NFC Notes: Poe, Romo, Eagles, Lynch

Dontari Poe is excited about the opportunity he has with the Falcons, but the defensive tackle understand that he needs to be in shape if he wants to be productive. Talking to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure, Poe said head coach Dan Quinn echoed that sentiment.

“He just told me he wanted me to come in and play fast and be aggressive,” Poe said, “so around 330 is where I’ll play at most of the year. I feel like that will be a comfortable weight for me, too.”

Poe acknowledged that he’s currently at 340 pounds, so he doesn’t have much more to lose to reach his goal. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reports that Poe has a $500K weight bonus attached to his contract, so there’s added incentive to slim down.

If the 26-year-old isn’t overweight during the season, he should see an improvement as a pass rusher. After collecting 10.5 sacks between 2013 and 2014, Poe only compiled 2.5 sacks between 2015 and 2016.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFC…

  • Following news that the Cowboys were planning on releasing quarterback Tony Romo, reports indicated that the organization would instead try to trade the veteran. Florio wonders if the change of heart could be attributed to owner Jerry Jones‘ unwillingness to let Romo go to the Texans. The two teams aren’t technically rivals, but Florio believes the Cowboys owner doesn’t want to share viewers with another Texas team. Furthermore, if the Texans establish themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL with Romo, plenty of pundits will question the Cowboys’ logic to just cut bate with the quarterback. Ultimately, Florio believes that Jones is waiting for an offer to materialize at the upcoming league meetings.
  • The Eagles hosted running back Leonard Fournette yesterday, but Mark Eckel of NJ.com notes that the LSU product is expected to be taken prior to Philly’s first-round pick (No.14 overall). Therefore, the writer wonders if general manager Howie Roseman may have a trade up his sleeve. There’s certainly precedent, as the Eagles surrendered five picks and three players to move up to the second-slot in last year’s draft. Eckel believes Philly could find a trade partner in the Titans, who have the fifth-overall pick.
  • If Marshawn Lynch decides to unretire, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia believes the Seahawks will be forced to release the running back. Lynch would have a $9MM cap hit in 2017, which would drastically cut into their nearly $15MM in remaining cap space. The team could look to trade Lynch, but it’s uncertain whether any teams would give up anything of worth for the veteran. Plus, by opting for that route, Seattle could end up being stuck with the running back, who would join an already-crowded depth chart. The Raiders have been rumored to be eyeing the five-time Pro Bowler.
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