NFC East

What a Thursday it was for the Philadelphia Eagles.

First, they bolstered their defense by selecting Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis with the No. 13 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft. Then, they unleashed a blockbuster move on the NFL when they announced they traded the Nos. 18 and 101 picks of the draft to the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Their championship odds reacted accordingly:

While Davis, who was a key piece of a national champion Georgia team, is a solid addition to the defense, Brown was the headliner.

The 2020 Pro Bowler is just 24 years old and coming off a 2021 season that saw him tally 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns. He figures to remain in his prime for years to come, which is more good news for the Eagles considering NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported he agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension.

If Philadelphia continues making moves like it did Thursday as the draft continues, those championship odds may change once again.

The Washington Commanders drafted Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Dotson is the first Penn State wide receiver selected in the first round of the NFL draft since the Arizona Cardinals picked Bryant Johnson 17th overall in 2003. Dotson is also the third Nittany Lion to be selected in the first round since the 2021 draft, joining Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh.

Dotson enters the NFL after a standout senior season for Penn State in 2021, catching 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. In his four seasons with the Nittany Lions, the 22-year-old caught 183 passes for 2,757 yards and 25 touchdowns across 42 games.

Here is what Washington's depth chart will look like following the addition of Dotson, who figures to have a decent size role in 2022.

WR1: Terry McLaurin

WR2: Jahan Dotson

WR3: Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Cam Sims

After an outstanding senior season, it wiill be interesting to see how Dotson performs alongside McLaurin and Samuel for the Commanders and how reliable he'll be moving forward.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department listed Dotson as the fourth-best wide receiver in the 2022 class following the Senior Bowl. He was ranked behind USC's Drake London, Ohio State's Chris Olave and Alabama's Jameson Williams.

B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice also compared Dotson to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett with his good route-running ability, footwork, quickness and hands:

"Overall, Dotson has the athleticism and skill set to make him a Day 1 starter for any NFL offense. While his lack of size and build will make some teams hesitant to take him early and may limit his overall upside, he is a true football player with a competitive streak and dynamic play ability that makes him an exciting prospect whom every team would love to have."

If Dotson can prove himself as a rookie in 2022, he should carve out a more significant role with the Commanders in the future.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday.

Here's how Philadelphia's 2022 depth chart looks with Davis added to the mix:

LDE: Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Matt Leo

DT: Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Marlon Tuipulotu, Renell Wren

DT: Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams, Marvin Wilson

RDE: Derek Barnett, Tarron Jackson

Davis is coming off a decorated 2021 season in which he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first national championship in 41 years. He was unanimously named an All-American, and he won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy as the best defensive player and best interior lineman in college football, respectively.

At 6'6" and 341 pounds, Davis wreaked havoc on opposing offensive linemen. His size makes him a rare prospect on the defensive line, and he has a ton of athleticism to go with it. Davis recorded 32 total tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks in 14 games last season.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked Davis as the sixth overall player and top defensive lineman in the 2022 draft class.

Davis has an endearing personality, and he ingratiated himself into the Georgia community during his time there. He penned a lengthy farewell letter when he declared for the draft, saying his "life changed forever" when he committed to the Bulldogs on Nov. 16, 2017.

"As I sit here now, and reflect upon the past four years, I can confidently say I have accomplished everything I had set out to do on that day five years ago," he wrote.

He ended the letter by saying, "As I head off into the NFL, please know the University of Georgia will be in my heart every step of the way."

Davis will bring his massive heart and his massive potential to Philadelphia as he has the ability to develop into one of the best defensive linemen in the game.

The New York Giants selected Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday.

Here's a look at how New York's depth chart looks with Neal in the lineup.

QB: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor

RB: Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida

WR 1: Kenny Golladay

WR 2: Sterling Shepard

WR 3: Darius Slayton, Kadarius Toney

TE: Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins

LT: Andrew Thomas, Devery Hamilton

LG: Max Garcia, Shane Lemieux

C: Jon Feliciano, Max Garcia

RG: Mark Glowinski, Jamil Douglas

RT: Evan Neal, Matt Gono

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked the 6'7½", 337-pound Neal as the second-best overall prospect in the draft class of 2022. He and Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux were the only two players to receive a score of 9.0 or above on the group's 10-point grading scale.

The scouting team also called Neal the most versatile and pro-ready offensive tackle in the class.

Neal's versatility was readily apparent in college. He started at left guard in 2019, right tackle in 2020 and left tackle in 2021. 

Thanks in part to his efforts, Alabama finished second in Division I-FBS scoring in 2019 and 2020 and sixth last year. The Crimson Tide went 37-4 during that stretch, including two national championship appearances and one win to cap an undefeated 2020 season.

Neal, who was named a permanent team captain for the 2021 campaign, earned consensus first-team All-American honors from CBS Sports, ESPN.com, USA Today, the AFCA, the FWAA and The Sporting News.

Now the 21-year-old, who played high school ball at IMG Academy, will head to the NFL. He has the potential to be a mainstay in this league for a decade-plus given his versatility, size and history of success at the pinnacle of college football.

The Giants entered this offseason sorely needing help on the offensive line. They added some reinforcements, namely interior linemen Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski.

Some more help is needed on the outside, though, and now Neal should slide into right tackle with Andrew Thomas protecting the blind side of fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Philadelphia Eagles could reportedly use a first-round draft pick on a receiver for the third year in a row after selecting Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith the past two seasons.

"No one's ruling it out," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported. 

The Eagles currently hold the No. 15 and No. 18 picks in the first round and five total selections in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL draft. 

Despite the past investments at receiver, the position remains a major need for the Eagles after finishing last season with the No. 25 pass offense in the NFL.

Smith showed a lot of potential as a rookie with 916 receiving yards on 64 catches, but Reagor has been disappointing in two years with just 695 total yards and three touchdowns. He finished fourth on the team with 299 yards in 2021, trailing 2020 sixth-round pick Quez Watkins.

With Zach Pascal the only addition in free agency, Philadelphia could use another reliable pass-catcher alongside Smith and Dallas Goedert to provide some help for young quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department projected the Eagles to select Ohio State's Chris Olave with the 15th pick in its latest mock draft, a prediction shared by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. The Athletic's Dane Brugler has the team taking USC's Drake London at No. 18 overall.

Garrett Wilson (Ohio State), Jameson Williams (Alabama) and Treylon Burks (Arkansas) are other potential first-round options for the Eagles.

Philadelphia does have other needs after finishing 9-8 last season. The team could use its two first-round picks to provide help at linebacker, strengthen the pass rush or add depth at cornerback. 

Taking a receiver is still a decent option despite the organization's recent draft decisions.    

The Washington Commanders sent a 22-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday denying claims of financial impropriety, according to ESPN's John Keim.

The team also attached 83 pages' worth of signed affidavits, emails and texts.

"I can state unequivocally that I never helped maintain, or saw anyone else maintain, a 'second set' of books,'" Paul Szczenski, the team's former director of finance, wrote in an affidavit.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform accused the Commanders of "potentially unlawful" financial conduct based on allegations from former employee Jason Friedman, per Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

Friedman, who served as the team's vice president of sales and customer service, alleged the team had "two sets of books" and used one to underreport certain ticket revenue.

Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, Friedman's lawyers, responded to the Commanders' letter in a statement on Monday, via ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio:

“Mr. Friedman stands by his testimony, which was truthful and based on his experiences with the team. He is happy to answer follow-up questions from Congress, the FTC, or any government agency. My client is also prepared to defend himself publicly against these baseless allegations if Mr. Snyder permits him to do so. In the meantime, we will communicate directly with the team about these demonstratively false allegations.”

A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports explained that the Commanders allegedly withheld revenue that that is supposed to be shared with other NFL teams. Organizations are supposed to pass 40 percent of ticket sales to the league for redistribution.

Washington denied these allegations in a statement:

The most recent letter calls Friedman's claims "baseless" and "false and reckless."

Per Keim, it also portrayed Friedman as a disgruntled employee who was, until recently, looking to return to his role with the team after being fired in 2020.

The FTC said it has received the letter, but it has not said whether it will move forward with investigating the organization.     

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has joined NBC's broadcast team for the upcoming USFL season.

Garrett joins an analyst trio that also includes former NFL fullback Michael Robinson and current New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister will serve as the play-by-play commentators for the revived league, which kicks off play this week.

Garrett, 56, was the head coach of the Cowboys from 2011 to 2019, posting an 85-67 record. He spent the last two seasons as the New York Giants offensive coordinator under Joe Judge before being fired in November.

This will be Garrett's first experience as an in-booth analyst. He has been on an NFL coaching staff every year since his retirement as a quarterback following the 2004 season. 

The Washington Commanders have reportedly been accused of "potentially unlawful" financial conduct by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. 

Per Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, the committee made the accusation in a 20-page letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday. 

The letter contains allegations made by Jason Friedman, who used to work for the franchise as a vice president of sales and customer service: 

The letter says Friedman told committee members the team maintained 'two sets of books,' including one set of financial records used to underreport certain ticket revenue to the NFL. The letter cites documentation that the team’s financial improprieties may have extended to tickets registered in Commissioner Roger Goodell’s name. It references evidence that it says indicates the revenue gained by the team through these practices was known internally as 'juice,' and it details allegations that the Commanders improperly attributed such revenue to being derived through a Navy-Notre Dame college football game at FedEx Field or a Kenny Chesney concert, so that it wouldn’t be part of the NFL’s revenue-sharing pool.

Other allegations made against the Commanders and owner Dan Snyder in the letter include "withholding as much as $5 million in refundable deposits from season-ticket holders and also hiding money that was supposed to be shared among NFL owners."

Maske, Liz Clarke and Paul Kane reported March 31 the congressional committee looking into the NFL's handling of sexual harassment allegations in the Commanders' workplace expanded its investigation amid allegations of financial improprieties under Snyder's ownership. 

The committee told the Federal Trade Commission in the letter it was "providing the information and documents uncovered by the Committee for your review, to determine if the Commanders violated any provision of law enforced by FTC and whether further action is warranted."

Per the letter, Friedman "provided the Committee with information and documents indicating that the Commanders routinely withheld security deposits that should have been returned to customers who had purchased multiyear season tickets for specific seats, referred to as seat leases."

Friedman also told the committee that Washington employees were directed by team executives to "establish roadblocks to prevent customers from obtaining the security deposits they were due—effectively allowing the team to retain that money."

Between Friedman's interview with the committee and documents he provided, the committee said the Commanders "had unreturned security deposits for 'around 2,000 accounts' belonging to customers and fans" that amounted to around $5 million. 

Friedman said in his testimony to the committee that Snyder and Mitch Gershman, Washington's current chief marketing officer and former chief operating officer, instructed him to "identify security deposits that are on dormant accounts where, in my estimation, the likelihood of the customer coming forward and asking for their deposit back is as close to zero as possible, and then return the security deposit in the system and convert the credit that would then be on the customer’s account into juice."

Per Maske and Jhabvala, this practice would allow the team to circumvent league rules to avoid making contributions to the local revenue pool that teams are required to share with the league and the other franchises. 

In a statement last week, the Commanders denied allegations they were withholding ticket revenue. 

"Those revenues are subject to independent audits by multiple parties," the team said in its statement. "Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple."

In July, the Commanders were fined $10 million following the league's investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace. Snyder also ceded control of the team's day-to-day operations to his wife, Tanya Snyder. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last month he expects Tanya Snyder will remain in control of the daily operations with the club for "at least the foreseeable future," but he will talk about that with Dan Snyder "at some point."

Snyder purchased the Washington franchise in 1999 following the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke.