESPN's Total QBR (54.6) and received a strong 83.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

The Mississippi State product couldn't quite match that level of performance in a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, though. He connected on 23 of his 43 attempts (53.5 percent) with one touchdown and one interception in a 23-17 home defeat. He added a rushing score.

He explained Thursday being the quarterback of "America's Team" comes with some extra pressure and also criticism when things don't go right.

"I think when you sign up for this position, depending on how early you get in this position, you understand that comes with it," Prescott said. "When you win games, sometimes credit—you give us too much credit—so it's reciprocated the same way. When you don't win games, it goes on our shoulders sometimes and that's OK. I'm a guy that will take it whenever."

The Cowboys are once again heading toward a new season with high expectations, which are further bolstered by playing in the NFC, which features a limited number of legitimate championship contenders compared to the loaded AFC.

Anything less than a deep playoff run will be considered a disappointment, and to reach that level, the team is going to need another standout year from Prescott, who sounds ready for the challenge.

Dallas opens the regular season Sept. 11 when it welcomes Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to AT&T Stadium for a marquee NFC showdown.

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young isn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season while he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in November.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Friday on 106.7 The Fan (via Ben Standig of The Athletic) the edge-rusher is going to miss "a little bit of time" to open the 2022 campaign.

Young started training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. ESPN's John Keim reported in June that Young could start the season on injured reserve.

The 23-year-old tore his ACL in Week 10 of the 2021 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He posted 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 26 tackles and four quarterback hits in nine games before being sidelined.

Losing Young was a tough blow to the Washington defense, as he was expected to take the next step in his career after an impressive rookie campaign.

He posted 7.5 sacks, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 44 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 12 quarterback hits in 15 games en route to a Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a Pro Bowl selection in 2020.

The Commanders will need defensive linemen Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen to continue carrying the defense while James Smith-Williams steps up at Young's position during his absence.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has faced some speculation regarding his job security heading into the 2022 season, but he has the support of his quarterback.

Dak Prescott was asked about the rumors surrounding McCarthy after Thursday's practice, and he told reporters: "Mike's my guy. That's the only thing that matters is this season."

The Cowboys hired McCarthy on a five-year deal in 2020. He's gone 18-15 in his first two seasons as the team's head coach. His first year was derailed when Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the fifth game of the season. In 2021, he coached Dallas to a 12-5 record and first-place finish in the NFC East, but the team disappointingly exited the playoffs in the wild-card round after a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Earlier this week, McCarthy bristled at a question about being on the hot seat this season.

"It's irritating that the first question you ask me has nothing to do with how I do my job," McCarthy told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (h/t NFL.com). "I show up every day for work to win a championship. How do we win today? That's what I'm asking. My viewpoint is it's not a story. It's a media-driven narrative, or at least a narrative driven outside my realm."

Despite McCarthy deflecting any feelings of pressure heading into this year, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that he has high expectations for the team in 2022.

"I want to be fair to everybody concerned. We need to be in the playoffs," Jones said Tuesday. "We need to be viable in the playoffs for it to be a successful season."

For the Cowboys to do that, McCarthy and Prescott will have to reach the level that led them to success last season. With Prescott voicing support for his coach, it appears that they're on the same page heading into the year.