NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Brandon Aiyuk Trade Talk and Camp Takeaways For Every NFC Team
Episode Date: August 6, 2024Gregg Rosenthal tapes a special top of the show to address the news that the 49ers have worked out potential trade terms for Brandon Aiyuk with the Patriots and Browns. Gregg is then joined by Jourdan... Rodrigue of The Athletic to hit camp notes on every NFC team. The show starts with the NFC East (1:12), followed by the NFC North (15:46), the NFC South (29:40) and the NFC West (41:22). Note to 49ers fans: The Aiyuk news at the top rendered your team discussion obsolete, so its no longer included with the rest of the division. Note: time codes approximate. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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This is an I-Heart podcast.
Hey, it's Greg, and it's late on the West Coast,
and we've had some developments in a potential Brandon Ayuk trade
that I just wanted to get into this show.
So I did Camp Takeaways with Jordan Rodrig of every team in the NFC
in the studio earlier this afternoon.
And you're going to hear that.
You're going to hear the nice little intro and all the bells and whistles.
But first, I wanted to get this IUC stuff in.
So this afternoon, Anvil Network's Mike Garifolo and Tom Pellisero said IUC is now more likely to be traded than to sign an extension, which followed like a drumbeat of just increasing rumors over the weekend that this actually could happen, which was interesting.
It wasn't worth taping, you know, an extra part of the show.
But then late on the West Coast, why I'm taping is Matt Miyoko of CSN Sports Bay Area reported that the four.
49ers have negotiated the framework of trades that would send IUC to either the Cleveland Browns or the New England Patriots.
And I'm going to quote Myoko here, quote, now it's up to Ayyuk to determine if he will accept the contract terms from either of those franchise, the source said.
So the 49ers have worked out trade terms with the Browns and Patriots.
it's up to Ayyuk whether he can work out a contract with them.
There's some fascinating details in here.
Number one, Washington removed themselves, according to Miyoko.
The Steelers are effectively out because they won't meet the 49ers trade demands.
Now, like, let's pause there for a second.
Ayuk, let it be known earlier this offseason.
A couple of times, these were the teams he wanted to go to.
He mentioned it on the pivot podcast.
He mentioned Washington first.
Washington was the team that he sent out on an IG story.
He was like in there all 22.
He somehow had their internal system.
I don't even know.
He was watching like old Sam Howell tape.
It was kind of crazy.
So he kind of wanted Washington.
And if not Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh was where this was all rumored to be going.
But according to Miyoko, Pittsburgh's out.
Washington's out.
Let's get back to Miyako.
Let's think about who this is.
Like he is as trusted a beat reporter, I would say,
as there is in the entire NFL.
And if he's going to report this late at night on a Monday after a lot of drama,
it's almost like a team statement, just thinking like that is not coming out there
unless the team wants it out there.
If he's not getting it from the team, and I thought the wording was really key.
Now it's up to IUC.
It's almost like the 49ers making their move, say, okay,
Do you really want to play for one of these teams?
Or do you want to take our latest contract offer?
Do you want to continue driving us crazy instead with this holdout?
Which also might be holding up Trent Williams' contract negotiations,
who happens to be our best player.
And I do wonder if it's the 49ers not wanting this negotiation to get to the last second of camp like it did with Nick Bosa.
a couple years ago, I think it's crazy to trade IUC right now.
Like the time to trade him was before the draft.
The time to get his contract done is now, or any time after the draft, any
IUC trade makes the 49ers team worse, and they are ready to go win a Super Bowl.
Those draft picks you're going to get are the same draft picks you're going to get in
February or March.
If the 49ers can get great picks from the page.
and, you know, the Browns right now, they can get those great picks in March, too, and they're
going to be the same picks. That's why you make trades before the draft. You don't make it right now,
which brings us to another interesting wrinkle of all this. There's a lot of angles here,
that it was reported again by Miyoko that the Browns and the Patriots would both involve
a veteran receiver in the trade to help make it work. So in theory, the way it was positioned in
this article, and if I'm a 49ers fan, this is driving me crazy that they said, well, this would
satisfy the 49ers, and it would satisfy Ayuk with the contract. Now, with the Browns, we can
speculate that it's Amari Cooper. Mary K. Cabot of Cleveland.com reported, look, if they
included Cooper in the trade, that would make the financials work for Cleveland. I mean, depending
what the draft picks are. If I'm a 49ers fan, I can live with that. Cooper's still really good.
He's a little up and down. He's much older. I'm not thrilled. But if it's Cooper and a good pick,
okay. Cooper is like not quite a pro bowl receiver, but close. He's really good. I can live with that.
The Patriots are crazy. You can't tell me Kendrick Bourne and picks is making you better this year
or making you anywhere close.
Kendrick Bourne's coming off a tour in ACL.
He's still on the PUP list.
It's probably Kendrick Bourne.
He was in San Francisco before.
I mean, Kendrick Bourne is a three or a four there.
Joanne Jennings is under contract in sign.
That makes no sense to me.
I don't care what the picks are.
You can get those picks later.
The Browns, that would be a little more interesting.
Now, I do want to get to the financials before we get to the rest of the show
because I thought this was interesting, too.
A lot of news coming out.
Mayoko said that Ayuk is looking for $30 million per year, maybe more.
Mayoko also said there haven't been substantive talks between Ayuk and the 49ers in months.
Like, what are we doing here?
And the 49ers are believed to be a few million dollars short per year of that $30 million.
And this is where I take issue with the 49ers.
You could have paid them.
You could have paid them back in March.
You could have paid him in May.
If you're trying to pay him Devante Smith or Jalen Waddle's contract, he's not those players.
Those two players are two years out of their contracts, and they're probably not as good anyways.
You could have gotten ahead of this, but you didn't.
And now the market's higher, and you've got to deal with that.
He's one year out, and the market's higher.
So pay him.
Like, that's what happened.
He's worth it.
And I can't imagine Kyle Shanahan is happy about this what the front office is doing, because he finally found the perfect
receiver for his system. He's the guy. Ayuk's the guy. He fits perfectly with Purdy,
fits perfectly in the system. They went through ups and downs. They got Ayuk to this point,
and now they're going to trade him. And part of me thinks for them to go public right now,
it's almost calling Ayuk's bluff, putting the ball in his court because they think,
you know, are you really going to want to play with the Patriots,
rebuilding team? To me, that would be a mistake for both sides. Getting Cooper back would
make more sense, but maybe they feel like he doesn't want to play for Cleveland. Maybe not,
but putting it out there makes me wonder about them because the smart thing is to keep Ayyuk
and stop worrying about making your player look bad in the public and using sources to tell
your story. And the truly smart thing was to not let it get to this point, but it's too late for
that. But it's not too late to still make the right move and keep him. And if I was a 49ers fan,
And I hope that this is just some public push to get IUC to actually take a contract, because
trading IUC right now at this point in the off season is insane.
And with that, let's get to the rest of the show.
Welcome to NFL Daily, where we love getting in fights during the dog days of training camp.
We've reached the dog days.
I'm beyond excited today to be joined by Jordan Rodrigue of the athletic
in the Chris Wesleyan podcast studio to go over camp notes from all of the NFC teams.
It's going to be fun.
As I get deeper and deeper into training camp every year,
I lose track of days, times, time zones,
and I just start counting the passage of time based on different development of tan lines.
Okay.
So it's a sad situation.
Greg. It is that week because the preseason starts in earnest later this week. And so I think the
official dog days is now because the teams are sick of playing against each other and we're at like
practice 10, 12, whatever it is. And the joint practices started. We'll start with the giants and
so fights are happening. But that means we're getting closer. We're getting closer to the real stuff.
Yeah, saw those videos today. Yes. Let's start with the giants actually because why waste any time?
If you listened on Monday, you saw that and heard that Nick Shook and I hit all 16
AFC team. So we are going to try to be efficient, Jordan. We like to honk.
Just a couple of big honkers over here.
Okay. Watch out there. And yeah, so we're going to hit all 16 teams. And yeah, I'll start with the
NFC East. And I'll start with the Giants. Yeah, because they had that practice today. And a couple
reporters that were there watching at live said, this is the most intense practice. I've literally
ever seen. Colton Pouncey from the athletic
who's the Lions beatwriter said that. Another one
of the Giants beatwriters said, yeah, this is
the most physical practice I'd seen
in nine years, which, whatever.
That doesn't really matter to me. Giants are getting really
excited. It's like, actually, they look pretty good,
surprisingly, against the Lions. I'm not
that concerned about that, although it doesn't hurt.
But the fact that Daniel Jones
threw eight passes to
Malik neighbors in this practice
and neighbors caught all eight
just backs up everything
we've been hearing from the first
day of training camp, which is that
neighbors is a culture changer
and an offense changer. And they needed
them so bad. Not that they wouldn't want
a quarterback, but it really
does feel like he is going to change who they
are. I'm generally morally opposed
to isolated training camp
clips that everybody freaks out over
and draws vast sweeping conclusions over.
In the case of Malik neighbors, like, keep
them coming. I love them. I think Charlotte
Carol by a colleague at the athletic. She posts one
every single day at least, including one
where she almost got taken out by a football
also. Hope she's doing okay. But he, like I said, at the very beginning, Malik Neighbors is the type of
player who makes you look less wrong about the quarterback. And I think that that's super crucial.
You see him potentially raising Daniel Jones's floor. Yeah. And Daniel Jones showed up on Monday with a
beard and he's been playing a little better. So I just feel like bearded Daniel Jones going to get
things done. I'm more invested in this rookie class than I normally would be because of hard knock.
So their whole idea is, like, let's get four starters out of this class, including Brian Burns.
I think they were counting as one of the starters.
They're not all going to work out.
Right now, it looks like Tyler Nubin, the safety who they took in the second round,
is probably not going to start.
It's going to be Dane Belton.
And yeah, this was according to some of the work at the athletic.
But Drew Phillips, who they drafted to be a slot cornerback.
He actually started one of the, like, eight fights today with Amman-Ross, St. Brown,
and supposedly been playing really well.
and it looks like he's going to start.
And Theo Johnson, the tight end, who is not expected to start,
is right now ahead of Daniel Bellinger, has a lot of athleticism.
So that's another young piece to get excited about.
And Jalen Hyatt, who's right now their third wide receiver ahead of Darius Slayton.
So I'm thinking about fantasy too.
And I feel like this time of year, Slayton, they always bury him and he always ends up rising.
But some of the young players stepping up, Evan Neal not stepping up,
a guy who's been hurt, and it really doesn't look like he's going to get that first round.
or rather that starting job back.
A couple things, Theo Johnson,
keep hearing buzz about him.
I'll see his name sort of pop up
on my social media feed every once in a while,
just beat writers on the ground there in New Jersey
just kind of buzzing about him
and what he can do.
It sounds like the Giants brought the fight today,
which was framed as a positive thing,
as a good thing in terms of, you know,
they're not kind of going to just keel over,
they're not going to go quietly,
they're going to try to make the most defensively,
at least what they believe they're capable of.
I think this could be a sneaky good defense.
I don't know as much about the offense here,
but I think it could be a sneaky good defense.
Yeah, and they said the offense had a solid day.
I don't know about Joe Shane.
We watched him on hard knocks for five weeks,
getting in the middle of one of these fights, supposedly.
He's building up his cred.
Go and all Jeff Van Gundy.
That's what I imagined was Jeff Van Gundy holding on to,
I don't even remember who that was.
I need to know if he kept his Dunkin' Donuts cup in his hand.
Right.
He sprinted into the rocket.
Daniel Jones also supposedly was like,
first in on like the first fight of the day.
And it's like, his teammates respect that, but I don't know if you want to do.
All right, let's go on to the Eagles.
Mackay Beckton, I've noticed, getting a chance with the first team.
There's been some injuries there, but both him and Tyler Steen were back in the lineup on Monday
and Bechton getting a chance.
That's interesting.
Their number three receiver battle is up for grabs.
Johnny Wilson.
Paris Camel's been hurt.
Yeah, Johnny Wilson out there.
Yeah, there's been, again, there's been some buzz on Johnny Wilson.
And he's quote unquote, according to my colleague Brooks Kubana is making a case that he could really be the number three, six round pick.
And apparently he's popping in camp and also getting a lot of opportunities.
And then, you know, you hear the people who are supposed to shine are shining.
Devante Smith apparently having the best camp of any player on the field.
Yeah, we had Bo Wolf on last week.
So we don't need to go too deep.
He was fantastic talking Eagles.
But one thing I don't think we hit with Bo was Nicoby Dean just may not happen.
you know, it just might not work out for him. He had injuries. People thought that
was such a great pick by the Eagles. I did two in the third round. And right now he's
behind Zach Bonn and just hasn't made plays. He's been able to be healthy, but it doesn't
seem like he's a Vic Fangio guy. And it's interesting, Quinnian Mitchell, if he ends up being
their week one starting slot cornerback, which it really looks like he's going to be,
he actually would be like the highest drafted player to be a primary slot to ever play as a rookie.
Like you just don't normally see rookie corners start.
And I don't think that was their plan initially.
But he's apparently looked good there and they liked their outside corners with Kili Ringo and Isaiah.
I think that's a good problem to have.
I would not freak out.
The most popular, I wouldn't say best, but the most popular offenses in the league right now are really trying to capitalize on the middle of the field,
particularly extrapolating those matchups in the middle of the field,
having a really, really good slot player who can tackle, who is physical,
who has good ball skills, that is absolutely crucial.
I guess I'm not as surprised about this in Vic Fangio's system.
He doesn't always play young players,
but if he really likes a guy, he's hitting full send.
Okay, so he'll find a place for him.
But it also says to me that Ringo and Isaiah Rogers,
who was suspended all of last year,
but actually had a pretty good rookie year with the Colts that they like them.
Also, I'm watching in training.
camp, or preseason, rather, the Tanner McKee, Kenny Pickett battle.
I don't know why.
Hell yeah.
I like a little Tanner McKee.
Supposedly he's looked better in practice.
All right, let's go to Washington.
This was a tougher team for me to know what to talk about, but man, Dan Quinn is really
hitting the Jaden Daniels is amazing hard.
Maybe he's just one of those coaches, but saying he's remarkable and his processing is just
way ahead of schedule.
So all systems go for Jaden Daniels.
I just worry about what's around them.
The two tackle spots are open.
They already looked like it was a problem to me on paper,
and they've been injured in camp,
and then wide receiver three, tight end.
I don't know.
It's kind of okay if you come into training camp,
like the earliest days, like report days of training camp,
without a knowledge of who a player will be
or two players even at a crucial position.
But you've got to know by now.
When joint practices get started,
when you're really deciding how much time,
Jayden Daniels is going to play in the preseason,
which is what is being discussed right now.
It sounds like he will play in the preseason.
I will say keeping him healthy is absolutely crucial.
Ben Standig, we're talking about beat writers here.
He does a great job.
He is very neutral.
Like he's not one for razzle-dazzle or anything like that.
He says there is at least one moment in every single practice
where Jaden Daniels puts the razzle-dazzle on and reminds the team why they picked him.
The razzle-dazzle.
I like that, the combination of that with the,
processing is great. But again, yeah, wide receiver three
about as thin to me as any group in the league. And then I saw
an article that was headline, Zach Ertz is
Washington's best red zone option. I'm just thinking
that's not a good sign. No, no slight to Zach Urge.
I think about, I mean, it's just people get old. Like, you know.
Right. It's happened. He's been hurt. And maybe he's having a good camp. But that says to me
more about the rest of the team. Nikki Havababala
of the Washington Post had a stab that of the 33 players drafted from 2020 to 2023 in the last regime,
only six are guaranteed to make the team.
Yeah.
So I think it's just a bigger rebuild than people really.
They turned over like 40 players over the last calendar year from the last regime.
It's rough.
If you look at their last two draft classes, there are, you know, 22 and 23.
It's just not a lot of difference makers.
Let's wrap the NFC East with the Eagles.
I mean, with the Cowboys.
rather, been a couple of things here.
Let's start with Trey Lans.
We haven't talked about Trey Lans.
I listened to this podcast with Brian Brodus and Bobby Belt, I believe.
It was great who works at NFL Network, and they're all focused on Trey Lans.
And I kind of forgot like, oh, that's a huge story in Dallas.
It's not a huge story nationally because I think for some of us, the book is written a little bit on Trey Lans.
But the hope there is that they find maybe a future quarterback because Dack Prescott may not be there next year.
And just the reports have been rough that he is just is not ready to be their backup,
much less a future quarter.
But it's just been a tough transition.
I think to your point, I think we're all focusing on the DAC situation,
which is still unresolved or maybe is resolved.
It's just we, because it doesn't have a finality to it, like we're thinking it's unresolved.
If it was resolved, that means he's playing out the year.
Yeah, if it was, as of now, it looks like he's, I mean, he looks like he's going to play.
out the year and then either go elsewhere, which he talked openly about a couple weeks ago.
The quarterbacks he's watched over the last couple of years in history who have done that
or they pay them. And there's very few options here, but that's what we're focused on, obviously.
So it's probably why the Tray Lance stuff kind of goes under the radar, but the beat people
on the ground are definitely looking at what comes next because I think they see the realities of the
situation ahead. And it just sounds like it's not pretty, which is a bummer. And yeah,
The DAC spoke again over the weekend, and I think the vibe is, if you're Dak Prescott,
why sign this contract now?
Even if they're offering him, the highest paid contract in NFL history in certain ways
or in all ways, he can just think, I've already made so much money, I will get more money
from the Cowboys, or definitely if I'm on the open market, next off season, if I just play
this thing out and you're taking a little bit of a risk, but I think it's going that route.
I'm fascinated by it because I wanted to see Kirk Cousins hit the open market and really reset things.
And maybe he wasn't the right guy for it in the end because of his injury.
But Dak Prescott's the right guy.
He's going to draw the same type of buzz and hype and maybe even more than Kirk Cousins always did from a particular set of coaches.
And I think that this is super, super interesting because, and I honestly, like, I get it.
If that's really where he's coming from and we're not going to put words in anyone's mouth.
But if that's where he's coming from, you don't even know if your head,
coach is going to be there next year. You don't know if
XYZ players are going to be there.
Your top receiver is
still in a holdout right now. You don't know
the direction of this organization right
now. So why not hold more cards
for yourself and protect yourself
in that way? This is a deeper DAC talk
than I expected, but that's why it's fun having you
here because I do want to get to other stuff with the Cowboys.
But the DAC thing's interesting
because I thought I really wanted
Lamar to do this more than anyone that if he got
in the open market, he could
really reset how much quarter
quarterbacks are actually worth, because if Dak gets out there, like, he could get 65 a year.
He could, he could blow it up. And when I heard Dak say over the weekend that he's thinking about
all the players in the league and wanting to push the envelope for them, but he's not talking about
his teammates, he's talking about, like, let's just push the pay structure to a new level.
I thought, oh, man, he is not signing right now, which is fascinating to me. There's been a lot of
stories, though, in this camp. And the podcast I mentioned, by the way, is called Love of the Star.
I want to give them credit because I'm really getting a lot of this from them.
I've read stuff, but they think for the most part,
maybe the best wide receiver in camps have been Jalen Tolbert.
So that's nice.
A guy who's, you know, when Brandon Cooks is the two,
but getting older and Tolbert's younger,
sounds like he's settling into a role when C.D. Lamb comes back.
The biggest takeaway I had is that Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe,
which after the draft people are like,
ooh, they're going to have two rookie starters.
Cooper Beebe is like a plug-in-play center.
Bebe is struggling.
he's not going to be the starter.
It's this guy was an undrafted free agent
that the line coach like Solari
Hanfman is going to be their center.
And Tyler Guyton might not be their
week one starter either.
It might be a dogo.
Again, it might be something where
just they're not comfortable playing rookie.
So it's one of those things you look on draft day.
It's like, oh, they'll have this youth movement,
and then you get to camp and it's not quite like that.
If I'm recalling correctly, and I might not be,
and I know you'll correct me if I'm not.
But Guyton was supposed to always take some time, wasn't he?
Yes.
He was supposed to be raw.
He was like the guy at the end of the first round that was kind of pushed up to the end of the first round that was really talented.
But like six tackles had already gone by then.
One thing that you have always done and you guys on the previous show around the NFL always did that I think is so awesome and really brought so much joy around the league to us beat riders on the ground in the trenches is that you always cited us.
And so that's pretty freaking cool that that's still ringing true.
Yeah, let's keep doing that.
And I didn't need to cite anyone to know Mazi Smith is struggling because the coaches have talked about it.
And, man, I look at that draft they had last year where I think they really reached for some need picks, him and Schoonmaker.
Neither one's really working out.
And they just have a lot of positions that are up for grabs.
I think they're starting running back might not be on their roster right now.
And they might have some defensive tackles out there on different teams or our free agents.
that end up playing big snap.
So there's a lot going on with this team.
I think they have a lot to fix in the coming weeks.
Let's take our first break now.
And so that they're not just like crammed together at the end of this show.
And we'll be back right after that break.
Oh, yeah.
What's up, everybody?
Daniel Jeremiah here.
And I'm Bucky Brum.
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Oh, yeah.
We're back here, hitting camp takeaways for all the NFC teams.
You're going to kick us off with the Bears, Jordan.
Yeah, we're going to go to the NFC North.
The Bears, DJ Moore, four years, $110 million extension.
Do you know what I love the most about this?
Greg, I'm going to tell you without you answering.
Okay.
What I love the most about this is that they are quite literally aligning the careers of
DJ Moore and Roma Dunzee.
Like they are literally pairing them four years on the rookie deal.
Obviously, if he plays well, he gets extended before that.
But this is their tandem.
And I know Keenan Alans there, I love that.
I love that fit and I love his leadership.
But in terms of like, they're showing you exactly who their dudes are and who Caleb
Williams guys are going to be for the next four seasons at least.
That is such a.
I wouldn't say underrated, but it's just so valuable to have some idea of who's going to be on your team in 26 and 27.
You compare that to other sports, the NFL has so much turnover.
When you can find your guys at those positions, it's so valuable.
I do wonder if we're going to see Caleb Williams this week in the preseason.
They wanted to play them quite a bit, but right now they're short three offensive line starters.
So Tevin Jenkins is out.
Darnell Wright is out.
Nate Davis is out.
And if they're not producing on offense,
and right now, just according to the practice reports,
the offense is, you know, losing for the most part
against this bear's defense.
And they're worried about keeping him upright.
We might not see Caleb Williams this week.
And, you know, it is a little concerning.
Obviously, this offensive line on paper is not great to begin with.
But none of these injuries seem overly serious.
Yeah, I think week to week is kind of what you're looking at with some of these guys.
You know, there's been a lot of conversation about the offense
versus the defense. Again, this is the extrapolated
clips time of year. And
Caleb Williams, you see some good days.
Sometimes you see some bad days.
I wanted to ask someone who's seen
all the days, who's been at every single
practice this year. So I asked my good friend, Kevin
Fishbane, covers the bears
for the athletic. I promise I read
every beat writer in the league. It's just, we've
opened with a lot of athletic people.
Kevin is, I wouldn't call him athletic,
but he does work for the athletic.
Well, you have a free subscription.
So he's, I asked him really genuinely
what are your thoughts on Caleb?
So I'm just going to read the text that he sent me back.
He said the offense has struggled to get in a rhythm or be a smooth operation,
but that's not all on Caleb.
He cited the offensive linemen being out, the three of them being out.
So only two starters on that line are healthy right now.
He's still working through a new scheme dealing with cadences against a veteran defense
that does know the calls.
That said, he has looked the part.
The off-schedule throws, the arm angles, the accuracy are eye-popping,
and he wants to throw.
He can run, but he's trying to stay in the pocket and,
let his receivers do the work.
Yeah, and they're on year three of their defense, by the way, too.
Yeah, defense's going to be frisky.
It's not a fair fight.
They need another edge rusher.
Austin Booker, a fifth round rookie.
Been getting some notice.
Made a couple of plays just in terms of pushing the pocket in the Hall of Fame game.
So that's a name to watch.
They're also missing, though they're not expect to be serious, but they have been missing
at various points.
And recently we're missing Montez Sweat, Andrew Billings,
cornerbacks, Kyler Gordon, Tyreek Stevenson, and safety,
Jaquan Brisker. And so Jalen Johnson said he's not super worried about that. But just something to
keep an eye on injuries kind of sneaky taking over some parts of these practices, I think.
All right. Let's do the other side of that giant's lions. Let's go right into the lions.
Yeah, because I was going to bring up the joint practices too. Again, Colton Pouncey was saying he's
never seen as physical of a practice. They did take some some contact. It looked like Kevin
Ziegler, the guard. He had to leave practice with a shoulder injury. And then
And Terry on Arnold took a nasty hit from a left tackle, Giants left.
That one you could see.
That is one of the clips that was out there is Andrew Thomas on the edge just crushing Arnold.
Who was not knocked down, surprisingly.
Yeah, he stood in there, but he now is being evaluated.
This is the downside of these joint practices is the fights and you don't want to have injuries.
Yeah, absolutely.
It sounds like Brian Branch might come back to full practice soon.
He was in individuals.
He was doing a little bit of pads work, had some team operational.
opportunities. He is so much fun to watch. Sounds like he's going to be at safety instead of
kind of moving around all over the place. Ennis Rake Straw, the rookie cornerback,
getting his hands on the ball, apparently, according to reports on the ground there at those
practices. So that's, they're just so deep there. James and Williams started the team session,
the red zone session with like a wide open 20 yard touchdown. And yeah, your colleague,
Colton Pouncey, I listen to his podcast too, which is just transatlantic.
for you and check out his new one.
And he talked about how the class of 21,
which, of course, had Penae Soule there,
and Amon Rossi and Brown, super duper stars,
are really developing.
And three defenders, Levi Onu Zerike,
who just hasn't been able to stay healthy.
And then Derek Barnes,
and then Melafonu,
who came on at safety at the end of last year.
And to me, that just shows what a great coaching staff can do
because these are guys they stuck with.
And they're not going to be.
be superstars or anything, but it really sounds like Onu Zerike is, and they could really use
another interior presence, is ready to have his best season. And the other two guys are ready to have
their best seasons. Barnes is now Derek Barnes at Strongside linebacker and Jack Campbell's going to be
in the middle and looks apparently a little more ready for a bigger role this year. And Malifano was
great last year. So that's just what good coaching staffs can do that like, yeah, it's not just about
first year, second year. Sometimes your guys in your fourth year can take.
take a jump. And if they do, this may be my NFC title pick. Not that that's on a limb
or anything, but I like them. Before I jump to the Packers, sounds like they did, for fantasy
football people, sounds like they did find their wide receiver three, Doris Fountain, former
practice squad member, might be making a little bit of a case for himself. Let's, let's hit the Packers.
Go to the Packers. Please. Did I do that? Okay. This is my first time throwing, you know,
that's your job. That's your job. That's your job. But I'm throwing to the next.
section here. Let's go.
Okay, Romeo Dobbs, the buzz
going against Jair Alexander.
There's a lot of people, his teammates,
former teammates as well, who are kind of shouting him
out as one of the top receivers in the league
are ready for kind of that breakout
season. I'm curious, I know you've been kind of tracking
that a little bit. I'm curious about your thoughts on him. Yeah,
he always is great because he makes
in camp, because he's the best
at making those red zone
just wild catches, but
he's proven he can do it. I was
a little worried because that family night,
we'll get to that more in a bit
you know someone charted
the snaps of with Jordan Love
and my guy Dantavian Wicks who to me
might be the most well-rounded
of the four receivers so Jane
Reed's in the slot you have Christian Watson you have
Dobbs they're all different flavors
but Wicks had the fewest amount of snaps
it's a good problem to have for the
Packers it's great for fantasy
people less so
I was a little down on that but they're all
I mean yeah at the end of last year
Dobbs was kind of their most trusted guy
Yeah, outstanding connection with him and Jordan Love.
It just seems like it just never slowed down.
It just picked up right where I left off.
Rookie first round picked Jordan Morgan.
He played left tackle at Arizona in college.
He's going to play right guard, and he's been getting reps with the ones.
They've had some injuries as well.
But he basically, he told reporters the other day, he just wants to get on the field.
He'll play wherever.
Right.
This is a very Packers thing.
They always have position flexible guys and change positions year to year.
Elton Jenkins, who's been a pro bowler, is always in a different spot.
Another one of their rookies.
See, Evan Williams, there's safety.
Getting a lot of pop.
Aaron Nagler, she said TV has said that this guy's just a player.
And they drafted two safeties, you know, with pretty valuable picks.
Him and Javan Buller and kind of seeing which one works out.
I think Rashon Gary is going to have a monster year because, again, it's the second year after the ACL injury.
So he's someone to watch.
They would love Lucas Van Ness, who was pretty quiet as a rookie to step up a little.
Okay, explain something to me, actually.
I would love, well, you of all people, please explain this to me.
So, Zach Tom's going to come back to practice.
Sounds like he's been working in a couple of individuals.
He had a torn peck for it from lifting weights.
So just let me hang on.
They're right tackle.
Hang in there.
Tucker Kraft, he may return either this week or next week.
Torn pectoral from lifting weights.
Yeah.
Matt LaFleurre, born pectoral from lifting weights.
So, Greg, I know as an avid bodybuilder yourself.
yes what is what are they lifting how heavy are they lifting over there i mean can we get like a ballpark
the form the form must be bad yeah i'm not too much into the you know the lifting that would that would shock
you i don't want to say what i'm really thinking which is just like these are types of injuries that
didn't occur back in like the 60s and 70 i'm just saying i don't know okay boomer it's not about
that it's just like what else is going on there do you think they're all in like a competition
together like bro who can bench the most reps like something something something
to that effect. I do want to shout out. There was a, to me, the coolest moment of training camp
happened at Packers Camp. They had like friends and family night and they had people in the stands.
And it was really cool. We get to go to Lambo Field and kind of get excited about the season.
There was a kid who was catching punts, was fielding NFL punts. And he fielded two punts,
held on to the ball, both of those, both of the footballs and then caught a third. And the team just
lost. I think we've got to, this is my first time throwing to a video, guys. So let's hope I get it.
We got a video from the Packers YouTube channel.
There we go.
Got that one.
These young fellows are...
They're coming on.
Coming on strong.
That's good coaching, Rock.
Right there.
They're getting good coaching.
Kids about 10 years old.
Oh, with the hands.
Now this is the best.
His face.
He got it.
Nailed it.
I love it.
You've got to be kidding me.
Everyone comes over.
This kid will never.
forget this moment.
Trust me, no matter what he does,
the rest of his sports life.
I just love that.
I just think that's so, that's training camp in a nutshell.
That was incredible, though, because most NFL players could not do that,
and you got like a 10-year-old kid.
I thought it, like, got them a practice off or something like that.
The Rams are going to sign them.
They had the worst special teams unit in the league last year.
Okay, Minnesota.
Yeah.
I wonder what you made of Kevin O'Connell's coming up to the podium or the lectern
or whatever the right word for that is.
And kind of, he was a little salty, adamant for sure
when he was asked at the beginning of camp
about the plan for the quarterbacks and all of that.
And he like hammered down into we're doing it this way.
I'm not going to put J.J. McCarthy into anything he's not ready for beforehand.
But it sounds like J.J. McCarthy's workload is ramping up a little bit.
Yeah, a little bit of first team reps.
And they sort of did it on a Saturday with like three reps.
It was almost like a series.
It was almost like a bad new, like a Friday news dropper, like that they just like didn't want anyone to notice.
So we'll see.
All, all reports are that for the most part, he's looked really sharp, good in red zone, like better at Sam Darnel at certain things and worse at others.
So yeah, I listen to Purple Daily is a good Vikings podcast and they've been on this.
And one thing they pointed out, Judd's all got there, was that Darnell looks great throwing the ball deep.
It just looks so pretty.
But this is an intermediate offense.
Like, that's where Justin Jefferson has won over and over.
And that is not Sam Darnold's strength.
And that's not where he's been accurate necessarily as a pro.
So that might be an issue.
But.
Yes.
Has he always had Johnny Munt with him?
No.
A little bit tug-in-cheek there.
But Johnny Munt apparently is catching everything in camp.
He hasn't dropped a pass yet.
And he's also gotten the most targets.
according to the beat riders there.
So that's significant to me.
My good friend, Stu Jackson and I,
we have a, he works over at the Rams.
We have a saying, because we covered him,
you cannot stop Johnny Munt.
You may only hope to contain him.
Yes. T.J. Hawkinson coming off of a torn ACL at tight end.
So yeah, I don't think Munt's going to be the centerpiece of their offense,
but it points out that that is a big place in their often.
Jalen Naylor, it seems like if he's healthy,
he's going to be their wide receiver three.
So we do learn about these position battles.
And that's good.
always been a talented young player who just hasn't been able to stay healthy. Your guy,
Brandon Powell, is probably more their fourth. And then they're so thin at cornerback. I think
it's going to be a major problem for this team. They signed Fabian Moreau, and he immediately just
started taking starter rep. So that's not a great sign. And here's a repeat from around the NFC last
year when we did this show. I was mentioning how Quessie, you know, has done a great job, but his first
two draft picks he ever had were struggling to get out in the field.
Lewis Seine and Andrew Booth.
And now here we are a year later.
They're still on the team,
but Seen is probably not going to be on the team after camp.
And Andrew Booth might not be either.
So, like, even the good GMs,
those, it looks like two big swings and misses it.
It sounds like they're kind of going to rely pretty heavily on scheme
with this defense and Brian Flores and safety play.
And Brian Flores manufacturing pressure up front to kind of help those
cornerbacks out to terrorize quarterbacks on the other side.
They have, like, four safety players.
that they love and they play Josh Mattelis and Theo Jackson's been playing well in camp.
So there's your Vikings update. Let's do the NFC Southnecks and I'll kick it off with a team
that's near and dear to your heart. I don't need to give away your business, but you're having
a nice conversation with Ron Rivera today. It was great to see Ron. Great to see Ron.
Ron now working at the NFL network. What was he here for? GMFB? I don't know, but he was here.
Yeah, you and Ron Rivera. You guys are tight. This Panthers team, you're just looking for positivity, but they have had some injuries. Xavier Leggett was their first round pick. Was not necessarily in line to be their third receiver. They were hoping that he really changes their wide receiver room. And supposedly the Patriots were going to take him, but they took him before the Patriots could. Has a foot injury, but wasn't impressing the people on the ground there. Your old colleague.
league, Joseph Person, Mike Kay is also at the Charlotte Observer there.
And they both had kind of, I wouldn't say negative, but just saying like it was taking
a while for him to get going. But Jonathan Mingo, who I like come out in the draft, they're saying
maybe he's a little more ready to have a big role. So it might be Mingo starting and
maybe Terrace Marshall is the third. Yeah, it'll be interesting. It sounds like Dave
Canales is going to utilize tight ends. Like we've said for a lot of different teams,
it sounds like he's going to lean on those guys a little bit more. I just want good things
for the papers, for the fans.
Like, I just want good things for them.
I mean, my God, like, can we just, can we move the ball down the field, please?
There's a lot of Bryce.
There's a lot of Bryce Deontay Johnson, like, no matter what the source is,
whether it's their team website or anyone writing, it's like,
another good day for Bryce and Deontay Johnson.
So I think that's going to end up being a great, great trade for them.
Hope springs eternal.
Okay, but on the other side of the ball, kind of sneaky, older,
in a couple of really important positions, particularly in that defensive scheme.
under Igero Evaro.
Jadavian Clowny, who I have loved as a player for a long time,
it's really fun when he puts it together.
And he still has definitely plenty of explosiveness and power.
He's slot in.
They released their Darren Gand at the team website.
They released their first depth chart.
And I know we're not going to read too much.
And I like the sort of the team released depth charts this time of year.
But he's on the edge.
And then Troy Hill is starting in the slot for them.
And again, those are two absolutely crucial positions.
You cannot get hurt there.
they are kind of concerning on that side of the ball
and their offense. We just don't know if their offense is going to actually
help that defense out. They don't have any other edges. That's the thing is.
Clowny, as long as he plays like he did the last couple of years and stays healthy,
that's great. But after that, it's pretty thin. I got to say.
Tight end, they might start, Tatavian Sanders, week one,
just because Ian Thomas, their regular starter might be out all the way.
Until then, backfield, maybe it's Miles Sanders, maybe not.
out for a couple weeks with a quad injury,
which I hope. Let's get healthy soon,
Andy Dalton. All right, let's go to the Saints. I was
down there in
Irvine for NFL Network
on Friday, and
that was fun. Tyrone Matthew,
great interview. I love
what he said about
some criticism that
he heard from C.J. Gardner
Johnson. I mean, the numbers speak for themselves.
You know what I mean? I'm like one or two
in like interception since 2013.
You know what I mean?
I've been an all-decade, all-pro player.
So, I mean, when guys like that chirp, it doesn't really bother me.
But every now and then, you know, I've got to take that low road and kind of remind them, you know, who I am.
Does it give you a little extra juice?
You play them week two.
You're playing the Eagles.
You got that circle now?
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I mean, listen, man, he used to play for the Saints.
And, you know, obviously, you know, I played against the Eagles a bunch.
Man, that's a great team.
I think Nick is going to do a great job getting those guys ready.
But, you know, we're going to be ready to roll.
I love that from Honey Badger.
And you do get this attitude from this.
defense that they believe that they're going to be good enough to carry this team. And they've won
a lot of the days at training camp, but supposedly Derek Carr and the offense getting it going
a little better. To me, Chase Young looking really healthy and strong coming off neck surgery is probably
the biggest single development down there at their camp. The, what was it? The Cubiacs. What did we
what was the group? Cubei. Well, no, it was a kettle, a kettle of Cubiacs. Anyway, I'm expecting
a lot more play action. That's going to
help everybody out on offense. That will particularly, in my opinion, help Derek Carr out in terms
of some of the efficiency and just sustaining through the course of a season. I agree with you,
though. This defense has perennially been pretty fun to watch, even if you haven't really,
other parts of the team haven't really popped or they haven't really been in the topical
conversation of like really exciting teams to watch. This defense is always fun. And so I do think that
maybe it sounds like from that interview, great interview with Tyron Matthew, a little bit of pop,
a little bit of chippiness on the shoulder.
We're on chip alert.
Yeah.
You never know what to put into it whenever you leave a team.
And you're like, oh, yeah, of course they're all going to be great.
They believe they're going to be great.
I was impressed by Willie Gay, their linebacker who, who I also, you know, had a chance
to interview with Bridget Condon, that he managed to stay totally calm while a gigantic
beetle, the size of like a small rat landed on the back of his head.
And it was right next to me
And I'm not going to touch that man's head
And I was a little
You know, I didn't want to
I was pretty calm, yeah
And thankfully
Their PR head
You know, knocked it off what he said
But that was impressive
This team is just so thin
Behind their top skill guys
Like Rashid Jihad is out of practice right now
And their second wide receiver is
Who?
I mean, you don't know
It's like E.T. Perry
Or this undrafted kid Mason
Tipton, or who knows, and behind Alvin Camara at Running Back, they like the second year
player Jordan Mims, but Jamal Williams is still there. It's pretty thin. You got a backup
quarterback battle with Jake Hainer and Spencer Rattler. That's kind of fun, but they are as banged up
right now as any team in the league. I counted nine starters that were out of, nine starters or like
top rotation guys that were out of practice on Monday, which is just, that's an outrageous
this number, including to Mario Davis and Marshawn Lattimore, so you just want to get healthy.
I said this a few weeks ago, I think to you, over the next few years, keep an eye on Spencer
Rattler in terms of that development in terms of that skill level ascension, making things a little
bit interesting there at quarterback, I think. Yeah. Oh, yeah. If they struggle as a team,
fans will be calling for him. But he's got to play well in the preseason to win that backup
job supposedly, reportedly, Jay Kainer, who was their choice last year in the middle rounds,
is playing better and it is a battle.
Let's move on to the Bucks.
I thought it was interesting.
Levanti David said this is the best culture we've ever had in Tampa.
I was like, whoa, Levanti David's been there for a long time
with some good teams that won the Super Bowl.
This is the best culture right now that they've ever had.
Todd Bowles.
Todd Bulls.
Todd Bulls, perennially chill dude.
Like, dials up some of the nastiest you know what you've ever seen,
but just stays very calm,
even keel loved some of his press conferences this last year.
I think they kind of flew under the radar.
Some of the dry humor kind of flew under the radar.
But I think he's also talking about vibes collectively in the building.
And, you know, I know Liam Cohen got a lot of criticism for that 2022 and then sort of
that demotion back down into college, you know, at Kentucky and then sort of moving
laterally into another OC job.
Liam Cohen and Baker Mayfield together kind of like in all vibes situation.
Okay. To be frank.
And I was thinking like, okay, who's there and who's not there?
Like Devin White's not there?
Carlton Davis isn't there.
Just, I thought that was interesting.
And I just think people are kind of sleeping on this buck squad.
I think they're the favorites in the NFC South.
But they are thin at outside linebacker.
We talked about, Yaya Diabi has a high ankle sprain.
Randy Gregory, I don't think is showing up.
I heard a little whisper.
Was that from you?
That there was a team out there that I think is hoping to sign Randy
Gregory, because they think this whole thing
with the Bucks is just not going to happen.
That was not me.
Okay. I'm not going to say what team, but yeah, so
keep an eye on that. They've had some injuries
in the secondary. Zion McCollum
is their second cornerback.
It's asking a lot. Tavia or Thomas is their third.
But a quiet and
somewhat healthy training camp for the Bucks, it's good
to be quiet. Let's go to the Falcons.
They've been noisier,
I would say.
We've talked a lot about Kirk Cousins.
One thing that occurred to me,
in this camp is like, you haven't been hearing,
and I try to dig a little bit on this,
that like Michael Pennix is pushing him.
I don't think Michael Pennix is having the rookie training camp
that's so far that's going to make everyone think,
okay, this guy is close to being ready
when Kirk Cousins is looking as good as he is.
With that said,
I do expect Taylor Heineckee to get traded
maybe at the end of training camp
for like a conditional sixth or seven
to some team that could use him as a backup.
And, you know, this is not to downgrade anything that Kirk Cousins is doing.
It sounds like he's leading.
It sounds like he's looking good, looking healthy.
But backup quarterbacks don't get a lot of reps at training camp.
You are literally installing a new offense.
So Kirk Cousins is going to get the lion's share, obviously, of those reps.
And even with the twos, you're just not allocating that amount of time that you would be in a system that has already been there for a couple of years.
Players know the language.
The rep allocation is just significantly different.
And so what I think is interesting is you are seeing some of Kirk Cousins' preferred players start to emerge a little bit.
Ray Ray McLeod is going to be their slot receiver, according to reporters on the ground down there.
And it's sort of being framed as a surprise.
And it's just interesting, like they're kind of starting to take shape in terms of a diverse passing game.
We hope that we see the ball get thrown around a lot more.
I know that fantasy football players definitely hope.
And then the other thing I thought was interesting coming out of Falcons camp is, you know,
Bijan is extraordinary, right?
So talented.
But there were some notes on some of the ball security issues.
You had four fumbles last year.
Apparently, that's been a huge emphasis for him and then also for everybody around him
in collectively keeping that front of mind through these practices.
Yeah, that's fascinating because, look, if your third receiver is Ray Ray Ray McLeod,
no slight to him, but I just think a lot of balls are going to,
Drake London and Pitts.
Who's learning two jobs.
You talked about it on the show.
Yeah, inside outside.
Although he's always been that.
So that to me isn't too different.
Like he's always basically been a slot receiver.
Their website said Brayland Trice has been the quickest rookie to make an impact over the last
a couple of weeks, maybe getting more snaps than Evacetti.
They need to find a pass rush.
That would really help.
And then, yeah, the Falcons defense might lead the league in guys that you've just
never heard of that might be starting.
James Smith Williams at linebacker.
Nate Landman in the mix.
Right now it's probably Mike Hughes over Clark Phillips at cornerback.
So just a lot of open spots there.
Rahim Morris will be tested and we're going to be tested with one last division.
It's Jordan Roderig's division.
She talks about the Rams too much now.
Yes, I do. I've heard the feedback.
And we'll talk about the Rams and the rest of the NFC West after one last break.
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Parading through the streets on the 4th of July.
That's what this sounds like to me.
Love this country.
Go Simone Biles.
I don't know.
Let's start with the Seahawks in the NFC West, Jordan.
I actually have to have a really serious conversation with you about this.
What was your darkest day of the great Gino scare?
No.
I think it was just the text.
I now don't remember who sent it to me that, yeah,
where you only see like the first part of the text.
And it was like, yeah, Gino's out of practice tests coming.
And then it was like, what else?
What else does it say?
you just blacked out he's back he's back at practice i'm just excited for this season for him for them
but i am worried about the offensive line and this was what the gino stands were saying last year
that's like i promise he's playing pretty well but he's under the most pressure rate in the league
and i don't know if that's going to change abel lucas sounds like his injuries he's their right
tackle are serious enough who knows when he's going to be back if he's going to be the same when he's
back. The interior is a question mark. There was a mention on the radio in Miami on Monday that
Connor Williams, who is a really good center for the Dolphins, but is coming off a torn ACL,
might be signing with the Seahawks in the next two to three days. So that would make me feel better.
Yeah, good center. A lot of experience. Kind of sounds like he's on the circuit a little bit,
negotiating a little bit with Miami, but then also talking with some other people around the
league. He's been on a couple visits, had some conversation. So I think that would be a good
Pick up on my top 101 list.
That was good.
Maybe too high.
Where?
Like the mid-60s, I think.
Kind of high because he's been like a rock solid plus starting center.
Why are you laughing?
Because I just, I really just like, just sort of.
Who's going to even check to see if I'm, poking the needle just a little bit?
I love listening to your colleague.
Michael Sean Dugar.
Yes.
Michael Sean Dugar talking on his podcast about just the wide receiver cornerback
matchups.
Like that has to be the best wide receiver cornerback matchups in the entire league.
And I thought it's been interesting to hear Mike McDonald, their coach, say,
Tariq Wollin this year is on a mission after a pretty down second year.
And they're just, they love the versatility of those three guys.
And Trey Brown is the third, who's an underrated for a third cornerback is really good.
And they're matching up with that wide receiver trio.
Like, that's as good as it gets probably in practice every day around the league.
You know what's so much fun to think about.
I mean, they're moving Tariq Wollin and Devin Witherspoon.
They're moving them around.
Left, right, Witherspoon.
And Spoon is also playing in the slot a little bit.
And on the other side, I mean, they're making the receivers better.
And the receivers are kind of getting their licks, too.
I mean, Jake Bobo, there's a whole hashtag more Bobo.
But, you know, apparently he's becoming, like, developing into a little bit of a cult favorite up
there in the Pacific Northwest.
But it's going to be, it's only going to make everyone better.
And I am expecting a really aggressive, very versatile, very technically sound defensive unit
from Mike McDonald's staff.
Byron Murphy, reportedly, once the pads came on,
their first round picket defensive tackle,
making a lot of noise,
creating a lot of pressure guy.
Your Rams might have wanted to take.
Should we do the Rams now?
Take a long look at him.
Okay, so with the Rams,
they're missing three starting offensive linemen
who are all week-to-week, left tackle.
Alarick Jackson started played well for them last year as well.
He's got an ankle injury, right tackle.
Rob Havenstein, week-to-week,
he's got an ankle injury.
and then left guard Jonah Jackson,
he's dealing with a shoulder injury.
He's weak to weak.
And these are all fickle injuries, you know, ankles on a big guy.
Like that's going to be a little bit of a fickle recovery.
I am, I mean, watching, yes, the Chargers defense is super impressive
between scheme and some of those younger players coming along a little bit
and then combining a really versatile pass rush.
But the Chargers just beat the brakes off the Rams
in terms of some of that scheme up front.
They had a joint practice together on Sunday you were at.
Yeah. I mean, it was, it was significant. And so I'm worried about young Warren McClendid's second-year right tackle. All eyes are on him right now to see if he can take that next step forward because the Rams also have to think about the long-term future after Rob Havenstein. And the most significant news that came out of that practice was Puka Nakua is also week to week with an ankle injury. I was told sources, you know, I was told that this is not considered that serious. I was told that the team is not.
you know, feeling panicked about this, but they're going to err on the side of caution.
Again, they would really like him healthy for a significant part, if not all the season and
postseason.
Yeah, you need him healthy.
And I don't know, it's like injuries are contagious with the Rams because Joey Bosa actually
left the practice.
I know we're not doing AFC today, but that was with an injured wrist, I believe.
Yeah, the last play on the last play.
Two.
So that's something to watch there.
Yeah, Puka, that's one thing.
Three starting o linemen that are week to week.
And yeah, it gives a chance for the tight ends who you've talked about.
And we've hit a lot of the Rams on this show.
But yeah, Davis Allen, you know, maybe gets a little more pop.
Blake Corm sounds like he's having a solid enough camp that they like him at running back.
And I thought it was interesting.
Last thing on the Rams and then we can move on.
I watched our friend J.B. Long, his show with the Rams,
asked Sean McVeigh about who stood out most at training camp.
And he went, Braden Fist, was his first, first,
name. And that seems like Sean McVeigh's
camp crush. And yeah, they could use
some difference makers on defense. They found
some in the draft last year. That's their second
round pick. And that would be great for
them. Yeah, I would say Braden Fiske
closely followed by Jared
Verst, but Braden Fiske, I think, had the best
camp, probably of any player.
You know, and then I
also think that their safeties
look awesome. I think this defense
might be a little bit
surprising to people who were expecting
this big drop-off post-Aren
Donald, which it could still be that way.
We've seen very little working pads yet.
But Braden Fiske, his hands are correct, his feet are correct.
He's explosive.
When the pads came on, he looked every bit apart.
And there's, like I said before, their safeties are awesome.
Cam Curl has had an absolutely outstanding camp.
Quentin Lake's going to be moving around a lot for him, including playing the star.
Cool.
Let's wrap up.
We have two more teams.
Get well soon.
Get well soon for Walker.
Yes, please.
But let's wrap up with the Cardinals.
Zaven Collins.
Have you talked about the Zavon Collins extension?
No, we did not hit that.
Yeah, that's two-year, $14 million.
Great fit in this scheme because he's versatile, does a lot of things.
You were reminiscing on a fond, Zavon Collins' memory earlier.
Oh, yeah.
He had about as dominant a single performance I've ever seen any defensive player out
for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane against my Tulane Green Wave a few years back.
Not great news to BJ O'JL, TORN ACL.
You hate to see that, first of all.
in camp. You always get a couple who
have season ending injuries in camp,
but they're really, I mean, they're obviously
they're going to need David and Collins to step up, but they're really
thin at edge rusher.
If they don't, you know, without
missing one of their guys, that's
just a tough injury. It's just
hard. That's brutal. He
was easily their most promising
pass rusher was going to start.
If you look kind of beneath the hood in terms of
pass rush win rate and pressure
per snap, all that sort of stuff.
He was up there with the best rookie pass rushers in the league last year.
And that's, I thought their worst position group on the team, probably.
Although, him and Collins, if Collins kept developing.
And yeah, that was a smart deal by them, I think.
They know him well, and he's in a new role.
And they're going to save some money, two years, $14 million for a starting edge rusher.
Been a couple items on the offense.
I did want to hit.
Like, I noticed Trey Benson, who I gave a lot of pop a few weeks ago, is like running fourth right now in their running back rotation.
And so, you know, if you're two spots behind, I think it's Mari DiMarcato and one spot behind Michael Carter,
you might now want to take them too early in fantasy draft.
So that's my bad.
Yeah, Drew Petting sounds like our friend Nate Tice was at Cardinals camp last week.
And he was reporting on a lot of heavy personnel usage up front.
And they, I mean, Drew Petzing is going to run the snot out of the football.
And but that is also including the fact that there's more dimensionality because Kyler Murray,
apparently looks just as outstanding as you would expect,
but apparently has been great.
And one of his favorite targets has been Greg Dorch,
who's catching everything.
Dorch is good.
I love their 2, 3, 4.
Like, Zay Jones, when he's healthy,
is a good rotational receiver.
You know, they've said like him,
Michael Wilson, who I think's got a little higher ceiling,
and Dorch, that's 2, 3,4,
but it doesn't really matter how much you shake him up.
They have enough receivers.
Trade McBride is really there, too.
And I know Nate Tice was there.
it was because Desmond Ritter is in a big-time camp battle with Clayton Tune, his guy, Desmond Ritter.
You know, Nate's just checking in on his guys, you know.
I'm just punching down on Nate here on his Desmond Ritter love.
That's it. We did it.
We did it.
Yeah, that was a thin slice of heaven, as Dave Damasek, our friend would say.
But that's it. That's it for today's NFL Daily.
We'll be back in the Chris Wesleying podcast studio on Wednesday's show.
forward to that. We're going to do a mock draft. Patrick Claibon, Michael F. Florio,
Marcus Graham. But in the meantime, I'm heading down to Raiders camp, getting some content,
some surprises there. See you next time.
