Commanders
Commanders DT Daron Payne is entering the eighth year of his career after being a first-round pick by Washington in the 2018 NFL Draft. DC Joe Whitt said he has to “calm down” Payne in their offseason program.
“(Payne) looks really good. He looks in tempo,” Whitt said, via Ben Standig of The Athletic. “Like, every day this dude is — I’m having to tell him, ‘Hey, man, let’s calm down.’”
Commanders HC Dan Quinn reiterated Payne is having a “remarkable offseason.”
“I walked past (Payne) today and said, ‘Man, you’ve had a remarkable offseason,’” Quinn said. “I felt that way through the drill work, through the skill (work). You just see something that jumps out differently. … I felt that from him coming into this offseason, and I’ve certainly been impressed by what I’ve seen so far.”
Whitt added players like LB Frankie Luvu, DT Johnny Newton and DE Dorance Armstrong allow them to play the style they are looking for.
“The vision of how we want to play, how we want to be and how we want to look, you’re seeing more of it right now from a size, length and speed standpoint,” Whitt said.
Cowboys
Cowboys RT Terence Steele enters the season as one of Dallas’ most experienced linemen. Brian Schottenheimer said Steele is the type of player who leads by example.
“I think it’s a great example of these guys that come in all different personalities,” Schottenheimer said, via Patrik Walker of the team’s site. “Terence is one of the hardest workers that we have. His work ethic, the way he trains, the way he approaches being a pro and his craft are amazing. He’s not the most vocal guy, and that’s not a bad thing. He’s more of a leader by example. But he’s also a voice of confidence, and a voice of experience for the young guys.”
Dallas faces the task of replacing former G Zack Martin in 2025. The Cowboys took first-round G Tyler Booker, who Schottenheimer thinks will benefit from playing alongside Steele.
“I think playing next to Tyler Booker, that confidence, and [Steele is] a great communicator, which allows him to make sure they’re on the same page because he does a great job, and that’s just invaluable,” Schottenheimer said. “I think he’s set up to have a great year.”
Giants
The Giants are heading into the season with QB Russell Wilson as the starter after signing him in free agency. New York WR Wan’Dale Robinson spoke on how easy it is to catch passes from the veteran and how thrilled the receivers are that Wilson is on the team.
“That deep ball just drops right in the bucket, for sure. And then whenever he’s throwing just the shorter routes and stuff like that, it kind of comes in like a pillow,” Robinson said, via John Fennelly of the Giants Wire. “It’s really, really easy to catch, which I like.”
“The first time we threw, me and (Darius) Slay(ton) were both like, this is actually better than we expected. And so, no, we were ecstatic about it, and couldn’t be more happy that he’s our quarterback.”
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