Cowboys

Cowboys G Tyler Smith is in his fourth year on the team and earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2023 and 2024. Dallas QB Dak Prescott called Smith the “epitome” of an offensive lineman and was able to learn from former Cowboys linemen like Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.

“That’s a guy that is just the epitome of what an offensive lineman is supposed to be like. Coming in young, learn from some of those guys, play next to Tyron, learning a little bit from Zack, but he’s a special player,” Prescott said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “He’s a special player from the moment that he showed up here, his approach, his mentality, his love for the game. The way that he knows his history of the game, his history of offensive linemen, his standard for himself and his play is super, super high. So he’s very well-deserving of that money and everything, and more success is going to come.”

Tyler Smith said he’s now taking a leadership role for their younger linemen like Tyler Booker, Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Nate Thomas. 

“As much as I can, especially with the guys like Book, TG, Nate Thomas,” Tyler Smith said. “Anything they ask me, I try to pull from the knowledge that was given to me and give it to them. It’s not a secret. I think everybody should push each other to be as good as we can be in our room because that’s only going to make all of us better. The lessons they taught me from how to study guys, to tendencies to just the fundamentals that you have to harp on every day.”

Smith signed a four-year, $96 million extension in recent weeks. He called it a “stepping stone” for his career and wants to leave a legacy in Dallas. 

“I know this is a big stepping stone, but ultimately, I still have a lot more work to do,” Smith said. “I still have a legacy that I want to lay down, and I still have to get better at football. I’m not even at where I think I can be at.”

• Smith’s four-year, $96 million contract extension includes a $18,129,385 signing bonus. He’s owed a guaranteed salary of $23,000,000 in 2026, and nonguaranteed salaries of $11,000,000 in 2027, $18,000,000 in 2028, $23,000,000 in 2029, and $22,000,000 in 2030. He can also earn $1,000,000 in per-game roster bonuses annually from 2026 to 2030. (OverTheCap)
• Cowboys TE Brevyn Spann-Ford was fined $5,370 for a leg whip, while WR CeeDee Lamb received two fines: $11,593 for taunting and $14,491 for a violent gesture. WR George Pickens was also fined twice: $14,491 for helmet removal and $14,491 for a violent gesture.

Eagles

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley set an NFL record last season for combined rushing yards in a regular season and postseason with 2,504. Barkley also eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark as a rookie with the Giants, but strongly prefers last year’s result after winning the Super Bowl. 

“You want to have those statistics, you want to have those numbers, that’s the human in you,” Barkley said, via Zach Berman of The Athletic. “But at the end of the day, I had two seasons where I had 2,000 (scrimmage) yards and 15 touchdowns.  One was my rookie year, and one was here, and it looked really different. And I’d take last year over my rookie year every single time. It’s all about winning. The numbers don’t really matter when you really think about it.”

Barkley reflected on a conversation he recently had with Jalen Hurts about continuing their winning ways. He said things haven’t necessarily evolved, but he wants to keep the standard of being great.  

“I wouldn’t say it evolved. I think it comes with being great,” Barkley said. “Name me the greats, they have some type of achievements that represent winning championships, games. I think that falls in line with the standard of what great is.”

Barkley added that his goal isn’t to record his third 2,000-yard season and is purely focused on getting back to the Super Bowl. 

“The reason why it’s hard to do it twice is it’s hard to do it the first time,” Barkley said. “It’s a crazy thing to even be mentioned with those guys. But for me, 2,000 yards is not the goal. It’s winning the Super Bowl. … I didn’t come here with the mindset last year of rushing for 2,000 yards. It just kind of happened.”

• Barkley received the largest fine of the week—$46,371—for using the helmet.

Giants

Giants LT James Hudson committed four penalties on New York’s opening drive in Week 2 against the Cowboys and was also penalized for two false starts in the game. When asked about Hudson, HC Brian Daboll said they like Hudson’s aggressiveness, but they need to clean up their play. 

“We got to be smart, so what’s it going to be in the fourth quarter when things get tough and somebody shoves you and pushes you? Are you able to have the emotional maturity to go ahead and focus on the next play and not get involved in that?” Daboll said, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “We want that aggressive approach. We also don’t want to be throwing hands and doing things that will cost you in games.”

• Giants DE Brian Burns was fined $11,593 for taunting, and Hudson was fined $12,172 for striking/kicking/kneeing.