Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt recorded 175 rushing attempts for 805 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, but only logged nine receptions for 68 yards. Croskey-Merritt said he’s been learning from veteran RB Rachaad White as a pass catcher.  

“He’s very smooth catching the ball, so I’m gaining knowledge from Rachaad with the receiving stuff,” Croskey-Merritt said, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “And he’s been open-arms to me, just teaching me how he does it, how he moves. So, it’s been a blessing for him to come be in the backfield with me.”

Commanders HC Dan Quinn said there are still “a lot of unknowns” with their rushing attack and thinks the competition within the group will make them better. 

“There’s a lot of unknowns still of what we are (on offense), the run game and the run actions that come off of it,” Quinn said. “I think the strength of all of those (skill) groups is just the competitiveness that will kind of raise the whole program up.”

The Cowboys brought in S Jalen Thompson this offseason following his time with the Cardinals, signing him to a three-year deal. Thompson said he’s noticed the camaraderie in Dallas’ locker room, and it reminds him of his college days at Washington State. 

“I think the biggest thing that I notice being at the Cowboys is how much a family everybody is here,” Thompson said, via Tommy Yarish of the team’s site. “You notice guys are playing around, playing the games, everybody’s talking with each other, everybody has a relationship, that’s what I’ve noticed. It kind of took me back to that college feel of Washington State, everybody was always family and brothers.”

As for the polarizing nature of playing for the Cowboys, Thompson said it isn’t different from playing for any other team. 

“I think that’s with any team though,” Thompson said. “Being in the NFL, we’re always at the center of attention. This is nothing too different, just keep doing the right things, keep your head down and staying on track, everything will go well.”

Thompson added that playing under HC Brian Schottenheimer demands max effort on every play. 

“Definitely knew that this was a business, the Cowboys is a business over here,” Thompson said. “You’ve got to come to work every day, our main thing here is competing… it’s a competition at all times, that’s one of the biggest things I took away.”

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni was asked about WR DeVonta Smith being the team’s No. 1 receiver in the aftermath of the A.J. Brown trade. Sirianni also mentioned first-round WR Makai Lemon and GM Howie Roseman.

“I would say there was a lot of good years here, and done a lot of good things with AJ here — two times in the Super Bowl, I think he was [an] All-Pro multiple times, Pro Bowl multiple times,” Sirianni said, via Pro Football Talk. “So, I would say it was a good run. But, really excited about that room that we have. DeVonta Smith has had a really good offseason, has had five good years of being an Eagle as well. Very, very productive. And excited that he’s going to get extra opportunities that he works so hard to… that people convert that. Really excited about Makai and where he is this offseason and just his ability to catch the football, his toughness. I think that’s a great addition to that room.”

“What a good teammate that I have with Howie Roseman to be able to go to battle with,” Sirianni added. “So many things that [Brown] did that [were] good for our football team and always will wish him the best of luck. But, like I said, really excited about the guys in that room and where we are. But this is a team game, to your question, and every decision that I make and decisions that Howie makes, we talk to each other about it.”

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