NFC East news: QB conversations for Commanders, Giants; coaches ‘played favorites’ in Philly

Are you concerned that Washington is going to draft a quarterback?

NFL Trade Rumors: ‘Several Teams’ Interested in Commanders’ Sam Howell – Adam Schultz, Sports Illustrated

With Washington likely drafting a QB at No. 2, Howell has received some interest.

Sam Howell endured a rather trying time as Washington Commanders starter in his first season. Behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him and being a young quarterback, a lot of mistakes were made on the field, but it was all part of the learning process.

As such, the Commanders finished the year with a 4-13 record and now hold the No. 2 pick in the draft which most think the franchise will take a quarterback with.

But if you thought that Howell doesn’t have any value now after his first full season as a starter, you would be wrong.

According to Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, Howell has the potential to be a trade target for several NFL teams this offseason.

“Multiple NFL sources believe several teams would be interested in trading for the 23-year-old who threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns in 17 starts last season (albeit with an NFL-worst 21 interceptions),” Vacchiano writes. “They could potentially get a third-round pick for him — maybe more — if they decide they’re willing to deal him sometime around the draft.”Howell as a trade target is an interesting idea, and it isn’t one without merit. He showed glimpses of his talent last year and while it was fleeting, there was a genuine thought (ask Jonathan Allen) that the Commanders had their quarterback for the next decade in Howell.

But having the No. 2 overall pick in a draft littered with talented quarterbacks changes things.

Now, Howell faces a losing battle to keep his starting job as the consensus is that whoever Washington selects, will be the starter going forward (assuming it’s a quarterback).

Giants GM Joe Schoen: ‘I have faith’ in Daniel Jones as our starting QB – Charlotte Carroll & Jenna West, The Athletic

Despite an up-and-down career, Giants brass believes in their 2019 first-round pick.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen showed his support for quarterback Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL, amid speculation the team could move on from Jones.

“I have faith in Daniel as our starting quarterback,” Schoen said Tuesday at a news conference at the NFL combine.

Schoen’s comments on the quarterback have been under a microscope given the Giants hold the No. 6 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

Schoen said the team is optimistic about where Jones is at in his recovery and expects the 26-year-old to be ready for training camp. He added that Jones has been throwing from a stationary position for two weeks and has had no setbacks. The general manager also said that there’s talk Jones could participate in seven-on-seven or individual throwing routes in spring sessions.

Regardless, the Giants will be bringing in another quarterback because of Jones’ rehab process and the only other quarterback under contract is Tommy DeVito. Tyrod Taylor is a free agent but Schoen said Taylor is still in the mix, and they’ll speak to the veteran’s representatives this week.

“We’ve had good conversations, and he understands where we are,” Schoen said about Jones. “He understands that we’re going to need to add a quarterback. He’s coming off an injury. … So, we’ll address the position. Again, it can be through free agency, and it doesn’t preclude us from doing it in the draft as well.”

“It’s a good quarterback draft. It’s not just at the top,” Schoen said. “There are some guys that are mid-levels that I think will be good number twos. There are some guys that can be number threes in the draft. So yeah, I mean, I think it’s a solid draft all over.”

In 2023, the Giants went 1-5 in Jones’ starts and finished 6-11 with Taylor and DeVito sharing QB duties after Jones tore his ACL. Through six games, Jones threw for 909 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Report: Nick Siranni, Eagles coaches ‘played favorites’ during season – Shamus Clancy, PhillyVoice.com

There seemed to be preferential treatment in Philadelphia during the 2023 season.

When the Eagles limped to a 1-6 finish during the 2023 season and were obliterated in the playoffs, it was only time until some offseason bombshell reports trickled in about what went wrong. A fresh one is here from Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes, who reports that Nick Sirianni and the team’s coaches ‘played favorites’ last season, allowing star players to go unscathed during that collapse while targeting lower-level ones.

Hayes says that Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and “legacy stars” could do no wrong in coaches’ eyes, with mistakes “unmentioned or excused.” Hayes continues on and says that younger offensive lineman like Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson were treated differently than franchise stalwarts Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson. The same applied to the opposite side of the ball when it came to Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter and then Super Bowl winners Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham.

As Brown refused to talk to the media during the season, discussion swirled about his status in the locker room, leading him to even call into 94.1 WIP last week. Hayes details one conversation with a veteran player about Brown:

When asked if Brown’s on-field conniptions and his two-week media blackout were affecting the team, an accomplished veteran player replied:

“I don’t know about that. But I will say it doesn’t help when they treat guys two different ways.”

With that, he nodded at Hurts’ empty locker.

What about Brown?

“Yeah. I guess some guys can’t do anything wrong.” [Inquirer]

Hayes later writes:

After Brown’s second postgame blow-off [during 2023 regular season], another accomplished veteran also told me that Brown’s body language was setting an unacceptable example for younger players. [Inquirer]

Hayes provides other examples as well, writing that this whole ordeal is an indictment of Sirianni and former coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai. He is certainly not wrong in that assessment.