Commanders
The Commanders signed former 49ers DT Javon Kinlaw to a three-year deal this offseason. GM Adam Peters called Kinlaw a “tone-setter” for their defense.
“He’s explosive,” Peters said, via Zach Shelby of the team’s site. “He’s a tone-setter. He’s physical. He can line up across the line.”
Kinlaw suffered season-ending knee injuries in 2021 and 2022. Peters praised the defensive lineman’s ability to fight through adversity.
“To his credit, he fought through and came back even better, which was really impressive,” Peters said. “And how much he played two years ago in San Francisco and how much he played last year, those are like his first two years, in essence. And he’s got the hunger to get better and better. We like that just as much as anything about him.”
Peters pointed out that Kinlaw has experience under DL coach Darryl Tapp in San Francisco.
“I think everything that we knew about him with his relationship with Tapp is a big deal,” Peters said. “He’s [Tapp’s] doing a good job, but DQ can also help him. And DQ knows that position like the back of his hand.”
Cowboys
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said that he is focused on building relationships with players on his roster before the season begins.
“Half of my day is spent reaching out to our players and trying to talk to them on the phone and just check in about life,” Schottenheimer said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “And I don’t want to talk to these guys right now about football. The biggest mistake people make — and I’m guilty of it, looking back — is you think, ‘I got to get all the football in. I got to get those plays in. That’s a great route combination.’ That’s overrated. It’s overrated. It’s a people business. We want to spend time getting to know one another and building this culture, which is going to be about competing every day to make these guys the best versions of themselves. Not just as football players, but as a husband, as a father, as a Christian — whatever it is — musician, if that’s what they want. It’s important to me.”
“Let’s be honest, there’s going to be some s—ty days,” Schottenheimer continued. “This is the National Football League. It’s going to be tough. If you preach that you’re a family, and if you preach that ‘I love you, I care about you.’ Then why wouldn’t I take steps to get to know people? You look back [and] it just kinda reminds you how fast the journey goes. To sit in this chair, with this incredible organization with this much of a history, it’s something I don’t take for granted at all and am excited about and look forward to. Not just the challenge of it, but building it with our coaches and our players. That’s what this business is about: getting a group of people together with a common goal, working every day to do it. Every day is not going to go great, [but] that’s the way I’m wired. I love to work.”
Giants
Giants co-owner John Mara was unhappy with the way things turned out last season, however, he issued a statement which noted that HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen would continue to work independently.
“Now that our season is over, we felt it necessary to make this statement. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization,” Mara wrote in a statement, via GiantsWire.com. “As disappointing as the results of the season have been, Steve (Tisch) and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team.”
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