The latest news from around the division.
New Eagles OC Kellen Moore looks to balance stars, makes some changes: ‘There will be tweaks’ – Grant Gordon, NFL.com
Kellen Moore looks to maximize the Eagles’ offensive potential.
Amid a calamitous stretch for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, their star-laden offense was dimmed on a weekly basis.
As Philly lost five of its final six games, the offense averaged just 18 points in those defeats — a number skewed by a 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Despite talents such as Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Eagles were largely grounded during their fall from grace.
A longtime rival, Kellen Moore, has been tasked with remedying those ills as Philadelphia’s new offensive coordinator.
For Moore, the keys to success will be the balancing act in getting all those aforementioned stars involved, building on their previous accomplishments and simultaneously making the necessary alterations after last season’s struggles.
“I think everyone’s got their different flavor from a systematic approach,” Moore said Thursday, via team transcript. “Our real focus here, as we’ve gone through this process, is we’ve got a lot of good going on. We can’t lose the good in the reps that Jalen and A.J. have developed and Dallas (Goedert) has developed and this offensive line has developed. How can we build off of those things and really connect the whole thing.”
Unfortunately, Moore didn’t provide any answers with how to get that all done, but it’s May — a time in which optimism reigns and the work has only just begun.
Often showcasing a middling passing attack and a top-10 rushing game that wasn’t used enough, Philly’s offense lacked an identity.
Moore wants to establish that, though with the dual-threat Hurts, the double WR threat of Brown and Smith, Goedert and the free-agent addition of Saquon Barkley, it’s certainly a work in progress and another good idea Moore didn’t offer up a solution to.
Giants’ Allen Robinson Signing Signals 2 Roster Moves Are Imminent – Michael Obermuller, Heavy.com
New York continues to add wide receiver depth this offseason.
The New York Giants added to their wide receiver room once again on May 9, signing three-time 1,000-yard pass-catcher Allen Robinson II — but this move won’t come without ramifications for someone else.
Following the news, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reminded that “with the signings of Robinson and [quarterback Nathan] Rourke this week, the Giants will need to create two roster spots once the undrafted free agents officially sign tomorrow [on May 10].”
That means two corresponding cuts or roster moves are imminent for Big Blue, and fans were quick to speculate on whether or not one might be the departure of former WR1 Darius Slayton.
Slayton has seemingly seen his role in this offense evaporate in recent weeks with the Giants spending assets on Malik Nabers and Robinson. Don’t forget that head coach Brian Daboll made a point out of trying to get Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt more reps and opportunities in 2023.
Assuming both draft picks remain a part of the organization’s plans, that doesn’t leave Slayton with a ton of playing time in 2024. And to make matters worse, he just requested a revised contract ahead of the draft.
While it’s unclear how much Robinson has left in the tank with just 619 receiving yards over his past two seasons (27 starts), it’s a worthwhile dart throw for general manager Joe Schoen.
“Worth noting that Robinson was lauded as a veteran presence with the [Pittsburgh] Steelers,” NorthJersey.com media member Art Stapleton relayed on X. “He was a cap casualty, but indications were Pittsburgh wanted to keep him at a reduced rate.”
Tress Way explains why giving No. 5 jersey to Jayden Daniels was ‘the right thing’ – Zach Selby, Commanders.com
Washington’s fan-favorite punter knew he had to give his number to the new QB.
Tress Way has been one of the Washington Commanders’ most reliable players since he joined the team in 2014. He’s a four-time captain, a two-time Pro Bowler and a fan favorite because of his personality and production. All of that was done while wearing No. 5.
The Commanders are starting a new era and added a pivotal piece to their future by taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick. He was one of the most dynamic players in college football last year, winning the Heisman Trophy for hitting career-highs in completion rate (72.2%), passing yards (3,812), passing touchdowns (40) and rushing yards (1,134).
Daniels also happens to wear No. 5.
Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters gave Way time to think about what to do with his jersey number, but with rookies reporting for minicamp and joint OTAs around the corner, a decision needed to be made. In the end, with a little negotiating between the two players, Way decided to pass the jersey number on to Daniels, meaning that he’ll be sporting a different number for the first time in over a decade.
“I just feel like there’s just so much excitement around this organization, hands down the most I have ever seen,” Way said on the most recent episode of Command Center. “All of the excitement [is] building and building and building. I just feel like this is…a very small part that I could do.”
Way has come full circle with passing on the jersey to Daniels since the rookie joined the team. He originally declined to give it away “right out the gate” because of the connection he had with the number. He felt wanted for the first time in his career when Washington picked him up off the waiver wire following his release from the Bears. The No. 5 felt right to Way from the moment he picked it, and since then he’s been not just one of the better punters in the league but the most consistent player for Washington in the past 10 years with a touchback rate of 6.2%, an average of 46.9 yards per punt and 37.7% of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
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