NFC East

The Washington Commanders announced Friday they have fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for comments he made this week about the breach of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera released the following statement:

Rivera called Del Rio's comments "extremely hurtful" and noted that the $100,000 will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Per ESPN's John Keim, Del Rio tweeted Monday in response to a tweet about the Jan. 6 hearings: "Would love to understand 'the whole story' about why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is??? #CommonSense."

When asked to explain his comments Wednesday, Del Rio told reporters:

"Why are we not looking into those things—if we're going to talk about it—why are we not looking into those things? I can look at images on the TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down, no problem. And then we have a dustup at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we're going to make that a major deal. I just think it's kind of two standards, and if we apply the same standard and we're going to be reasonable with each other, let's have a discussion. That's all it was. Let's have a discussion."

After facing backlash, Del Rio apologized:

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died during and in the aftermath of the insurrection.

The House select committee is investigating the breach and the circumstances that led up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, including the possibility former President Donald Trump had some responsibility for inciting the riot after repeatedly claiming that the 2020 presidential election was rigged in favor of winning candidate Joe Biden.

Del Rio, 59, has been the Commanders' defensive coordinator under Rivera since 2020 after previously holding multiple DC and head coaching jobs in the NFL.

After spending 11 seasons as a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, Del Rio transitioned to coaching in 1997.

Del Rio was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015 to 2017.

Del Rio is 93-94 as a head coach with three playoff appearances. He also won a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach in 2000.

The Dallas Cowboys announced Thursday night that former Pro Bowl running back Don Perkins died at the age of 84.

Perkins spent his entire eight-year NFL career from 1961 to 1968 with the Cowboys, earning six Pro Bowl selections, one first-team All-Pro nod and NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1961.

The Cowboys inducted Perkins into their Ring of Honor in 1976.

Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts out of the University of New Mexico in 1960, Perkins never appeared in a game for the franchise, as he had signed a contract with the Cowboys before the draft.

The Waterloo, Iowa, native spent time as both a halfback and fullback in Dallas, rushing for 6,217 yards and 42 touchdowns to go along with 146 receptions for 1,310 yards and three scores in 107 career regular-season games.

Perkins, who also rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns in four career playoff games, ranks fourth in Cowboys history in career rushing yardage and fifth in rushing touchdowns, placing behind only Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Ezekiel Elliott and Marion Barber III in the latter category.

Prior to joining the NFL, Perkins was a three-time All-Skyline player at New Mexico and a 1959 third-team All-American as a two-way player at running back and defensive back.

In addition to being part of the second Cowboys Ring of Honor class along with quarterback Don Meredith, Perkins is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, earning induction in 2006.

In response to Jack Del Rio's recent comments about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol, the NAACP is calling for the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator to resign or be fired.

NAACP president Derrick Johnson issued a statement calling Del Rio's comments "offensive and ignorant" and saying he "can't coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community."

During a press conference Wednesday, Del Rio called the Capitol breach a "dust-up." He was asked about the topic after responding to a tweet by equating the insurrection to the civil unrest in the summer of 2020 over police violence sparked by George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Amid criticism of his both his tweet and press-conference comment, Del Rio issued an apology on Twitter:

In response to his statement about supporting peaceful protests, ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin posted a screenshot of Del Rio's comments about not wanting players to protest during the national anthem when he was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2016.

Del Rio has a history of generating controversy on social media. He previously shared a fake picture of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter in 2020.

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Commanders had no comment in response to Del Rio's original tweet from Monday.

The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is scheduled to hold its initial public hearings Thursday. It will be the first time the committee releases "newly unearthed evidence" revealed during its investigation.

There has been no indication that the Commanders are considering making a change at defensive coordinator.

Del Rio is entering his third season on Ron Rivera's coaching staff. The 59-year-old was hired in January 2020. He sat out the previous two seasons after being fired by the Raiders following a 6-10 record in 2017.

Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw had been trying to lure the Washington Commanders to build a new stadium in Virginia, but he is now giving up on his stadium bill for the moment, per Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post.

The Commanders reportedly spent $100 million on land in Virginia last month, per John Keim of ESPN.

Saslaw blamed the repeated controversies within the organization, most recently with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio referring to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol as a "dust-up."

Del Rio apologized for his wording afterward.

"This obviously was not very helpful to put it mildly, but there’s so many other things out there," Saslaw said. "There were just so many things out there that a lot of people are saying, 'Saslaw, this thing needs to wait.'"

Another Virginia State Senator, Jeremy McPike, specifically cited Del Rio's comments as a reason to vote no on the stadium bill:

Del Rio's comments are only the latest in a long list of scandals for the organization, however. The U.S. Congress' Committee on Oversight and Reform has been investigating allegations the Commanders have a "hostile workplace culture" and requested owner Dan Snyder and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to appear at a hearing.

The NFL fined the franchise $10 million in 2021 after conducting its own investigation into similar allegations, with Dan Snyder's wife, Tanya Snyder, taking over day-to-day operations.

The congressional hearing also featured a former marketing and events coordinator telling the panel that Snyder sexually harassed her. There was also an allegation that he withheld ticket sales meant to be shared with the rest of the NFL.

It could be enough to leave the Commanders in limbo in regards to a new stadium. The organization has played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, since 1997.

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz downplayed comments from Troy Aikman that this season could be his final opportunity to prove himself as a franchise player.

Speaking to reporters after a minicamp practice, Wentz admitted he wasn't even aware of Aikman's comments.

"You know, everyone's got their own opinion. I'm just excited to be playing this game, have this opportunity. I think we have the ability to do something special here and then we have a really good skill set offensively to be dynamic. It takes one day at a time, obviously, but for me, I don't try to put too much pressure on myself. I always have high expectations for myself and for the offense, but I don't try and play those types of games. I don't have enough mental space to kind of process all that and it can wear on you. So for me, I just show up to try and be the best I can be, go home and be the best I can be as a father and as a husband, come back and do it again."

During a conference call with reporters last month, Aikman said this is probably Wentz's "last opportunity, just being blunt about it, to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL."

The Commanders are Wentz's third team in the past three seasons. They acquired him, along with two draft picks, from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for three draft picks in March.

Indianapolis acquired Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2021 for two picks. The deal reunited the 2017 Pro Bowler with Frank Reich, who was Philadelphia's offensive coordinator for his first two seasons in the NFL.

The Colts traded a 2021 third-round draft pick and a conditional 2022 pick that wound up being a first-rounder because Wentz played more than 70 percent of their offensive snaps.

Wentz had a solid statistical season with the Colts in 2021. He threw for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns with a 62.4 completion percentage in 17 starts.

Things ended badly for Wentz and the Colts. They lost their final two games of the regular season, including a 26-11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18, to miss the playoffs.

Per The Athletic's Zak Keefer, the Colts had numerous issues with Wentz that go back to before the 2021 season began:

"As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year."

At one point, Wentz looked like he was going to be Philadelphia's franchise quarterback. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft and was having an MVP-caliber season in 2017 before tearing his ACL in Week 14.

The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII with Nick Foles at quarterback. Wentz had intermittent success over the next three seasons in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old bottomed out in 2020 throwing 15 interceptions, tied for most in the NFL.

Washington is hoping Wentz can provide stability at quarterback. The franchise has started eight different players at the position since the start of the 2019 season.

The Commanders haven't had a winning record since 2016.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is in good shape heading into 2022 after dealing with a knee injury throughout last offseason:

A torn ACL ended Barkley's 2020 season after just two games and continued to slow him down into 2021. The Pro Bowler didn't return to practice until August and it was unclear if he would return by the start of the regular season.

Though he suited up for Week 1, Barkley struggled throughout the year with just 593 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 13 games, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.

The 2018 No. 2 overall pick was a force upon entering the league, winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award while totaling 15 touchdowns and an NFL-best 2,028 yards from scrimmage. He followed it up with 1,441 yards from scrimmage in his second season, adding eight touchdowns.

We haven't seen this level of production since, even when on the field.

After averaging 119.6 total yards per game in his first two seasons, Barkley averaged just 63.3 yards per game over the last two years.

The Giants will hope staying healthy will lead to more success on the field in 2022, especially with a full offseason of work under new head coach Brian Daboll.

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has apologized after calling the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol a "dust-up" on Wednesday.

On Monday, responding to a tweet about the upcoming Jan. 6 committee hearings, Del Rio seemed to equate the insurrection to the civil unrest over police violence sparked by George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Del Rio called the insurrection a "dust-up" in response to a question about Commanders players potentially taking issue with his tweet.

Del Rio later apologized for his comments via social media, saying it was "irresponsible" of him to reference the insurrection as a "dust-up":

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Commanders did not have a comment at this moment about Del Rio's tweet.

Del Rio did say he would have "no problem" if anyone wanted to talk about his comment and said he was asking "a simple question" in a respectful manner.

Per CNN's Paul LeBlanc, the House select committee is scheduled to hold its first public hearing over the attack on the Capitol on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

The hearing is expected to be "a broad overview of the panel’s 10-month investigation and set the stage for subsequent hearings, which are expected to cover certain topics or themes."

This isn't the first time Del Rio has created controversy on Twitter. In June 2020, he shared a fake picture attributed to New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and tweeted support for then-President Donald Trump, while telling everyone who wasn't "100% for America" to "kiss my A$$."

Washington head coach Ron Rivera hired Del Rio as defensive coordinator in January 2020. The 59-year-old is entering his third season with the Commanders.

Prior to being hired by Washington, Del Rio spent three seasons as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2015-17. He went 25-23 with one playoff appearance in 2016.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is very optimistic about Jalen Hurts as his starting quarterback heading into the 2022 season.

Speaking to ESPN's Sal Paolantonio (h/t Tim McManus of ESPN.com), Sirianni said he's seen "a big difference" in Hurts as a passer throughout the offseason.

"What I see is a crisper ball," he added. "The accuracy I've been very pleased with. You can just see him taking strides every single day with his accuracy because of the fundamentals he has with his feet and his upper body."

All eyes are going to be on Hurts this season after general manager Howie Roseman made significant upgrades to the rest of the roster.

The biggest addition was acquiring A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans in a trade during the 2022 NFL draft. The Eagles have invested a lot of draft capital on wide receivers in recent years, trying to find a No. 1 option for their quarterbacks.

DeVonta Smith showed promise as a rookie in 2021. Jalen Reagor and JJ Arcega-Whiteside have failed to live up to their potential in the NFL.

Brown, who signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension after the trade, is one of the best receivers in the league already. The 24-year-old averaged 998.3 yards and eight touchdowns per season in three years with the Titans.

The Eagles offense was built around the running game last season. It worked well enough to get them to the playoffs with a 9-8 record, but Hurts' limitations as a passer were apparent for most of the year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles told his unit that Hurts couldn't read the field during the NFC Wild Card Game. The Bucs went on to win the game 31-15, with Hurts finishing 23-of-43 for 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Hurts threw for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns during the regular season. The Alabama alum was excellent running the ball, racking up 784 yards and 10 touchdowns on 139 carries.

Philadelphia has built one of the best rosters in the NFL on paper heading into next season. Hurts' progress as a passer will likely determine if the Eagles are a true Super Bowl contender.