NFC East news: Eagles hoping to maximize Barkley, ‘Long way to go’ in Washington

The latest news from around the division.

Eagles drawing on A.J. Brown experience to maximize Saquon Barkley – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Philly’s goal is to get the most they can out of their free agent acquisition.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Eagles’ offensive coaches are already hard at work figuring out how to maximize Saquon Barkley.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said it’s an experience similar to when the Eagles traded for A.J. Brown in 2022.

“A couple years ago, we added A.J., just did a lot of work of, ‘Hey, what does A.J. do well?’” Sirianni said on Tuesday morning at the NFL’s annual meetings. “Obviously, you do that going in and then you look at it even more after you get him. ‘What does A.J. do well, how can we use him?’ It’s been a similar process with Saquon.”

The Eagles traded for Brown during the draft in late April a couple years ago. So with Barkley, they have a month and a half head start.

Brown and Barkley obviously play different positions but both are elite talents. And you don’t add elite talent at the skill positions without formulating a comprehensive plan to get the most out of those players.

While the Eagles are meshing two offensive systems this offseason — one in place from Sirianni, the other coming with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore — any offense needs to be tailored to talent. And Barkley is clearly one of the Eagles’ most talented skill position players.

“Amazing thing: Good players fit well into schemes,” Sirianni said. “He’s obviously a really good player. We’re really excited to have him. The style of play that he brings, the leadership that he brings. Guys like that, however you use them, they’re going to do a good job. We’re obviously working on the ways we’re going to use him now. Our offensive staff is working hard at that. Just really excited to add a player of his caliber to our team.”

‘Very passionate’ Brian Daboll addresses sideline demeanor, aims to evolve – Ed Valentine, BigBlueView.com

Giants’ HC Brian Daboll hopes to see some growth this season in his sideline presence.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll knows that his sideline demeanor, particularly with assistant coaches, assistant coaches has drawn a ton of scrutiny this offseason. Does he think that needs to change?

“Every year, there’s a self evaluation process that goes on. I’m a very passionate person. But yeah, there are times where I wish handled things a little bit differently, certainly. So you continue to grow. You continue to evolve. That’s what I try to do every year,” Daboll said Tuesday morning at NFL league meetings.

“I’m passionate about winning. I’m passionate about our team. When we lose, I’m very passionate. So my focus always is: What can I do better? How can I be a better coach? How can I be a better leader?”

Daboll won Coach of the Year honors in 2022, his first season on the job, as the Giants went a surprising 9-7-1 and won a playoff game. His demeanor came under fire last season as the Giants stumbled to a 6-11 record.

Giants co-owner John Mara said on Monday that he had not addressed the topic with Daboll, but does wish the coach would “tone it down” at times.

Commanders’ Adam Peters ‘Really Excited’, But Still ‘Long Way to Go’ – David Harrison, USA Today

Washington’s new regime has accomplished a lot so far, but there is more to be done.

ORLANDO — The Washington Commanders have signed over 20 new contracts this offseason and most of those have gone to players coming from outside the organization.

While free agent linebacker Bobby Wagner and running back Austin Ekeler stand out as the most notable additions, the Commanders have done enough to know this year’s team will look vastly different from the previous version. The one that won just four games.

“Yeah, we’ve really done a lot in a short amount of time, in terms of where we need to be,” Washington general manager Adam Peters said while attending the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida this week. “We still got a long way to go, but we have some great pieces in place. We have a great coaching staff. Personnel staff (has) been awesome. So, so far so good. I’ve been really, really excited to work with everybody. It’s been awesome.”

Excitement and awesome seem to be the themes of the offseason following explosive and physical play being the words that set the tone for it after coach Dan Quinn was brought in to lead this new look roster.

His excitement stems from the work they’ve done, but also from getting to see Peters and his staff in action as they hammered out the details on nearly two dozen new contracts.

“I think over the last 50 or so days it’s been fun being part of Adam’s [process and all the way from the team first getting here, evaluating everybody, going through free agency and that process continues now,” Quinn said.

Quinn also said he’s looking forward to officially getting to work with his guys as the Commanders start their offseason program next week as a perk of having a new head coach in the building.