OverDrive - Naylor on the Parsons trade, the outstanding play of Arbuckle, and the status of Kelly

Episode Date: August 30, 2025

TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor on the Micah Parsons trade, the outstanding play of Nick Arbuckle, and the status of Chad Kelly.

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This year, here's Dave Naler, a TSN Football Insider. Micah Parsons to the hackers. How does that change your hierarchy in the NFC? well i i think it takes the packer sort of from maybe the outside of the best teams in the nfc and you can debate that maybe they were already there among the top two or three or four

but they're certainly in that conversation now and yeah it's it's interesting because it's a bit you know more of what they have and by that i mean this was already a pretty good pressure defense if you look at the the metrics for particularly against the pass and particularly the pressure metrics, you know, Green Bay was pretty much top ten across the board. So, you know, adding this, I mean, he's a guy who can change games. I don't know if there's that many players that you can say that they will change potentially two or three games over the course of a season just on their own. And, yeah, and look, I don't think it's a coincidence that he got traded to a team in what is believed to be the most competitive division in the NFL. I mean,

That's the one division that, and maybe Chicago's, you know, the exception to this, but it's the one where it's really hard to make a case for anybody dominating that decision, that division, or anybody being in a free fall at the bottom of that division. Now, maybe Chicago, you can make that case, but there are certainly huge, you know, when Ben Johnson takes over there, it's not the normal expectations of a first-year head coach because of who he is and the way he waited for this opportunity and the fact that their draft class was that impact draft class was not this year, it was last year.

So Ruma Dunzee's in his second year, Caleb Williams in the second. All of that to say that, yeah, I think this really makes the Packers one of the teams to beat in the NFC, absolutely. Naylor, can you make sense of this trade? Naylor and I, sorry, Hayes and I were talking about, you know, how this is very similar to the the way Nico Harrison dealt Luca Dodgich in the NBA from Dallas

to the Lakers in that and that obviously marquee talent in Dallas and really despite having this marquee talent they did not market him to the league they essentially did a deal with one team and one team only both in the case of Luca going to the Lakers

and Michael Parsons going to the Packers as far as we can tell we had we had Clarence Hill Jr., longtime Cowboys right around and he just explained it by saying Jerry got mad, essentially, and just sort of traded him in anger, essentially. How do you break this down and make sense of it? Yeah, like, because this isn't the Herschel Walker Hall of picks that, you know, happened in 1989 and ceded kind of a dynasty for the Cowboys.

It, you know, it doesn't overwhelm what they got. And, of course, you know, what they got will depend on their ability to make good on those two first-round picks. But, you know, if the Packers are what we perceive to be, it's not like they're going to be picking sixth and eight of those picks or something. I mean, it's like they're going to be picking at the back half of the draft. And it feels like

there's a number of things. Look, I would first up to say, I absolutely thought this would end with Michael Parsons signing and everybody smiling and money papering over hurt feelings because that's the way it always does with Jerry Jones. But this time, you know, it goes a different way. And maybe it's

because, you know, there's this dispute about did he have a deal in the spring? Did he not? and both sides are inflaming it. And I think one of the differences between doing business in the NFL in places where there's a gap and a team is making a business decision is that it's all business. I mean, if you certainly look at, I mean, just the one that was closest to us, the James Cook situation, there was not even a hint from either side that this was personal. It was always characterized as business by both sides, cooked with very few words,

Brandon Bean with a little more. But it's very, very different than what was playing out in Dallas. So I think you're right. I think Jerry got mad. I think he wanted to call the bluff of everybody who thinks that he doesn't, he's never going to make a move on a guy. And beyond that, look, I think there are some arguments against Michael Parsons, but I think they are superseded by his talent.

The argument is against was when you sink 47 million bucks into one guy, I mean, like, he missed four games of the high ankle spraying last year. What if he missed seven this year? I mean, just anytime you've got that much money sunk into one player, you know, he's only one hamstring pull away from, you know, not playing, and you're investing a lot of money in a guy who's not going to bring you any return in a particular game or games. That's one.

And then the other is, you know, and I don't, again, maybe some of this factors in what they said. I know they talk a lot about stopping the run. You can stop the run with Micah Parsons in your, defense, even if that's not his specialty, and there are teams that subscribe to this, and I don't necessarily think the Cowboys are won based on their previous actions, and that is the idea that

other than quarterbacks, if you're paying top of the market for an NFL player, you're probably not getting the best value. That you're better to have a couple of guys or three guys kind of at the next year or the next year down, and ultimately have a better

team than sinking that much money into a top of the market contract for a player other than a quarterback. Because among everything else, you're paying your quarterback as well. So when you put Jordan Love salary with Micah Parsons and start to project that young

roster in Green Bay and some of the decisions that this is going to force upon them the next two or three years, but I don't think those were the primary reasons that Jerry Jones did what he did. With Dave Naler, our TSN Football Insider. So we've hit Labor Day weekend, Dave, the CFL. Now it's

go time. Into the stretch run here. and Feschuk and I were talking about, you know, the disparity between the West and the East, which is based on records and performances and also, I believe, talent and depth. But you got the Argos and the Tabbies this weekend. Ticats are leading the East. You know, they're six and four. Argos are three and eight. Are we in must-win territory now for the Argos?

Like, obviously, it's an important game that goes without saying. But how many more weeks can we continue to say there's a lot of season left? before they have to put, you know, pedal to the ground and start playing above 500 football. Yeah, because the issue becomes the crossover. So people understand there's six teams to make the playoffs in the CFL, but if the fourth-place team in the West has a better record than the third-place team in the East, they cross over and take that spot. So the Argos competition isn't just, you know, Ottawa.

It's Edmonton, it's Winnipeg, it's BC, which could all. come into that mix potentially for the crossover. So, you know, it's been a weird year for the Argos because, of course, Chad Kelly hasn't played. And, you know, I saw people say to that Argos really struggling without Chad Kelly. I'm like, yeah, but that's not what's letting them down. I mean, it's been the

defense and it's been special teams. And Nick Arbuckle, you know, I was saying this, we did a, Brian, you and I did a hit for Sports Center, I think, where we were debating whether Baker Mayfield could be the MOP, MVP, excuse me, MVP in the NFL. And, and I

said something like take away the name Baker Mayfield and forget Cleveland and tell look at those numbers and tell me that guy can't be the MVP I did something to that effect right there's a bit of a parallel with Nick Arbuckle with the Argonauts I can say to people because Nick Arbuckle you know kind of has flopped a few places and most recently he flopped even as a backup in Ottawa I mean he was out of football and had Chad Kelly not got suspended I'm not sure he ever comes back but You know, they called him back last year because Dinwiddie had a familiarity with him, and he gave them serviceable play when Chad Kelly was out,

and he stepped up, made 37 throws in the Great Cup, and won a game for the Argos. And I think everybody figured that was probably the peak. But Nick Arbuckle right now, leading the CFL in passing yards. Nick Arbuckle, five straight 300-yard games. Nick Arbuckle, career passing marks in back-to-back games. Nick Arbuckle, one touchdown pass behind Bo Levi-Mitchell. Now, if I forget the name Nick Arbuckle, and try to erase Ottawa from my memory,

I can convince myself this guy the MVP of the league. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, look, this can be a real point fest on Monday in Hamilton. I mean, the over-under on this one is, but I could see a ton of points being scored. So with everything you just said there about the way Arbuckle is making a case for himself, how much does that factor in or does it factor in the fact that it feels like we're not going to see Chad Kelly this year?

Well, next week is a big Chad Kelly week, because the Argos are on a buy, and Chad comes off six-game injured list. He's been practicing this week because the way the rule works is that the two weeks before you come off six-game injured, you can practice just so you hit the ground running when you come off. But, of course, we thought Chad was coming off six games about six weeks ago, and they put them right back on it. So from what I understand, there are going to be some very important meetings during the by week with the Argo staff. Chad's doctors, team die everybody kind of in the mix and just try to decide, okay, what's the course of action here? I still think there's a possibility that they decide that big picture, the best thing is for Chad Kelly to have a year and a half off that ankle.

It's a serious ankle injury that he had, you know, a couple of broken bones has taken a long time that they just say, you know what, for your career and for your stability and our organization, But I think the last thing the Argonauts want is Chad Kelly not able to go to training camp next spring because he missed training camp in 24 because of the suspension, and he missed it this year because of the injury. So I think that's a possibility. But the other possibility is that they say, yep, you know, we're good. We've cleared these hurdles.

Now we're going to ramp you up and try to get you ready to play and, you know, try to come up in a series of milestones that you're going to hit and in practice and how you feel and what we see in you. And, you know, it's my understanding that if that's the road they go down, and Chad Kelly gets the clearance and feels good himself about his ability to play, that he'll get his job back this season as the number one. Now, it may never get to that point, but this is certainly the Argos are in a great situation where, I mean, not that they would want to take any risk with Chad Kelly's health. I think everybody understands you're playing the long game here,

but it's certainly when you've gotten a Garbuckle playing the way he is, there's not certainly a rush to replace him. And even, you know, I don't know, again, just because his injury keeps going on and on and on and on. I assume Chad Kelly's going to be healed up for next season, but I think it's given how long this has taken, it's not bad that the Argos are going to enter the season with Nick Arbuckle on the roster next year.

He signed through next year on a very modest contract. So it's a good situation for the Argos in terms of quarterback depth that this has helped solidify. Yeah, I am curious to see what happens here with Chad Kelly moving forward because, you know, he had that magical regular season a couple of years ago where they had, you know, when they went 16 games, and one of the great regular season in CFL history,

runs away with the MOP. But then in the playoffs against the Al's, he had one of the worst performances we've ever seen. Disaster. Absolute disaster. And then he gets suspended. And last year it never worked. And then when he gets back,

he gets hurt. And obviously they win the Great Cup without him. And now he hasn't played all year. Like, at what point do you start? Like, is it reasonable to wonder if this guy, just will not return, or if it was a flash in the pan what we saw two years ago during the regular season? Look, I think Chad Kelly is, and there's all kinds of reasons why guys are in the Canadian

football league. And in Chad Kelly's case, it's not because of a lack of talent. You know, I always go back to the day he was drafted with the Mr. Irrelevant pick on the draft. You hear Mike Mayock on the NFL network say, this guy is a first-round talent who is being taken in this position because of questions about injury and character. That's what he says on the broadcast. And I think that's

pretty much true. And, you know, Chad had a noisy time in the NFL. And that's, you know, essentially why he ended up playing in the Canadian football. I think we, I think the talent we saw from him in 2023 was real. I think that's who he is. I think he's that good. I think the

Argos think he's that good. And I think that's why they were patient through the suspension. And I think they're still patient to wait out and see what's on the other side of his injury. But I would go back, Brian, there was a day almost exactly two years ago. When the Argos announced that Chad Kelly had signed a contract to be the highest paid player in the league, about $700,000, it was a beautiful day. All the MLSE suits were out there.

Chad looked like a million bucks in his double blue uniform, and I thought, man, what a time, what if this has turned into for this guy? And almost from that moment on, a few weeks later, you have the Eastern final game, which, you know, was, I mean, the greatest variance I've ever seen in football between what a guy played, what he looked like in a regular season, and what he looked like in a playoff game. And then you have the lawsuit and the suspension and the return and the injury. It's just been, I mean, I guess if, Mike, if you go back to that Mike Mayock broadcast,

and he said the two concerns were, you know, character and injury, that's kind of been the Argo story to sign that contract, character and injury. That's right. So, yeah, it was, he was precious, he was very much. You know, on point. Pretty good analysis. Yeah, not the greatest GM ever, you know, Mayotte, but pretty good analysis in the end.

Have a great Labor Day, Nail Gun. We appreciate you doing this. Thank you. Hey, thanks so much, guys. Take care. There's Dave Nailer, a TSN Football Insider. Yeah, it's been too bad, I mean. But it's really been a roller coaster for him,

and he was so, so good during that 23 season. But that's a distant memory now. and he's barely played. He's barely been around since then. He may have lost this season, but he hasn't lost his confidence. Don't forget, this was the guy, what was it, a few weeks ago. He was out there saying he's a top 32 NFL starting quarterback. That's right.

Yeah, I appreciate that. He believes. It's not very bashful, Chad. Melodin Friday brought you by Boston Pizza, Canada's favorite sports bar. Enjoy $15 lunch at BP where you get an entree, a side and a drink, and you'll get it all in 20 minutes or less. So fast lunch doesn't have to be fast food. See you for a $15.

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