August 15, 2025 • 34 mins
Gregg Rosenthal and Daniel Jeremiah give you their five biggest impact additions and rookies for the AFC North. Find out why Gregg and DJ think players like Malaki Starks, Jaire Alexander, Shedeur Sanders, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey and more will have a major impact for their teams next season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
We are back on forties and free agents.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Greg Rosenthal with my friend Daniel Jeremiah in the
Chris Westleying podcast studio, talking a little AFC North today.
The Black and Blue Division, the division that one day,
two decades ago employed you with the Baltimore Ravens. Did
you do pay attention to them more now because you
once worked for them.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I also worked for the Cleveland Browns, so happened to
be in the same good point. But I mean, at
least my co host really does his homework.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I focus on the positive.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
You know, hey, wait a ten.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And six year, one year ten and six, the next year,
four and twelve, average it out.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
That actually is a feather in your cap.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
That you many ten win seasons in the Cleveland Browns
over the last thirty years.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You literally were there and authored the best season.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, the found got the last two decades.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
And I started after the draft, which is the draft
they took Joe Thomas, and after free agency, so I
literally had nothing to say that ten and six.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Nobody would remember that.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, we're talking AFC North and on my side of things,
and if you're just joining us, each episode we go
through the five biggest impacts in free agency, veteran editions,
and the five biggest impacts in terms of rookies. And
I got to say, there wasn't as many free agents
outside of the Steelers. So I'm going to let you
start in this division because I know there are a
(01:23):
lot of good Reds.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Okay, we'll get to some Steelers stuff here. Let's start
with some of these other teams. And let's start with
Malachi Stark's first round pick for the Ravens out of Georgia.
There are guys that just feel like Ravens. And having
worked there, that's you know. I was there when the
whole play like a Raven thing started and that's the
real deal. They know what their players look like. And
Malachi Starks, now I'm not talking about it as a player. Now,
I'm gonna talk about the person. The makeup, the character
(01:46):
is very similar to the Ed Reid makeup and character.
He is incredibly smart, he's the leader of the defense.
He galvanizes guys, gets guys to go with him to
watch tape, all.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
That stuff elite off the charts.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Then you add into that the versatility is someone who
can play the nickel, who can play high I know
when they run up to the draft, there was a
you know, there's a desire on the Ravens side of
things to be able to allow Kyle Hamilton to be
closer to the ball.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
So in order to do that, you've got.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
To get someone who can play in the middle of
the field, and that's exactly what Malachi Starks can do.
So I think it's a great fit from a personality
type for what they love as a player, you know,
intelligence wise, all those things, and then I think scheme wise,
it's also a great fit.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Is he similar personality wise to Edward? Because I don't
know Edrid well or at all. I have interviewed him once,
but I've seen him in a lot of interviews and
I don't know if I've ever met another or seen
another human. I would say is similar to ed Reid's
personality type.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
He seems like a one on one.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well that I would say, yeah, from like a cigar
hat beard combination that there's that vertus.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
The way his mind goes too. But maybe football wise.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
This is I'm talking football and incredible football intelligence and
awareness and smarts. And then it's it's more like the
kind of magnetism that he has. You know they can
kind of control things. So that's what what Ed did.
Ed probably and I don't know Starks like that, but
Ed more verbal, like a little more demonstrative. And obviously
(03:13):
with the success Ed had came the confidence and in
kind of the swagger that came along with it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think you'll see Starks.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I know you like to keep things moving, but you
were there at the time. I always thought did Ed Reid,
like did he get to be who he was? Because
Rayle like, to me, they were such a perfect marriage
of like leadership types, like those two guys together.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Well, first of all, this keep in mind we had
Jamal Lewis a two thousand yard rusher that year. You
had unbelievable offensive line, You had Todd Heap, You had
some players on offense, like real legit Pro Bowl players,
and it was if the offense was on the field,
you almost would go to the bathroom because it was
the defense was so fun to watch and not just
(03:58):
like fun to watch defense, like we might have a
better chance of scoring with Ed, then maybe we would
on offense because he was so prolific at taking the
ball away. I wanted to look this up because while
you're talking about him. This is getting off off track here,
but Ed Reed, you talked about did the Ravens make
him or did he make the Ravens.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Go back in college? I mean his.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Two thousand, so his junior year he had eight interceptions.
His senior he at nine. He's always been that.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Guy, right, I guess I was thinking even less. Yeah,
just how incredible it was the last time you saw
a college kid was seventeen picks in two years. They
were just like a relationship that just seems like a
perfect like if they were like a couple that they
balance each other out like a podcast duo.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
They just balanced each other out.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Well.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
They had the thing about him as they were both
probably the two smartest football players I've.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Ever run around.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Okay, I don't know if jay R Alexander would be
in that category, but if we're talking Ravens secondary, he
is one of the non Steelers on my list.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So I'm going to talk about it there.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
If you look at the Ravens off season, they're really
running it back. Had a good draft, did not add
almost anything in free agency. They picked up DeAndre Hopkins
on a flyer. He's going to be like a fourth
you know, I like that jay r Alexander is the
guy that they bring in every year, whether it was
Ozzie Newsoen back in your day or Eric DaCosta, where
(05:18):
at the end of the season you're like, wait, when
did they get him? They got him in June with
July and how much are they paying him out? They're
only paying him four million dollars. Meanwhile, it's the divisional
round and he's out there covering t Higgins at a
high level and you're thinking, how did they get away
with this? Again, that's obviously hoping that he can stay healthy.
(05:38):
But for them, to me, he was the key addition
for a secondary that has a chance to be really
good around Kyle Hamilin, and they've.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Done such a good job as you mentioned, with these
veteran type players. Think about Kalais Campbell. I think about
going back to the receiver position where it was Derek
Mason one year, a Kwon bold In another year. Like
they've always kind of just found these veterans in that.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I think, look, we'll see what Houston was one. Yeah,
very well for them.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
They will go down that road. I mean, shoot, Deon
Sanders at one point in time was one so, I mean,
they've always been able to get something out of veteran guys.
And you know, we'll see Hopkins will be interesting too.
I mean, they've got a bunch of receivers. We'll see
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
When Jira Alexander plays like he matters, it's just about
staying on the field. He's really never been on the
field and not had a high level of play. And
to me, it's just an intriguing pair there with Nate
Wiggans going into a second year and Marlon Humphrey, guy
who's made a lot of Pro Bowl So a fun
secondary there.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
All right, give me another rule.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All right, I'm going to go to let's go to Cincinnati.
I'm gonna go to the Bengals, and I'm gonna go
to their second round pick, not their first round pick.
I'm gonna go Demetrius Knight, linebacker out of South Carolina. Again,
middle of the field. We've talked about ray Lewis a
minute ago. You want somebody in there that's intelligent, that's
smart to kind of be the you know, the control
person for a defense. He can do that. He's not
(06:48):
necessarily going to have to do all that right away.
In terms of all the responsibilities. But he is going
to imagine he's going to start, He's going to play
a lot and a chance to be an impactful player
for a defense that was atrocia last year. So you
bring a new defensive coordinator, we'll see what they can
do with Al Golden. How different that looks than what
they've been previously. But when you look linebacker wise, putting
(07:09):
him and Logan Wilson together, two really really smart guys.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Fun and tandem, and I think Demetrius Knight would be
high on the list of rookies that their team needs
to work. Yeah, because he is starting. So I follow
Paul Dayner. He works for the athletics, so I don't
want to pretend I'm getting this information myself. And he
says Knight has stepped in there. It's like a joke
(07:35):
almost how mature he is and he isn't an older rookie,
but that everyone around him already is starting to look
to him as a leader, and some of his veteran
teammates jokingly like call him future captain, and that he's
really looked good on and off the field. They were
happy with how he's been in training camp, and so
he's someone it's just got to work, I think, because
(07:56):
I think he's going to be out there almost every snap.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Let me give you one random scale thing on him.
So one of the things in scouting I've always loved
and had an older scout the game me this advice
when I was young. They said, you want to talk
about the competitiveness of a player, there's a couple things
you can look at. Number One, watch how they compete
on a point after Like that's a play where it's
basically a give up play. You can see the kick
and you watch guys who rush hard on that usually
shows you a little something. The other thing he said
was watch teammates on interceptions, whether that's an offensive teammate
(08:21):
trying to effort to make a tackle or whether that's
a defensive teammate efforting to make a block. There's a
game there's a pick six in a South cont I
don't remember who it was against, but he has two knockdown,
two pancakes blocks after a teammate picks off a ball,
And I was like, Okay, this guy is ultra, ultra
competitive and that matches with the leadership that you're hearing
about there in Cincinnati, it's.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
A tough to position though. That just worries me because everything.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
At the nerve center. Next time, I think Logan Wilson
can kind of be the nerve center initially. He can
just play ball. I want to say, freight and coverage.
That's the only concern I have.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, I mean, who is We did a show last
week on NFL Daily with with my friend Oli Connelly.
He's like, how many linebackers are excelling? Like everyone is
targeting these guy. I mean, there are some, but it
is the exception and that's one that it's the exception,
not the rule. There's like six to eight guys, and
that's why the conventional wisdom has been those linebackers take
(09:17):
you know, two three years till they're really at their best.
But he's going to have to play right away. I
don't have a Bengal in my top five. And in
the words of Dave Damaschek, don't don't blame me.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I didn't do this to you. You did this to you,
Bengal good.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
You just just don't have a lot of options. So
let's go. Let's go to one of my Steelers. I
mean it's Aaron Rodgers. This is this is the bet.
This is the big bet that a guy, for the
second time in NFL history, is going to have a
highly productive season at the quarterback position at the age
of forty two. It's only happened with one player, and
(09:52):
that man was Tom Brady. Now he did it another
three years, so it's possible it's another all time great.
And the reality is you had no other options because
you didn't want to pay Justin Fields as much.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
As I think I tried on Sam Donald and came up.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, that's what I mean, right, Very weird too, because
it's like they're treating quarterback like another position. They tried
on Stafford, I have information on that. It just wasn't
going to happen. They tried on Justin Fields. I think
they gave him an offer that would have been a
raise for him, but it wasn't as big as the
one that the Jets gave. And yeah, they tried a
little on Donald too. And I don't think the tape
(10:27):
was great last year. I don't know if you like
broke it down, but to me, the arms still there
and the mind is obviously there, but the willingness to
maybe stay in there and hold the ball, and that
just wasn't there for me at least.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So let me just show on the other side of that,
because I agree there's not there's some things that are missing.
But if we just went numbers wise, if with this
Steelers defense that they have, which I'm going to get
into some pieces here in a second, that they've added
and what they already possess, if Ran Rodgers throws from
almost four thousand yards complete sixty three percent of his
passes goes twenty eight and eleven, I think they're gonna
(11:01):
win a lot of games just with that what he
was last year, which nowhere near what Aaron Rodgers has been.
But even just last year's version that he was with
the Jets, with this Steelers defense, they're gonna win double
digit games probably.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
They made the playoffs with Russell Wilson and last year.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
That's what. I don't know what they got last year.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I don't think he was better than the combination of
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last year. And if he was,
it was marginal because those numbers speak well for him.
If you look at like the success rate and the
EPA per play, it's a you know, it's a lot
of like seven yard games on third and eleven and
him just being very safe and ultimately a lot of
(11:40):
those advanced metrics. He was more around twenty third twenty
fourth among starters, which is about how he felt he played.
Maybe that's a little bit of an upgrade, but this
is the bet he's got a chance.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
They have. They have the pieces, certainly on defense to
get it done.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
So that's again that leads to my point, which is
that was my status defense.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I am that Patrius Knight running down the field.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
There you go, here, you go, good teammate. This defense
is going to be really good. And you know, I'm
gonna go to the defensive side of the ball and
I'm gonna go to the third round pick. And Jack
Sawyer I talked about Malachi Starks's guys I thought were
kind of, you know, built to be Baltimore Ravens. Jack
Sawyer is out of the old school Pittsburgh Steelers playbook.
He is a two hundred and sixty five pound edge setter,
(12:21):
physical presence, kind of a no nonsense guy. He played
big in the big moments. You think about that that
playoff game where he has the huge sack of Texas, right,
he has the the sack, forced fumble, scoop and score
like he's he's been big in big moments.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
He was kind of their leader.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
He's the one who lost his mind when he's getting
planted the flag at Ohio State. Like he just that's
a Steeler type, that's a pride, you know, Like there's
there's guys that just kind of fit with what they do.
And I think that was a theme, I you know,
I don't think I know that was a theme of
theirs that they wanted to get back. Have an edge
and Aaron's a little bit of that, right, Aaron Rys
(12:57):
he has an edge. He has an edge to him.
He's not the night like you would say, if we're
gonna go nice meter, I would put Justin Fields and
Russell Wilson on another stratosphere in terms of how they
would be viewed as like nice guy versus an edgy guy.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You do hear reports of him absolutely staring down Roman
Wilson when he's not running the right routes and trading point.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So and then we add to that, Okay, defensive line wise,
Dereck Harmon in the first round, who's you know, big dude,
physical presence y a black who's gosh, what three thirty
three forty out of Iowa. They get him in the
fifth round. You had Sawyer in there, Jalen Ramsey, who
is a junkyard dog. I'm sure you're going to get
to him in a second, but overall you can see
(13:36):
even DK Metcalf.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
Looks like a bully, just like you. My pick.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
That's they They have gone with a theme in the
off season, which was We're going to be the rugged,
edgy Pittsburgh Steelers, and I think Jack Sawyer getting back
to where I started on this whole rant is part
of that part.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
It's been a great rant and I love being able
to talk to you about these draft picks because Jack
Sawyer is a guy, and I want how much you
pay attention to this that. I feel like the NFL
draft knicks out there, the internet dudes for lack of
a better word, without the maybe the exact same platform,
(14:12):
but very knowledgeable in their own right, doing a lot
of work on the draft. I feel like they were
they were out on Jack Sawyer. I feel like he
was not a draftknick guy, and ultimately I guess the
NFL what kind of a what pick agreed because he
ended up going in the fourth round, So maybe he's
just a victim.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Of he was the one and twenty third pick.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, he's a well known guy who fell a little
bit in the my seventieth player, so you did like him.
He is at a position, how would you answer, Because
it's supposed to be most of the biggest impact. He
is at a position I would argue is as good
as literally any position group, at any position in the
entire NFL. You have Tjatt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbrig
(14:51):
who's been really good for them too.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, it's a great foursome. I think they roll those
guys through and I think, to me, it's going to
be fascinating to see how him and high Smith could
could pair up there because I think on some of
those early downs, if you want Jack Story to get
out there on first second down, let him get out
there and make an impact on it against the run
for sure.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So that leads to my Jalen Ramsey pick because I
hope you're right. I hope they do rotate a little
bit more.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Witt never left the field last year. He never even
left his side of the field. He just wining up
the same side like a thousand snaps and I'd like
to see the guys moving around a little more, maybe
use some of your depth a little more. And that
is one thing I think Jalen Ramsey is going to
allow you to do. Just an instinctive, athletic, versatile guy
(15:36):
who in camp you know he's going to be there, Nickel.
Everyone wants their own Cooper dejen type of player. Well
how about the guy who was you know, winning a
Super Bowl doing it for the Rams a few years ago.
But it has interested me. I think for the first
time in his career. They say when they're out there,
just four defensive backs on the field. He's playing safety
for them, which which is new. And I do think
(15:56):
Jalen Ramsey has one great year left in it. Just
he's one of those players. He reminds me a little
bit of TiO every time too showed up at a
new spot. He would be a first ballot Hall of
Famer for that first year there. Jalen Ramsey, I don't
think his teammates love him. Everyone views him as a leader,
so that's a difference. But his first season in new
(16:16):
places has gone amazingly and then for whatever reason, after
a few years, it's like that team is ready to
move on. I think Jalen Ramsey is ready to have that.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
That type of season. I think that was I think
that is a good rant. Jalen Ramsey likes a challenge,
and I think they have challenged him. They've challenged him
by us him in all these different spots, and it's
going to be matchup based. There's going to be games
where he is going to live in the slot, and
that's going to be where he's going to be a
presence not only in coverage, but someone who can force
the run.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
You can blitz him.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And there's gonna be other games where he's literally gonna
be playing as the high safety and just kind of
playing on top of that Christmas tree, as my buddy
Bucky Brooks likes to say, where he can just kind of,
you know, roam over the top and free him up,
let his instincts play. But everything that I've got out
of there has been off the charts in terms of
the competitiveness that he's brought to practice. He's engaged and
he's enjoying the challenge of the rules they're giving him.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What a cool room there with Darius Slay, who I
know he's not gonna make it a Hall of Fame
or anything, but is like one of my just favorite
players and personalities over the last decade.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
And then you have Joey Porter, ju you like Chuck
Clark too.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
I mean, like they've got Elliott who played I mean,
if you look at it to Shaun Elliott, there's some
people in the league that would say, if you look
at him and make a Fitzpatrick last year and say
who played better, they would lean towards Elliott.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I think if you looked at the people in the
Steelers organization, they would they would say to Shawn Elliott,
the people love them some. To Shaun Elliott that that's
a really interesting point about Bucky and the Christmas Tree,
because you know, if he's going to do that, Minco
was extra. I mean, I think that could be an
upgrade for them. Let's try to upgrade on our first
few picks after this break, do even better back on
(17:56):
forties and free agents. Talking about the biggest pickups in
the AFC North, and if there's Browns fans out there,
Bengals fans like, why didn't you know talk about us
mart Well, little Brown's coming. But the Steelers changed who
they were this offseason. Suddenly they became the team that
gave us a lot to talk about, and they became
an off season team, and so I guess I'll go
(18:17):
with DK. You mentioned it, yeah earlier those let's just
talk DK. How do you think he fits with Aaron
Rodgers and this offense? Because it's a pretty big drop
off at least that wide receiver from one to two.
What is that mix in an Arthur Smith, Aaron Rodgers,
DK Metcalf offense. It's just if you had told me
(18:39):
that three years ago, like that is kind of a
mind blowing combination of names that we'll be working together,
which is.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Exactly why I'm going to give you the reason.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I I have no idea Okay, well it's going to
look like or how it's going to work. But I
do know you know, DK is going to be able
to get vertical and Aaron to me, this offense is
going to be a heavy, you know, twelve personnel team.
I think you'll see them john Nehus Smith, they love.
So he's going to be out there on the field
a lot him. He didn't make your list there, I
don't think he did. Not maybe an oversight on your port.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I mean how many Steelers can I put in? I
went with the big names.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
There's a lot of new pieces here.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
But you know, with with Firemouth and John new Smith,
I think they're in a lot of twelve personnel. I
think they really want to run the ball. I also
think you could see, you know, some thirteen personnel even
when you've got a freaking monster human being.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I've got a number. I got a number for you
on that. You know who ran the most thirteen personnels
of any team in the NFL last year?
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Who's that?
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Pittsburgh Steeler?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I think Washington is third tackle. He's amazing, He's enormous.
He might be the best tight end on this team overall.
I think he has a real ceiling to do something.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
To one better. Okay, I he's the best tackle on
our team.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
That's interesting, and I like and I like, and I
really like Fatanu the right tackle and we'll see what
broduct Jones can be.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
But just in terms of talent, he's got the frame
to do it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
If you're gonna if you want to earmark this for
three years down the road, and we're talking about Jason
Peters two point zero, it's this dude.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, that gets to what I was saying, and I
wouldn't have the scouting chops. You know, I'm trying. I
put my work in, but I wouldn't have the scouting
chops to be that strong on his offensive line play
and is blocking. But everyone I trust says something similar.
And yet when he gets out in the open field
and you see his hands, I can run. How many
other players are like that in the league. No, he's
(20:22):
a unicorn, But I mean that's to me. This goes
back to your DK point of what this offense is
going to look like. Think about if you're in thirteen
personnel with the tight ends, and then you know, now, okay,
we want to be a heavy team.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
We're going to run the ball, run the ball, run
the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
And now we get DK out there and you know
he gets some one on ones and take your shots.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Well, they said in training camp, when the reporters are watching,
they got in four personnel. I don't even know what
to call that. One stop. They had John New in
the backfield and three other tight ends. I'm not true.
The third title Connor Hayward, Yeah, I believe was the
other tight end. And so that they're just going wild here.
It's a long way of talking about DK and his
route tree. I did want to mention that all the
(21:01):
reports out of camp like they're living on his slants,
So maybe.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's keep him on the move.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
More yards after catch, maybe a little more little less
go balls. That's the thing I was frustrated watching Aaron Rodgers.
I think Garret Wilson got a little frustrated with Aaron Rodgers.
Maybe not as willing to take as many shots down
the field.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
So it's going to be the shorter shots.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Can I pull up?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Because this is why I love doing this show, because
then I just go into my notes because I like
seeing who if these guys change a lot from when
they were coming out to what they are now. So
I'm just gonna pull up some DK metcalf notes. He
reminded me of Demerius Thomas. I can fight through press, burst,
wall off on slants, a nice one hand catch versus Bama.
(21:46):
He's not great working back to the quarterback, not great
getting in and out. Keep him on the move, So.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That's still true.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
That's who he is.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I mean, he's gotten better, more well rounded as an
NFL player. The Dmerius Thomas comp is a really good one.
You think of the most favorite yeah, Marius Thomas play
of all time. You didn't actually see as much of
that with Seattle, so I would look forward to it now.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
By the way, going back to DK, he was two
hundred and twenty eight pounds coming out. He ran four
to three three. That's when he ran the forty. I say,
it looks like he's in a Batman suit.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
It's one of those drafts that I do think if
it had happened five years later, receivers were just falling
a little more than or maybe I'm wrong, but it
seems completely bizarre that the Dk Metcalf Aaron AJ Brown
picture of them flexing as college teammates, that those two
gentlemen with like those freaks, How did they fall to
(22:40):
the late second round?
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Both of them?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
All right, no, I have to open it back up.
So that was nineteen So DK Metcalf was my twenty
first player. He was the sixty fourth pick.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
W another W for DJ.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
AJ Brown was a lot. AJ Brown was my thirty
sixth player, was the fifty first pick.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Both of those.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Guys were What were we doing at the NFL back then?
I don't know they weren't listening to you.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
So you go back through this database.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I always do this just to show how this whole
thing works. Hey, great job you had Aj Brown thirty six,
just one spot behind Jerry Tillery. I mean they're the
same guy, same career. I did have one spot over
and to kill Harry though, give me that one good job,
thank you. That was a mistake that the Bill Belichick made.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And who knows if he had drafted AJ Brown like
instead of Nick, kill Harry, just that one pick different.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Maybe he's still there.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Maybe maybe he's there, Maybe Jordan Hudson is running the
personnel's department.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I'm just gonna because we've done so much Dealers and
I know people that are probably fans and these other teams. Okay,
just glossing over it. But I did have Caleb Johnson
down as one of my guys. Third round pick, running back,
foot in the ground, go like, that's what he is.
He's kind of just he's a no nonsense North South.
He's big, he's fast. I don't think there's a ton
of wiggle there for me, but there's he's going to
(24:01):
fit there. They're going to try and moll people create
a crease and let him see if he hit some
home runs they haven't had that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
He's then Aja Harris roll with a little more exulessness
virtus and they're not going to ask him to be
on the field every down for fantasy owners like Jalen
Warren is going to have a role.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
They like what they see out of Kenneth Gainwell. Who's
a good player.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Just the no, no, no, They love really what they've
seen out of Kenneth Gainwell. That's that's on the the
fantasy football list on the side, Kenneth Ganewell. And they
look if he they feel like in that building, what
you saw, you know with him behind Sakuon Barkley, Like
just what if you just give him a little bit more?
He was excellent there And they've they've loved Kenneth Gainwell.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Well.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I will never forget a Super Bowl performance by an
awesome Eagles offense at the highest of levels against a
Steve Spagnolo defense going up and down the field. They
didn't win the game, but the offense did their job.
Like who's the running back that was on the field
that they trusted the most. It's Kenneth Gainwell. Like in
the biggest of spots, all right.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Left, what you got?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
I got Pickett, Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
That's funny because I've got can I just my last one.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
I couldn't.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I couldn't pick So I've paired him up. Dylan Gabriel
and She'd were saying, Okay, so I just have this
whole discussion. Let's talk about the Browns quarterbacks. Kenny Pickett
to me was a missed opportunity. So I haven't been
impressed with his film.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I don't love the idea that two teams, including the Steelers,
have essentially given him away. Steelers, in hindsight, got a
pretty good value for him from the Eagles in that trade.
The Eagles just got a fifth round pick back in
that trade in DTR Like, why didn't they get more
aggressive in going after trying to upgrade the position?
Speaker 1 (25:39):
I have no like.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Joe Flacco makes sense there, he knows the system. It's
good to have a veteran in the room. It was cheap,
it makes sense. But Kenny Pickett was the guy that
they've gone into camp with and said, we kind of
hope he wins this job.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
We want to develop him.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
He has a chance for the future weird bet with
one of the most expensive rosters in the league. I
know they're a rebuilding team. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't.
But I think he's going to have a big impact
because if he doesn't work, I think it just is
a big swing in a mess.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
It's a question that I've been asked probably more than
any other in training camp. During training camp, and as
we're recording this, we haven't seen the preseason yet, so this, uh,
you know, we've already had a Browns game. We haven't
seen that when we're talking here, So I want to get.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
That out there.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
But I don't know where he fits. I've been asked this,
how does this quarterback thing shake out? And I've said, okay, well,
Joe flaccole feels like the week one starter, like they're
comfortable with him, they know who he is, like he's
on the team as that as that guy. And then
it feels like you're not going to get rid of
a third or a fifth round pick, you know, if
the fifth round pick being shoot or standers, because the
talent that was, you know, warranted a higher selection that
(26:40):
so you're not going to give up on the two
young guys you don't really know what you have there.
So then it just leaves me with Kenny Pickett. I'm like,
are they going to roster four guys? I don't think so.
And then is it are they just looking around the
league to see, you know, is there an injury? And
then does that provide an opportunity to trade him? But
then they've talked him up so much, so part of
me's like, well, they talked him up because they really
like him, and the other parbaby is like, oh, it's
just a pump and dump. They're they're they're talking him
(27:02):
up so they can create value for him to go
somewhere else. It feels like they went into the draft
knowing they wanted to have a younger option. They had
that younger option with Canny Pickett, and they're like, hey,
if something works out, maybe you know, maybe we could
draft one as well.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
So then they love Dylan Gabriel. He's there.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Then they took him in the third round, and then
Shador after they'd pass on him a million times, eventually
like we can't pass on him anymore, and they just
kind of find themselves in this weird position with these
four quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And Gabriel struggled in training camp. By all accounts, Shouldar
Standers has had more impressive moments where he looks like,
you know, bigger potential, but he's a developmental quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
He's a fifth round pick.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Well, but again he was so much higher rate on
my just selfishly looking at it the way I saw
both these guys come into the process. I went on
pardon my take before the draft, and they said, give
us a Brock Purdy type quarterback, a quarterback who could
go in the sixth or seventh round and he ends
up being a starter down the line, like who's your guy?
And I'm like, Dylan Gabriel, Well, that doesn't work when
(27:59):
he goes the third round.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So that was kind.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Of where I thought, maybe it's Suar Sanders, is you're
Brock pretty like guy, because honestly they the strengths are
not that different between Shaudur if he's gonna work at
the pro level, and a rock party.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Type yeah type, No, he's in that family. I've kind
of said that that archetype right of quarterback Joe Burrow
is at the very top of that mountain, and then
like Brock Purty kind of factors in there below him.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
In that level.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Shoudear Sanders is in that line of style of quarterbacks.
Now people can say it's the Kirkland brand or whatever
you want to however you want to use that, but
that's how he's gonna win. Is going to be playing
that brand of football. So when I when I go
back and look at Shador, he was my twentieth overall player.
And then when you go out and look at where
(28:45):
is he here?
Speaker 4 (28:48):
Oh my gosh, Dylan Gabriel was one forty eight.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
That's a pretty big difference.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
And the reporters that have been there at the Browns
would say, your ranking sounds right. Should looks like a nice,
interesting young player who has some potential, and Gabriel is
just not ready for it quite yet.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
So but do they keep four? They're not keep four.
It's fascinating.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I don't think they will keep four. I do think
Andrew Berry should take, you know, more grief for the
roster that he's built.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
So it's really the craziest thing when we do these
discussions on them, is that they have to Shaun Watson
right well on the roster just kind of yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
That's the that's the original sin.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But the reality is, like they're in year five of
this this group and the rest of the roster has
its share of issues too, And so I think just
going into this season, and by the way, if it's
a pump and dump, I mean, what are you dumping
it for at this point?
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yeah, well, it depends on who gets hurt.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's a penny stock. I don't think. I don't think it's.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Another thing though, is that again? Is you just look
at how it's projected right now. I'll give take it on.
Take a Ton's a great website if if you love
the draft, you want to keep up with like how
the draft order is projecting out as the season goes
along and keeping up with it week to week. They
do a good, great job of it, but they project
before the season. Next year's draft, the Browns have the
(30:10):
second overall pick and the ninth overall pick, which would
be from Jacksonville. So their quarterback discussion, as elongated as
it is right now, their long term quarterback is more
than likely in next year's draft.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Life that is, it's a fair point. We did it,
We talked about the Browns quarterback. We get to do
our bonus, bab it is time for our wild cards.
I always forget how you name that wild card bonus,
baby hasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I wonder if you had Shuder Sanders, by the way
higher than Kenny Pickett when he was coming out.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
I bet you, yeah, yeah, a little bit higher, but
some similar but higher. My wild card is Tyler Loop Wow.
For the Baltimore Ravens. Look, they had such a long
run with Tucker and everybody knows what you know transpired
away from the football field, and then his play had
tailed off over the last couple of years. But in
(30:59):
a nice run that they had there, it was when
they got to the freaking forty yard line, it was
three points. I mean, this guy's got a huge leg.
So we'll see Loops done. He saw in the preseason
Game of the Night. I think he missed one. Yeah,
had a miss so you could see the leg strength.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
With Justin Tucker. You know, I missed that and this
year he would have last year at least.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
I'm Tucker and it didn't miss anything. So I think
that's it's fair. We're talking about this division. We talked
a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the CINCINNTI Bengals with
Joe Burrow and that offense are going to be in
the mix, like there's going to be games for them
that come down to Tyler Loop.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I feel bad for not talking any Bengals, so I'll
just throw out no a fan. Why not it's my
wild card, Okay, because it's more it's more as a
reminder that they just didn't add a lot this off season.
Of course, you're happy that you give Chase and Higgins
all that money, but they've they've been there. That's not
(31:52):
a reason to think you're going to get better. Have
a couple of draft picks that they can get excited about.
You mentioned Demetrius Knight. You know they have the first
round pick Shamar Stewart. But ultimately they kind of ran
back the same defense that wasn't very good last year,
and then on offense, Like I think they could have
gotten better on the offensive line than they really did.
They don't have a lot of depths, specially at tackle.
(32:12):
There's questions at guard as well. The one move they
made in the middle of training camp was bringing in
Noah Fan, another tight end and so just building strength
and strength. I don't mind that.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I like that move.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I think he can fill a role kind of with
Mike Gasiki as the slot guy in fans there, and
they just have a plethora of weapons. But to me,
it was a reminder like the Bengals, they didn't give
you a lot of reasons to feel like this is
a better team other than you change your defensive coordinator.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I mean, they're gonna need these young rookies to play well.
Demetrius Knight, Schamar Stewart gonna have to play big roles
for him, and you know offensively the tight end Position's
funny that you mentioned that Tanner McLaughlin was like one
of my sleepers. I loved him coming out of Arizona.
He was older player, so he ended up dropping to
the sixth round. I thought he was worth like a
third round pick. But now that I look at I'm
(33:00):
gonna get their roster.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
He's buried because drew sample plays for them.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Drew sample plays. You have fan now Eck who they likes. Sorry,
Eric All the kid who he had been hurt coming
out too. And the other night Tanner Hudson got two touchdowns,
one at the beginning of the game and one at
the end of the game, which that's a lot of
football to be playing Week one in the preseason for
Tanner Hudson, but they obviously like him, so he is
one hundred buried on that depth chart.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Yeah, boy, if I wanted to spin something positive too.
You know who's out there starting for them with Joe
Burrow and the ones and had some nice plays by
all counts rookie guard Dylan Fairchild.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
So that's another rookie man Yl.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Rookies. See, I felt bad because I'm I'm rooting for
the Bengals. I want the Westling brothers to be happy.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
They're rooting on them out there.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
They just I mean, I do think it's interest.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
They're playing their offensive guys here in the preseason after
their slow starts the last few years.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
It's one of these off season narratives that I've been
gotten sick of. Like since January, Zach Taylor has been
talking about we got to start faster, we got to
start faster. We're going to do it, like we'll see
maybe playing and in the preseason can change everything. We're
ready to go, like we don't need to warm up.
These forties and free agents have been flying. We will
be back next week with the AFC South and the
(34:12):
NFC South.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
I know you will miss me Until then.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
Dj I leave us a rating in review.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Why not good job by DJ Leave us a rating,
leave us a review. Tell your friends we'll see you
next time.
We are back on forties and free agents.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Greg Rosenthal with my friend Daniel Jeremiah in the
Chris Westleying podcast studio, talking a little AFC North today.
The Black and Blue Division, the division that one day,
two decades ago employed you with the Baltimore Ravens. Did
you do pay attention to them more now because you
once worked for them.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I also worked for the Cleveland Browns, so happened to
be in the same good point. But I mean, at
least my co host really does his homework.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I focus on the positive.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
You know, hey, wait a ten.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And six year, one year ten and six, the next year,
four and twelve, average it out.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
That actually is a feather in your cap.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
That you many ten win seasons in the Cleveland Browns
over the last thirty years.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You literally were there and authored the best season.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, the found got the last two decades.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
And I started after the draft, which is the draft
they took Joe Thomas, and after free agency, so I
literally had nothing to say that ten and six.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Nobody would remember that.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, we're talking AFC North and on my side of things,
and if you're just joining us, each episode we go
through the five biggest impacts in free agency, veteran editions,
and the five biggest impacts in terms of rookies. And
I got to say, there wasn't as many free agents
outside of the Steelers. So I'm going to let you
start in this division because I know there are a
(01:23):
lot of good Reds.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Okay, we'll get to some Steelers stuff here. Let's start
with some of these other teams. And let's start with
Malachi Stark's first round pick for the Ravens out of Georgia.
There are guys that just feel like Ravens. And having
worked there, that's you know. I was there when the
whole play like a Raven thing started and that's the
real deal. They know what their players look like. And
Malachi Starks, now I'm not talking about it as a player. Now,
I'm gonna talk about the person. The makeup, the character
(01:46):
is very similar to the Ed Reid makeup and character.
He is incredibly smart, he's the leader of the defense.
He galvanizes guys, gets guys to go with him to
watch tape, all.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
That stuff elite off the charts.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Then you add into that the versatility is someone who
can play the nickel, who can play high I know
when they run up to the draft, there was a
you know, there's a desire on the Ravens side of
things to be able to allow Kyle Hamilton to be
closer to the ball.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
So in order to do that, you've got.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
To get someone who can play in the middle of
the field, and that's exactly what Malachi Starks can do.
So I think it's a great fit from a personality
type for what they love as a player, you know,
intelligence wise, all those things, and then I think scheme wise,
it's also a great fit.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Is he similar personality wise to Edward? Because I don't
know Edrid well or at all. I have interviewed him once,
but I've seen him in a lot of interviews and
I don't know if I've ever met another or seen
another human. I would say is similar to ed Reid's
personality type.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
He seems like a one on one.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well that I would say, yeah, from like a cigar
hat beard combination that there's that vertus.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
The way his mind goes too. But maybe football wise.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
This is I'm talking football and incredible football intelligence and
awareness and smarts. And then it's it's more like the
kind of magnetism that he has. You know they can
kind of control things. So that's what what Ed did.
Ed probably and I don't know Starks like that, but
Ed more verbal, like a little more demonstrative. And obviously
(03:13):
with the success Ed had came the confidence and in
kind of the swagger that came along with it.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
I think you'll see Starks.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I know you like to keep things moving, but you
were there at the time. I always thought did Ed Reid,
like did he get to be who he was? Because
Rayle like, to me, they were such a perfect marriage
of like leadership types, like those two guys together.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Well, first of all, this keep in mind we had
Jamal Lewis a two thousand yard rusher that year. You
had unbelievable offensive line, You had Todd Heap, You had
some players on offense, like real legit Pro Bowl players,
and it was if the offense was on the field,
you almost would go to the bathroom because it was
the defense was so fun to watch and not just
(03:58):
like fun to watch defense, like we might have a
better chance of scoring with Ed, then maybe we would
on offense because he was so prolific at taking the
ball away. I wanted to look this up because while
you're talking about him. This is getting off off track here,
but Ed Reed, you talked about did the Ravens make
him or did he make the Ravens.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Go back in college? I mean his.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Two thousand, so his junior year he had eight interceptions.
His senior he at nine. He's always been that.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Guy, right, I guess I was thinking even less. Yeah,
just how incredible it was the last time you saw
a college kid was seventeen picks in two years. They
were just like a relationship that just seems like a
perfect like if they were like a couple that they
balance each other out like a podcast duo.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
They just balanced each other out.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Well.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
They had the thing about him as they were both
probably the two smartest football players I've.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Ever run around.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Okay, I don't know if jay R Alexander would be
in that category, but if we're talking Ravens secondary, he
is one of the non Steelers on my list.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So I'm going to talk about it there.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
If you look at the Ravens off season, they're really
running it back. Had a good draft, did not add
almost anything in free agency. They picked up DeAndre Hopkins
on a flyer. He's going to be like a fourth
you know, I like that jay r Alexander is the
guy that they bring in every year, whether it was
Ozzie Newsoen back in your day or Eric DaCosta, where
(05:18):
at the end of the season you're like, wait, when
did they get him? They got him in June with
July and how much are they paying him out? They're
only paying him four million dollars. Meanwhile, it's the divisional
round and he's out there covering t Higgins at a
high level and you're thinking, how did they get away
with this? Again, that's obviously hoping that he can stay healthy.
(05:38):
But for them, to me, he was the key addition
for a secondary that has a chance to be really
good around Kyle Hamilin, and they've.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Done such a good job as you mentioned, with these
veteran type players. Think about Kalais Campbell. I think about
going back to the receiver position where it was Derek
Mason one year, a Kwon bold In another year. Like
they've always kind of just found these veterans in that.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I think, look, we'll see what Houston was one. Yeah,
very well for them.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
They will go down that road. I mean, shoot, Deon
Sanders at one point in time was one so, I mean,
they've always been able to get something out of veteran guys.
And you know, we'll see Hopkins will be interesting too.
I mean, they've got a bunch of receivers. We'll see
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
When Jira Alexander plays like he matters, it's just about
staying on the field. He's really never been on the
field and not had a high level of play. And
to me, it's just an intriguing pair there with Nate
Wiggans going into a second year and Marlon Humphrey, guy
who's made a lot of Pro Bowl So a fun
secondary there.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
All right, give me another rule.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All right, I'm going to go to let's go to Cincinnati.
I'm gonna go to the Bengals, and I'm gonna go
to their second round pick, not their first round pick.
I'm gonna go Demetrius Knight, linebacker out of South Carolina. Again,
middle of the field. We've talked about ray Lewis a
minute ago. You want somebody in there that's intelligent, that's
smart to kind of be the you know, the control
person for a defense. He can do that. He's not
(06:48):
necessarily going to have to do all that right away.
In terms of all the responsibilities. But he is going
to imagine he's going to start, He's going to play
a lot and a chance to be an impactful player
for a defense that was atrocia last year. So you
bring a new defensive coordinator, we'll see what they can
do with Al Golden. How different that looks than what
they've been previously. But when you look linebacker wise, putting
(07:09):
him and Logan Wilson together, two really really smart guys.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Fun and tandem, and I think Demetrius Knight would be
high on the list of rookies that their team needs
to work. Yeah, because he is starting. So I follow
Paul Dayner. He works for the athletics, so I don't
want to pretend I'm getting this information myself. And he
says Knight has stepped in there. It's like a joke
(07:35):
almost how mature he is and he isn't an older rookie,
but that everyone around him already is starting to look
to him as a leader, and some of his veteran
teammates jokingly like call him future captain, and that he's
really looked good on and off the field. They were
happy with how he's been in training camp, and so
he's someone it's just got to work, I think, because
(07:56):
I think he's going to be out there almost every snap.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Let me give you one random scale thing on him.
So one of the things in scouting I've always loved
and had an older scout the game me this advice
when I was young. They said, you want to talk
about the competitiveness of a player, there's a couple things
you can look at. Number One, watch how they compete
on a point after Like that's a play where it's
basically a give up play. You can see the kick
and you watch guys who rush hard on that usually
shows you a little something. The other thing he said
was watch teammates on interceptions, whether that's an offensive teammate
(08:21):
trying to effort to make a tackle or whether that's
a defensive teammate efforting to make a block. There's a
game there's a pick six in a South cont I
don't remember who it was against, but he has two knockdown,
two pancakes blocks after a teammate picks off a ball,
And I was like, Okay, this guy is ultra, ultra
competitive and that matches with the leadership that you're hearing
about there in Cincinnati, it's.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
A tough to position though. That just worries me because everything.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
At the nerve center. Next time, I think Logan Wilson
can kind of be the nerve center initially. He can
just play ball. I want to say, freight and coverage.
That's the only concern I have.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, I mean, who is We did a show last
week on NFL Daily with with my friend Oli Connelly.
He's like, how many linebackers are excelling? Like everyone is
targeting these guy. I mean, there are some, but it
is the exception and that's one that it's the exception,
not the rule. There's like six to eight guys, and
that's why the conventional wisdom has been those linebackers take
(09:17):
you know, two three years till they're really at their best.
But he's going to have to play right away. I
don't have a Bengal in my top five. And in
the words of Dave Damaschek, don't don't blame me.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I didn't do this to you. You did this to you,
Bengal good.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
You just just don't have a lot of options. So
let's go. Let's go to one of my Steelers. I
mean it's Aaron Rodgers. This is this is the bet.
This is the big bet that a guy, for the
second time in NFL history, is going to have a
highly productive season at the quarterback position at the age
of forty two. It's only happened with one player, and
(09:52):
that man was Tom Brady. Now he did it another
three years, so it's possible it's another all time great.
And the reality is you had no other options because
you didn't want to pay Justin Fields as much.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
As I think I tried on Sam Donald and came up.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, that's what I mean, right, Very weird too, because
it's like they're treating quarterback like another position. They tried
on Stafford, I have information on that. It just wasn't
going to happen. They tried on Justin Fields. I think
they gave him an offer that would have been a
raise for him, but it wasn't as big as the
one that the Jets gave. And yeah, they tried a
little on Donald too. And I don't think the tape
(10:27):
was great last year. I don't know if you like
broke it down, but to me, the arms still there
and the mind is obviously there, but the willingness to
maybe stay in there and hold the ball, and that
just wasn't there for me at least.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So let me just show on the other side of that,
because I agree there's not there's some things that are missing.
But if we just went numbers wise, if with this
Steelers defense that they have, which I'm going to get
into some pieces here in a second, that they've added
and what they already possess, if Ran Rodgers throws from
almost four thousand yards complete sixty three percent of his
passes goes twenty eight and eleven, I think they're gonna
(11:01):
win a lot of games just with that what he
was last year, which nowhere near what Aaron Rodgers has been.
But even just last year's version that he was with
the Jets, with this Steelers defense, they're gonna win double
digit games probably.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
They made the playoffs with Russell Wilson and last year.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
That's what. I don't know what they got last year.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I don't think he was better than the combination of
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last year. And if he was,
it was marginal because those numbers speak well for him.
If you look at like the success rate and the
EPA per play, it's a you know, it's a lot
of like seven yard games on third and eleven and
him just being very safe and ultimately a lot of
(11:40):
those advanced metrics. He was more around twenty third twenty
fourth among starters, which is about how he felt he played.
Maybe that's a little bit of an upgrade, but this
is the bet he's got a chance.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
They have. They have the pieces, certainly on defense to
get it done.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
So that's again that leads to my point, which is
that was my status defense.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I am that Patrius Knight running down the field.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
There you go, here, you go, good teammate. This defense
is going to be really good. And you know, I'm
gonna go to the defensive side of the ball and
I'm gonna go to the third round pick. And Jack
Sawyer I talked about Malachi Starks's guys I thought were
kind of, you know, built to be Baltimore Ravens. Jack
Sawyer is out of the old school Pittsburgh Steelers playbook.
He is a two hundred and sixty five pound edge setter,
(12:21):
physical presence, kind of a no nonsense guy. He played
big in the big moments. You think about that that
playoff game where he has the huge sack of Texas, right,
he has the the sack, forced fumble, scoop and score
like he's he's been big in big moments.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
He was kind of their leader.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
He's the one who lost his mind when he's getting
planted the flag at Ohio State. Like he just that's
a Steeler type, that's a pride, you know, Like there's
there's guys that just kind of fit with what they do.
And I think that was a theme, I you know,
I don't think I know that was a theme of
theirs that they wanted to get back. Have an edge
and Aaron's a little bit of that, right, Aaron Rys
(12:57):
he has an edge. He has an edge to him.
He's not the night like you would say, if we're
gonna go nice meter, I would put Justin Fields and
Russell Wilson on another stratosphere in terms of how they
would be viewed as like nice guy versus an edgy guy.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You do hear reports of him absolutely staring down Roman
Wilson when he's not running the right routes and trading point.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So and then we add to that, Okay, defensive line wise,
Dereck Harmon in the first round, who's you know, big dude,
physical presence y a black who's gosh, what three thirty
three forty out of Iowa. They get him in the
fifth round. You had Sawyer in there, Jalen Ramsey, who
is a junkyard dog. I'm sure you're going to get
to him in a second, but overall you can see
(13:36):
even DK Metcalf.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
Looks like a bully, just like you. My pick.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
That's they They have gone with a theme in the
off season, which was We're going to be the rugged,
edgy Pittsburgh Steelers, and I think Jack Sawyer getting back
to where I started on this whole rant is part
of that part.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
It's been a great rant and I love being able
to talk to you about these draft picks because Jack
Sawyer is a guy, and I want how much you
pay attention to this that. I feel like the NFL
draft knicks out there, the internet dudes for lack of
a better word, without the maybe the exact same platform,
(14:12):
but very knowledgeable in their own right, doing a lot
of work on the draft. I feel like they were
they were out on Jack Sawyer. I feel like he
was not a draftknick guy, and ultimately I guess the
NFL what kind of a what pick agreed because he
ended up going in the fourth round, So maybe he's
just a victim.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Of he was the one and twenty third pick.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, he's a well known guy who fell a little
bit in the my seventieth player, so you did like him.
He is at a position, how would you answer, Because
it's supposed to be most of the biggest impact. He
is at a position I would argue is as good
as literally any position group, at any position in the
entire NFL. You have Tjatt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbrig
(14:51):
who's been really good for them too.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, it's a great foursome. I think they roll those
guys through and I think, to me, it's going to
be fascinating to see how him and high Smith could
could pair up there because I think on some of
those early downs, if you want Jack Story to get
out there on first second down, let him get out
there and make an impact on it against the run
for sure.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So that leads to my Jalen Ramsey pick because I
hope you're right. I hope they do rotate a little
bit more.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Witt never left the field last year. He never even
left his side of the field. He just wining up
the same side like a thousand snaps and I'd like
to see the guys moving around a little more, maybe
use some of your depth a little more. And that
is one thing I think Jalen Ramsey is going to
allow you to do. Just an instinctive, athletic, versatile guy
(15:36):
who in camp you know he's going to be there, Nickel.
Everyone wants their own Cooper dejen type of player. Well
how about the guy who was you know, winning a
Super Bowl doing it for the Rams a few years ago.
But it has interested me. I think for the first
time in his career. They say when they're out there,
just four defensive backs on the field. He's playing safety
for them, which which is new. And I do think
(15:56):
Jalen Ramsey has one great year left in it. Just
he's one of those players. He reminds me a little
bit of TiO every time too showed up at a
new spot. He would be a first ballot Hall of
Famer for that first year there. Jalen Ramsey, I don't
think his teammates love him. Everyone views him as a leader,
so that's a difference. But his first season in new
(16:16):
places has gone amazingly and then for whatever reason, after
a few years, it's like that team is ready to
move on. I think Jalen Ramsey is ready to have that.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
That type of season. I think that was I think
that is a good rant. Jalen Ramsey likes a challenge,
and I think they have challenged him. They've challenged him
by us him in all these different spots, and it's
going to be matchup based. There's going to be games
where he is going to live in the slot, and
that's going to be where he's going to be a
presence not only in coverage, but someone who can force
the run.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
You can blitz him.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And there's gonna be other games where he's literally gonna
be playing as the high safety and just kind of
playing on top of that Christmas tree, as my buddy
Bucky Brooks likes to say, where he can just kind of,
you know, roam over the top and free him up,
let his instincts play. But everything that I've got out
of there has been off the charts in terms of
the competitiveness that he's brought to practice. He's engaged and
he's enjoying the challenge of the rules they're giving him.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What a cool room there with Darius Slay, who I
know he's not gonna make it a Hall of Fame
or anything, but is like one of my just favorite
players and personalities over the last decade.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
And then you have Joey Porter, ju you like Chuck
Clark too.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
I mean, like they've got Elliott who played I mean,
if you look at it to Shaun Elliott, there's some
people in the league that would say, if you look
at him and make a Fitzpatrick last year and say
who played better, they would lean towards Elliott.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I think if you looked at the people in the
Steelers organization, they would they would say to Shawn Elliott,
the people love them some. To Shaun Elliott that that's
a really interesting point about Bucky and the Christmas Tree,
because you know, if he's going to do that, Minco
was extra. I mean, I think that could be an
upgrade for them. Let's try to upgrade on our first
few picks after this break, do even better back on
(17:56):
forties and free agents. Talking about the biggest pickups in
the AFC North, and if there's Browns fans out there,
Bengals fans like, why didn't you know talk about us
mart Well, little Brown's coming. But the Steelers changed who
they were this offseason. Suddenly they became the team that
gave us a lot to talk about, and they became
an off season team, and so I guess I'll go
(18:17):
with DK. You mentioned it, yeah earlier those let's just
talk DK. How do you think he fits with Aaron
Rodgers and this offense? Because it's a pretty big drop
off at least that wide receiver from one to two.
What is that mix in an Arthur Smith, Aaron Rodgers,
DK Metcalf offense. It's just if you had told me
(18:39):
that three years ago, like that is kind of a
mind blowing combination of names that we'll be working together,
which is.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Exactly why I'm going to give you the reason.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I I have no idea Okay, well it's going to
look like or how it's going to work. But I
do know you know, DK is going to be able
to get vertical and Aaron to me, this offense is
going to be a heavy, you know, twelve personnel team.
I think you'll see them john Nehus Smith, they love.
So he's going to be out there on the field
a lot him. He didn't make your list there, I
don't think he did. Not maybe an oversight on your port.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I mean how many Steelers can I put in? I
went with the big names.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
There's a lot of new pieces here.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
But you know, with with Firemouth and John new Smith,
I think they're in a lot of twelve personnel. I
think they really want to run the ball. I also
think you could see, you know, some thirteen personnel even
when you've got a freaking monster human being.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I've got a number. I got a number for you
on that. You know who ran the most thirteen personnels
of any team in the NFL last year?
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Who's that?
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Pittsburgh Steeler?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I think Washington is third tackle. He's amazing, He's enormous.
He might be the best tight end on this team overall.
I think he has a real ceiling to do something.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
To one better. Okay, I he's the best tackle on
our team.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
That's interesting, and I like and I like, and I
really like Fatanu the right tackle and we'll see what
broduct Jones can be.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
But just in terms of talent, he's got the frame
to do it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
If you're gonna if you want to earmark this for
three years down the road, and we're talking about Jason
Peters two point zero, it's this dude.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, that gets to what I was saying, and I
wouldn't have the scouting chops. You know, I'm trying. I
put my work in, but I wouldn't have the scouting
chops to be that strong on his offensive line play
and is blocking. But everyone I trust says something similar.
And yet when he gets out in the open field
and you see his hands, I can run. How many
other players are like that in the league. No, he's
(20:22):
a unicorn, But I mean that's to me. This goes
back to your DK point of what this offense is
going to look like. Think about if you're in thirteen
personnel with the tight ends, and then you know, now, okay,
we want to be a heavy team.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
We're going to run the ball, run the ball, run
the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
And now we get DK out there and you know
he gets some one on ones and take your shots.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Well, they said in training camp, when the reporters are watching,
they got in four personnel. I don't even know what
to call that. One stop. They had John New in
the backfield and three other tight ends. I'm not true.
The third title Connor Hayward, Yeah, I believe was the
other tight end. And so that they're just going wild here.
It's a long way of talking about DK and his
route tree. I did want to mention that all the
(21:01):
reports out of camp like they're living on his slants,
So maybe.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's keep him on the move.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yeah, a little.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
More yards after catch, maybe a little more little less
go balls. That's the thing I was frustrated watching Aaron Rodgers.
I think Garret Wilson got a little frustrated with Aaron Rodgers.
Maybe not as willing to take as many shots down
the field.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
So it's going to be the shorter shots.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Can I pull up?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Because this is why I love doing this show, because
then I just go into my notes because I like
seeing who if these guys change a lot from when
they were coming out to what they are now. So
I'm just gonna pull up some DK metcalf notes. He
reminded me of Demerius Thomas. I can fight through press, burst,
wall off on slants, a nice one hand catch versus Bama.
(21:46):
He's not great working back to the quarterback, not great
getting in and out. Keep him on the move, So.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That's still true.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
That's who he is.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
I mean, he's gotten better, more well rounded as an
NFL player. The Dmerius Thomas comp is a really good one.
You think of the most favorite yeah, Marius Thomas play
of all time. You didn't actually see as much of
that with Seattle, so I would look forward to it now.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
By the way, going back to DK, he was two
hundred and twenty eight pounds coming out. He ran four
to three three. That's when he ran the forty. I say,
it looks like he's in a Batman suit.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
It's one of those drafts that I do think if
it had happened five years later, receivers were just falling
a little more than or maybe I'm wrong, but it
seems completely bizarre that the Dk Metcalf Aaron AJ Brown
picture of them flexing as college teammates, that those two
gentlemen with like those freaks, How did they fall to
(22:40):
the late second round?
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Both of them?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
All right, no, I have to open it back up.
So that was nineteen So DK Metcalf was my twenty
first player. He was the sixty fourth pick.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
W another W for DJ.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
AJ Brown was a lot. AJ Brown was my thirty
sixth player, was the fifty first pick.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Both of those.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Guys were What were we doing at the NFL back then?
I don't know they weren't listening to you.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
So you go back through this database.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I always do this just to show how this whole
thing works. Hey, great job you had Aj Brown thirty six,
just one spot behind Jerry Tillery. I mean they're the
same guy, same career. I did have one spot over
and to kill Harry though, give me that one good job,
thank you. That was a mistake that the Bill Belichick made.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And who knows if he had drafted AJ Brown like
instead of Nick, kill Harry, just that one pick different.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Maybe he's still there.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Maybe maybe he's there, Maybe Jordan Hudson is running the
personnel's department.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I'm just gonna because we've done so much Dealers and
I know people that are probably fans and these other teams. Okay,
just glossing over it. But I did have Caleb Johnson
down as one of my guys. Third round pick, running back,
foot in the ground, go like, that's what he is.
He's kind of just he's a no nonsense North South.
He's big, he's fast. I don't think there's a ton
of wiggle there for me, but there's he's going to
(24:01):
fit there. They're going to try and moll people create
a crease and let him see if he hit some
home runs they haven't had that.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
He's then Aja Harris roll with a little more exulessness
virtus and they're not going to ask him to be
on the field every down for fantasy owners like Jalen
Warren is going to have a role.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
They like what they see out of Kenneth Gainwell. Who's
a good player.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Just the no, no, no, They love really what they've
seen out of Kenneth Gainwell. That's that's on the the
fantasy football list on the side, Kenneth Ganewell. And they
look if he they feel like in that building, what
you saw, you know with him behind Sakuon Barkley, Like
just what if you just give him a little bit more?
He was excellent there And they've they've loved Kenneth Gainwell.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Well.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I will never forget a Super Bowl performance by an
awesome Eagles offense at the highest of levels against a
Steve Spagnolo defense going up and down the field. They
didn't win the game, but the offense did their job.
Like who's the running back that was on the field
that they trusted the most. It's Kenneth Gainwell. Like in
the biggest of spots, all right.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Left, what you got?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
I got Pickett, Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
That's funny because I've got can I just my last one.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
I couldn't.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I couldn't pick So I've paired him up. Dylan Gabriel
and She'd were saying, Okay, so I just have this
whole discussion. Let's talk about the Browns quarterbacks. Kenny Pickett
to me was a missed opportunity. So I haven't been
impressed with his film.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I don't love the idea that two teams, including the Steelers,
have essentially given him away. Steelers, in hindsight, got a
pretty good value for him from the Eagles in that trade.
The Eagles just got a fifth round pick back in
that trade in DTR Like, why didn't they get more
aggressive in going after trying to upgrade the position?
Speaker 1 (25:39):
I have no like.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Joe Flacco makes sense there, he knows the system. It's
good to have a veteran in the room. It was cheap,
it makes sense. But Kenny Pickett was the guy that
they've gone into camp with and said, we kind of
hope he wins this job.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
We want to develop him.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
He has a chance for the future weird bet with
one of the most expensive rosters in the league. I
know they're a rebuilding team. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't.
But I think he's going to have a big impact
because if he doesn't work, I think it just is
a big swing in a mess.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
It's a question that I've been asked probably more than
any other in training camp. During training camp, and as
we're recording this, we haven't seen the preseason yet, so this, uh,
you know, we've already had a Browns game. We haven't
seen that when we're talking here, So I want to get.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
That out there.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
But I don't know where he fits. I've been asked this,
how does this quarterback thing shake out? And I've said, okay, well,
Joe flaccole feels like the week one starter, like they're
comfortable with him, they know who he is, like he's
on the team as that as that guy. And then
it feels like you're not going to get rid of
a third or a fifth round pick, you know, if
the fifth round pick being shoot or standers, because the
talent that was, you know, warranted a higher selection that
(26:40):
so you're not going to give up on the two
young guys you don't really know what you have there.
So then it just leaves me with Kenny Pickett. I'm like,
are they going to roster four guys? I don't think so.
And then is it are they just looking around the
league to see, you know, is there an injury? And
then does that provide an opportunity to trade him? But
then they've talked him up so much, so part of
me's like, well, they talked him up because they really
like him, and the other parbaby is like, oh, it's
just a pump and dump. They're they're they're talking him
(27:02):
up so they can create value for him to go
somewhere else. It feels like they went into the draft
knowing they wanted to have a younger option. They had
that younger option with Canny Pickett, and they're like, hey,
if something works out, maybe you know, maybe we could
draft one as well.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
So then they love Dylan Gabriel. He's there.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Then they took him in the third round, and then
Shador after they'd pass on him a million times, eventually
like we can't pass on him anymore, and they just
kind of find themselves in this weird position with these
four quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And Gabriel struggled in training camp. By all accounts, Shouldar
Standers has had more impressive moments where he looks like,
you know, bigger potential, but he's a developmental quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
He's a fifth round pick.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Well, but again he was so much higher rate on
my just selfishly looking at it the way I saw
both these guys come into the process. I went on
pardon my take before the draft, and they said, give
us a Brock Purdy type quarterback, a quarterback who could
go in the sixth or seventh round and he ends
up being a starter down the line, like who's your guy?
And I'm like, Dylan Gabriel, Well, that doesn't work when
(27:59):
he goes the third round.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So that was kind.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Of where I thought, maybe it's Suar Sanders, is you're
Brock pretty like guy, because honestly they the strengths are
not that different between Shaudur if he's gonna work at
the pro level, and a rock party.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Type yeah type, No, he's in that family. I've kind
of said that that archetype right of quarterback Joe Burrow
is at the very top of that mountain, and then
like Brock Purty kind of factors in there below him.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
In that level.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Shoudear Sanders is in that line of style of quarterbacks.
Now people can say it's the Kirkland brand or whatever
you want to however you want to use that, but
that's how he's gonna win. Is going to be playing
that brand of football. So when I when I go
back and look at Shador, he was my twentieth overall player.
And then when you go out and look at where
(28:45):
is he here?
Speaker 4 (28:48):
Oh my gosh, Dylan Gabriel was one forty eight.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
That's a pretty big difference.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
And the reporters that have been there at the Browns
would say, your ranking sounds right. Should looks like a nice,
interesting young player who has some potential, and Gabriel is
just not ready for it quite yet.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
So but do they keep four? They're not keep four.
It's fascinating.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I don't think they will keep four. I do think
Andrew Berry should take, you know, more grief for the
roster that he's built.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
So it's really the craziest thing when we do these
discussions on them, is that they have to Shaun Watson
right well on the roster just kind of yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
That's the that's the original sin.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But the reality is, like they're in year five of
this this group and the rest of the roster has
its share of issues too, And so I think just
going into this season, and by the way, if it's
a pump and dump, I mean, what are you dumping
it for at this point?
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yeah, well, it depends on who gets hurt.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's a penny stock. I don't think. I don't think it's.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Another thing though, is that again? Is you just look
at how it's projected right now. I'll give take it on.
Take a Ton's a great website if if you love
the draft, you want to keep up with like how
the draft order is projecting out as the season goes
along and keeping up with it week to week. They
do a good, great job of it, but they project
before the season. Next year's draft, the Browns have the
(30:10):
second overall pick and the ninth overall pick, which would
be from Jacksonville. So their quarterback discussion, as elongated as
it is right now, their long term quarterback is more
than likely in next year's draft.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Life that is, it's a fair point. We did it,
We talked about the Browns quarterback. We get to do
our bonus, bab it is time for our wild cards.
I always forget how you name that wild card bonus,
baby hasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I wonder if you had Shuder Sanders, by the way
higher than Kenny Pickett when he was coming out.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
I bet you, yeah, yeah, a little bit higher, but
some similar but higher. My wild card is Tyler Loop Wow.
For the Baltimore Ravens. Look, they had such a long
run with Tucker and everybody knows what you know transpired
away from the football field, and then his play had
tailed off over the last couple of years. But in
(30:59):
a nice run that they had there, it was when
they got to the freaking forty yard line, it was
three points. I mean, this guy's got a huge leg.
So we'll see Loops done. He saw in the preseason
Game of the Night. I think he missed one. Yeah,
had a miss so you could see the leg strength.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
With Justin Tucker. You know, I missed that and this
year he would have last year at least.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
I'm Tucker and it didn't miss anything. So I think
that's it's fair. We're talking about this division. We talked
a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the CINCINNTI Bengals with
Joe Burrow and that offense are going to be in
the mix, like there's going to be games for them
that come down to Tyler Loop.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I feel bad for not talking any Bengals, so I'll
just throw out no a fan. Why not it's my
wild card, Okay, because it's more it's more as a
reminder that they just didn't add a lot this off season.
Of course, you're happy that you give Chase and Higgins
all that money, but they've they've been there. That's not
(31:52):
a reason to think you're going to get better. Have
a couple of draft picks that they can get excited about.
You mentioned Demetrius Knight. You know they have the first
round pick Shamar Stewart. But ultimately they kind of ran
back the same defense that wasn't very good last year,
and then on offense, Like I think they could have
gotten better on the offensive line than they really did.
They don't have a lot of depths, specially at tackle.
(32:12):
There's questions at guard as well. The one move they
made in the middle of training camp was bringing in
Noah Fan, another tight end and so just building strength
and strength. I don't mind that.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I like that move.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I think he can fill a role kind of with
Mike Gasiki as the slot guy in fans there, and
they just have a plethora of weapons. But to me,
it was a reminder like the Bengals, they didn't give
you a lot of reasons to feel like this is
a better team other than you change your defensive coordinator.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I mean, they're gonna need these young rookies to play well.
Demetrius Knight, Schamar Stewart gonna have to play big roles
for him, and you know offensively the tight end Position's
funny that you mentioned that Tanner McLaughlin was like one
of my sleepers. I loved him coming out of Arizona.
He was older player, so he ended up dropping to
the sixth round. I thought he was worth like a
third round pick. But now that I look at I'm
(33:00):
gonna get their roster.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
He's buried because drew sample plays for them.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Drew sample plays. You have fan now Eck who they likes. Sorry,
Eric All the kid who he had been hurt coming
out too. And the other night Tanner Hudson got two touchdowns,
one at the beginning of the game and one at
the end of the game, which that's a lot of
football to be playing Week one in the preseason for
Tanner Hudson, but they obviously like him, so he is
one hundred buried on that depth chart.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Yeah, boy, if I wanted to spin something positive too.
You know who's out there starting for them with Joe
Burrow and the ones and had some nice plays by
all counts rookie guard Dylan Fairchild.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
So that's another rookie man Yl.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Rookies. See, I felt bad because I'm I'm rooting for
the Bengals. I want the Westling brothers to be happy.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
They're rooting on them out there.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
They just I mean, I do think it's interest.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
They're playing their offensive guys here in the preseason after
their slow starts the last few years.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
It's one of these off season narratives that I've been
gotten sick of. Like since January, Zach Taylor has been
talking about we got to start faster, we got to
start faster. We're going to do it, like we'll see
maybe playing and in the preseason can change everything. We're
ready to go, like we don't need to warm up.
These forties and free agents have been flying. We will
be back next week with the AFC South and the
(34:12):
NFC South.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
I know you will miss me Until then.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
Dj I leave us a rating in review.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Why not good job by DJ Leave us a rating,
leave us a review. Tell your friends we'll see you
next time.
Host
Gregg Rosenthal
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