Commanders
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin wrote in a statement that he feels added responsibility after re-signing to a three-year, $71 million extension.
“From the day I was drafted, I’ve had the singular goal to win a Super Bowl with this franchise. This is on my mind every day when I walk into the building. While I am both humbled and ecstatic about this contract, it motivates me to work even harder. I understand and embrace the responsibility that comes with signing this extension. To whom much is given, much is required. There is no other place I would rather be or fan base I would want to represent.”
Cowboys
Cowboys G Zack Martin thinks it’s beneficial for first-round OL Tyler Smith to be lining up at left guard after playing left tackle during his college career.
“It pays off that he’s playing on one side,” Martin said, via the team’s official site. “If you were playing left guard and then swinging over to right tackle, in my mind, that would be much harder than going from left tackle to left guard.”
Martin points out that playing on the same side allows Smith to use similar footwork to how he played at the college level.
“Obviously, the protection stuff in space is different, but at least your footwork- in the run game, especially- is going to be the exact same at left tackle and left guard. It’ll be good for him to do both.”
Martin recalled his conversion from a right tackle in college to right guard with the Cowboys and described the differences between playing an interior role to tackle.
“It happens a lot quicker,” said Martin. “Guys are on top of you a lot quicker, obviously, [with] a little bigger body. You’ve got to diagnose things quicker just because there’s not that space. But lucky for us, this is a great time of year for us to get those reps.”
Giants
Giants first-round OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux noted during his recent media tour that he is completely healthy and will be available for the start of training camp.
“I’m fully healthy, I’m doing fine,” Thibodeaux said, via NFL.com. “I’m back training and I’ll be ready to go for training camp. It’s been great learning from the guys. One person can’t do every move, so it’s been understanding what I can do and what’s good for me and my game. Then it’s fine-tuning everything I have. … The biggest challenge (heading into my rookie season) is understanding I can’t control everything. I can only control what I can control. Even though I want to do as much as I can, I can only do the task at hand, my job.”
Thibodeaux also mentioned that one of his primary concerns is contributing defensively and learning the playbook.
“I don’t want to think too big. You have to compartmentalize the season,” Thibodeaux added. “If I could average at least one sack a game or contribute five to 10 tackles a game, then I’ll be good. That’s the smartest way to do it. You never want to look at the end. You always want to take it day by day. If you reach for the top, you’ll miss those steps right in front of you. So I know if I take those small steps and get that one sack or five to 10 tackles a game, by the end of the season, I’ll be where I want to be.”
More must-reads: