NFC East

The Philadelphia Eagles announced they signed Olympic hurdler Devon Allen, who played wide receiver at the University of Oregon from 2014 through 2016.

ESPN's Tim McManus reported the sides agreed to a three-year contract.

Allen qualified for both the 2016 and 2021 Summer Olympics. He finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Games in August.

The 27-year-old Arizona native stepped away from football to focus on track and field after suffering a torn ACL during the 2016 season with the Ducks.

In September, he told World Athletics' Chris Broadbent his desire was to make a return to the gridiron after July's 2022 World Athletics Championships, which will take place in Oregon, while also maintaining a track schedule.

"I would love to try to play [football again] eventually," Allen said. "I know it's not an easy path. I know it's not easy to be elite at everything. The most ideal scenario would be to win the gold and be so dominant that I could play football and train for just a few months for the track."

The Eagles reached out to Allen with interest after he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash while taking part in Oregon's pro day last week, per McManus.

Allen enjoyed a strong debut season with the Ducks. He recorded 41 catches for 684 yards and seven touchdowns across 14 games in 2014.

He was limited to just nine appearances over the next two seasons after suffering a pair of torn ACLs, though.

It's unlikely Allen makes much of an immediate impact for the Eagles, which probably played a role in the team giving him a three-year contract for a more gradual return to football.

Philly also has pretty solid receiver depth heading into the 2022 campaign, led by DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal and Jalen Reagor.

So Allen may land on the practice squad this fall with an eye toward potentially earning a spot on the Eagles' game-day roster in 2023.

It's a low-risk signing with the potential to provide Philadelphia with a big-play vertical threat in the coming years.

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral will rack up the frequent flyer miles next week as he's reportedly scheduled to visit with five teams ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday that Corral is slated for meetings with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.

In a year without a consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect, interviews could play an important role in determining the order the top QBs come off the board when the draft gets underway April 28 in Las Vegas.

Corral is in a competition with Liberty's Malik Willis, Pitt's Kenny Pickett and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder to become the first QB selected.

The 23-year-old California native spent four years with the Rebels, including the past two seasons as the team's starting quarterback. He completed 67.3 percent of his throws for 8,287 yards with 57 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 37 games. He also rushed for 1,357 yards and 18 scores.

While his natural playmaking ability was evident at Ole Miss, there are questions about how he'll handle more complex NFL defensive schemes.

Bleacher Report's Nate Tice described Corral as a "single-read QB at this point in time" in his predraft scouting report.

"Played in an offensive system that heavily featured run-pass options and easier progressions," Tice wrote. "His ability to progress on true dropback concepts will be a question mark until proven otherwise."

That said, in a class where every quarterback has question marks, a coaching staff may see Corral's upside and take a chance on the 2021 All-SEC second team selection under the belief it can help him develop that aspect of his game.

None of his visits next week qualify as a surprise. All five of the teams mentioned have been heavily linked to the quarterback market, including the Eagles despite having Jalen Hurts on their roster.

The Panthers (No. 6 pick) and Falcons (No. 8) have the highest selections from the group, so a strong performance in those meetings could push Corral into the top-10 conversation.

Even if that doesn't come to fruition, the signal-caller should land somewhere in the opening round. He may be destined for a development year behind the likes of Jameis Winston with the Saints or Mitchell Trubisky with the Steelers, though.

That type of outcome could actually improve Corral's long-term outlook, since he won't be under pressure to perform right away.

Hall of Famer and longtime Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Rayfield Wright died Thursday at the age of 76.

Wright's wife Di told the Pro Football Hall of Fame that Wright had been hospitalized for the past several days after suffering a severe seizure.

Wright spent his entire 13-year career with the Cowboys from 1967-79 and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. He appeared in 188 games, earning six straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections from 1971-76. Wright was one of the offensive tackles to be named to the NFL's 1970s All-Decade team, and he was a member of the Hall of Fame class of 2006.

"All fans, especially those of the Cowboys, will remember fondly his dominance on the offensive line in the 1970s and how he took protecting Dallas quarterbacks as his personal mission," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said. "We will guard his legacy in Canton with equal tenacity. The Hall of Fame Flag will fly at half-staff through Rayfield’s services next Friday as a tribute to the many lives he touched."

Wright was a three-sport athlete at Fort Valley State who also excelled at basketball. He earned a contract offer from the NBA's Cincinnati Royals but told the team he wouldn't leave college early.

After his senior season, the Cowboys selected Wright in the seventh round of the 1967 draft. He initially played tight end before being moved to the offensive line in 1969.

After his retirement, Wright had a brief stint as an assistant coach in the Arena Football League. But he really made his mark off the field with his philanthropic efforts. He was once a president of the Alumni Chapter in the NFL’s Caring for Kids program, and he co-founded the nonprofit Kids 4 Tomorrow organization with other players.

Wright also established the Rayfield Wright Foundation, which "helped children obtain grants to attend college and assisted in the health and well-being of abused and neglected children."

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly set to host Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave on Tuesday ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Cowboys also expressed interest in trading for wideout DeVante Parker before he was sent to the New England Patriots, signaling Dallas' plans to bolster its receiving corps at some point this offseason.

The Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns last month in a cap-saving move.

While the team parlayed some of those savings into re-signing free agent Michael Gallup, he's coming off a torn ACL suffered in January and might not be ready for the start of the regular season. 

CeeDee Lamb is more than capable of handling WR1 duties, but he's likely looking at a lot of focused coverage until Gallup returns the lineup. Drafting a receiver early and plugging him into the Cooper role could alleviate some of those concerns.

That said, the Cowboys are likely far down Olave's list of preferred destinations. Dallas does not pick until the No. 24 selection in Round 1; Olave undoubtedly hopes he'll be off the board by then. ESPN's Scouts Inc. has him as the No. 17 overall player in the 2022 class and third-ranked receiver behind former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson and USC's Drake London.

B/R's scouting department has Olave as the No. 10 player in this class and second-ranked wideout. 

There are six receivers in B/R's top 21 players in this class, so it's possible the depth of the position could lead to some of the names after Wilson and London falling down the board. In that case, Dallas could wind up lucking out and landing Olave. 

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones dealt with a neck injury that sidelined him for the final six games of the 2021 season, but he's not worried about the ailment causing him issues in 2022. 

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Jones said he'll be "cleared and ready to go" for the team's offseason program.

The Giants have remained optimistic that Jones' neck ailment wouldn't be a long-term issue. According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, the 24-year-old was close to returning before the end of the 2021 campaign. 

The Giants' offseason program kicked off Monday with phase one, which includes up to four workouts per week. Players are limited to strength and conditioning workouts for this two-week phase. 

Jones will not have to face any contact until August, so it's not necessarily surprising that he's taking the field for New York's offseason program. 

The 2019 first-round pick is entering a critical point in his career in his fourth season. Through the first three years of his career, he did nothing to prove to the Giants that he could be their quarterback of the future.

Last season, he completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,428 yards and 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 11 games. If he plays like that in 2022, it's possible New York will look for a new quarterback. 

The Giants already signed Tyrod Taylor to a two-year deal this offseason, and they could draft one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 class with the fifth and seventh overall picks. Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder and Kenny Pickett are among the top names available.

However, Jones doesn't appear too worried about his status.

"I'm excited. I'm excited to get going here. I appreciate the support," he said. "But it's my job to do my role, to prepare this team, to prepare myself to play as well as I can and put this team in position to win games. So I take that responsibility very seriously and that is what I'm focused on."

If Jones plays at a high level, he could lead the Giants back to the postseason for the first time since the 2016 campaign. 

The Washington Commanders were reportedly doing their "due diligence" on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis while attending the Flames' pro day on Tuesday.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported the update on Willis, one of the top QB prospects in the 2022 draft, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show:

The Commanders previously acquired quarterback Carson Wentz in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

It's unlikely Washington would have made the deal for Wentz unless it viewed him as a surefire starter to open the 2022 campaign.

That said, the Commanders can get out of his four-year, $128 million contract, which is scheduled to run through 2024, next offseason without leaving any dead cap space. So if he fails to assert himself as their new franchise quarterback, it could be a short tenure in the nation's capital.

His uncertain long-term status is probably why the team's front office is at least taking a look at the draft's top signal-callers.

Willis possesses the most upside of any quarterback in the class. He spent his first two college seasons as a reserve at Auburn before transferring to Liberty for a chance to start.

He completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 5,107 yards with 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions across 23 appearances for the Flames. He added 1,835 rushing yards and 27 scores on the ground.

While those numbers come with the caveat they were compiled against lower-level competition than he would have faced with Auburn in the SEC, they still represent the type of dual-threat playmaking ability that's built for the modern NFL.

Willis has the arm strength to hit any window on the field, but the key questions have surrounded whether he's accurate enough to thrive at the next level.

He explained at the NFL Scouting Combine in early March his misses in college were mostly related to his footwork.

"That's where some of the flaws in my game come from, maybe some inaccuracies," Willis told reporters. "It's just from footwork. It's not from just being inaccurate."

If Willis works through those issues and starts hitting receivers in stride on intermediate and deep throws, he's got all the other tools to become a Pro Bowl quarterback.

A year on the sideline to continue those progressions while also learning about NFL defenses, which represents a steep learning curve from what he faced in college, wouldn't be a bad thing. Landing with a team like Washington could work over the long haul.

That said, the Commanders have a chance to seriously compete in the NFC this season if Wentz provides stability under center, so using the No. 11 overall pick on a prospect who could make an instant impact seems more likely.

Free-agent edge rusher Dante Fowler has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Dallas Cowboys, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

The Atlanta Falcons released him on Feb. 16. He amassed seven-and-a-half sacks and 16 quarterback hits during his two seasons in Atlanta with 4.5 of those sacks coming last year.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Fowler with the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He suffered a torn ACL during rookie minicamp and missed the entire 2015 season.

Fowler returned in 2016 and posted a great 2017 along with the rest of a dominant Jaguars defense, amassing eight sacks en route to Jacksonville's AFC Championship Game appearance.

The bottom fell out on the team in 2018, though, and the Jags started dismantling the roster. Of note, they traded Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams before the 2018 trade deadline. 

One year later, Fowler posted his best season with 11.5 sacks, 58 tackles and 16 quarterback hits. He parlayed that into a three-year, $45 million contract with Atlanta in 2020.

Fowler did not find the same success in Atlanta, however, and was asked to take a pay cut in 2021. One year later, he was released.

Now the former University of Florida star will hope to reclaim his dominant 2017 or 2019 form in Dallas.

Veteran linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has re-signed with the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year contract, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

ESPN's Todd Archer added Vander Esch's contract is worth up to $3 million.

Vander Esch was coming off a four-year, $11.8 million deal with the Cowboys. The 26-year-old has been a staple in the Dallas defense since being selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Boise State. 

In May 2021, the Cowboys opted not to pick up Vander Esch's fifth-year option. At the time, his agent Ron Slavin said Dallas hoped to sign him to a contract extension before his rookie deal expired.

Vander Esch has been quite consistent over his four-year career, though his best season came as a rookie in 2018 when he recorded two interceptions, seven passes defended, 140 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit en route to a Pro Bowl selection. 

Dallas' decision to re-sign Vander Esch should come as no surprise. He finished the 2021 season with one interception, two passes defended, one sack, 77 tackles, four tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit. 

With Vander Esch locked up, the Cowboys will once again have one of the most talented defenses in the NFL in 2022. Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DeMarcus Lawrence, among others, are hoping to follow up the 2021 season with better campaigns next year.

As a team, Dallas is looking to capture its second straight NFC East title and advance past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1995 season.