Weekly NFC East Roundup: 8/24/13

New York Giants

• After sustaining a heel contusion in the team's second preseason game, Giants receiver Victor Cruz remains held out of practice and is sporting a walking boot and crutches. The injury is not expected to keep the Pro-Bowl receiver out of regular season action, however.

• Terrell Thomas is looking to recover a third time from a torn ACL, and will take the field Saturday night for the first time since 2011. There isn't a precedent in place of a player being able to overcome such a grueling rehabilitation process this many times over the course of his career, so seeing what Thomas has left in the tank will be captivating.
  

• "The Hynocerous," better known as Giants fullback Henry Hynoski, was removed from the active/PUPlist on Thursday and returned to practice with the team. Hynoski left a huge hole in the depth chart during his absence, and the team had to fill his post with tight end Bear Pascoe after missing out on signing Vonta Leach. He is on pace to start for the team for Week 1, though nothing is guaranteed at this point.

Philadelphia Eagles (by: Sean Patterson)

• Michael Vick has officially won the starting quarterback job for the Eagles. "I am surprised by this news," said no one ever.

• Bleeding Green Nation examined the Eagles' schedule to determine how the team can be a 9-win team. It's an interesting read, but I think they might be underestimating some NFC north teams a bit here. The "plan" also involves winning a lot of division games, which makes sense considering the team that went 5-1 in the division last year ultimately won the division.

• Head Coach Chip Kelly announced that the starters would be playing the first half of the pre-season game against the Jaguars. Kelly also expressed his desire to get Matt Barkley some playing time in the second half, but it may not happen.

Dallas Cowboys (by: Mike Harar)

• In Saturday's preseason game versus the Cardinals, four starters sat out due to injury and the team had to use their third different offensive line combination in three games. The first half was filled with mishaps, as they gave up three fumbles and two interceptions which led to the Cardinals having eight first half possessions. To credit the defense, they only gave up nine points in the half despite being put in several difficult situations. Tony Romo again looked comfortable hooking up with Dez Bryant, and they connected four times for 74 yards in the 12-7 loss.

• In injury news, Morris Claiborne ran Wednesday for the first time since injuring his left knee in practice on August 6th. He hopes to be ready for the season opener. The Cowboys also learned on Monday that reserve running back Lance Dunbar, who had positioned himself as the prime candidate to back-up Demarco Murray in 2013 due to strong performances this year, had sprained his left foot in the loss and would miss the next three to four weeks.

• On the offensive line, tackle Doug Free got some reps at right guard as the team looked for a possible contingency plan in case injured guards Ron Leary and Nate Livings are not ready for action by Week 1.

• The team finished up their busy Wednesday by reporting they had signed Sean Lee to a six year extension worth a reported $7 million per season. The Cowboys believe Lee, who has yet to play a full season in his first two years in the league, can be one of the NFL's best middle linebackers.