The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Biggest remaining team needs after the first wave of free agency

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

Plenty of team needs were addressed when the free agency period opened, but not every team can fill every hole by signing players off the market. So what are the biggest needs that remain as we put the first wave of free agency behind us and turn our attention to the draft? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into that question—considering Patriots left tackle, Chargers wide receiver, Bengals defensive line, and more—on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mayes. Free agency is, I don't know, it's mostly over. If we're being honest with ourselves, it's mostly over. There's still the stray Cam Robinson signings that are going to happen that happened while we were recording today is him landing with the Texans. So we had to work around that a little bit. But for the most part, a lot of the bigger swings have already happened.

So with that in mind, Derek and I wanted to take some time today to just look at what we think are the biggest remaining needs left four teams after free agency. We're not going to hit every team here. These are kind of the biggest 15 or so needs that we thought were still on the board after teams have signed most of the players that are going to be signed in free agency. So we hit about half the league. A lot of teams that are kind of on the brink of contention here just because their needs

feel a little bit more pressing than a team that has four, five, six of them because they're in rebuilding mode. So just keep that in mind when you think about which type of teams we're discussing here. but let's get to that conversation with Derek right now. All right, Derek, this is the, I'm going to say last free agent-based show that we're going to do because it kind of is the last free agent-based show that we're going to do. Obviously, free agency isn't over. There are still guys out there and we'll address some of that today.

But to kind of put a bow on all of this, I wanted to just check in with what we think the biggest remaining needs are for NFL teams as we get to the close of first wave of free agency and we really turn the page to start looking at the draft. We're not going to do every team here because not every team warrants the sort of discussion. You know, there are some teams where it's like, eh, they could probably use X, Y, or Z, but it's not a huge screaming need as we get to March 20th here. The 15 or so that we're going to hit today are teams that I think still have a pretty glaring need for a player at a position and discuss whether or not they might do that with

the stopgap free agent, something they may do in the draft. But the spots on depth charts, we still think need some tend to. to after the first major hit of free agency has happened. This exercise is much needed even for me because first of all, the free agency week was a whirlwind. And then I jumped in like straight off the end of the free agency week into this week of like fully charting the quarterback. So I've been like fully head in the sand with other stuff. And so it was good to like come back out of it for a second and be like, okay, what actually happened in free agency? All of these teams aren't perfect yet.

How do they get there? we haven't this is in no specific order it's just kind of how i thought about them so take from that what you will if there's a team near the top maybe i think it's more of a glaring need there are also a lot of teams that i think are probably going to be mildly competitive this year just because needs feel more pressing for those teams than teams that are in full scale rebuilding mode i say that the patriots are the first team but as i think about the top five it's like that's one of the biggest needs left on the board here is what the patriots are looking at So it feels like all the needs here are mostly teams that are competitive and still have something missing.

Like, you know, that's probably, that makes up a majority of these teams. Or it's not necessarily a team that's going to be competitive, but the need is so glaring and so obvious that we would be remiss to not talk about it. And it does have real impact, right? Let's just talk about the Patriots. We're going to kick this off with it. In my opinion, one of the biggest needs still left, period. And that is what the Patriots are going to do at left tackle. And one of the reasons it feels so important is that even if the Patriots aren't going to be competitive this year,

they drafted a quarterback with a third overall pick last season. And I would like him to just be a healthy, happy man for the majority of this season. So there are real implications of the Patriots finding a left tackle, even if they're going to win six to seven games this year in the best case scenario. Yeah, this doesn't matter for them winning games this year, but it does matter for the long-term health of both their team and their success, but also like of the league. Like it's nice to have these young promising quarterbacks.

And for one of them not to get broken, I think would be really good. I love that you're taking the Drake May success or there's the Drake May survival to like an existential level immediately. Oh, I need Drake May to be a workable NFL quarterback for me to find personal happiness. I'm already formulating the top five arguments for 2027. Like I'm ready. Like I'm ready to go.

So this is, I need this to happen. But they're in a spot where this is probably, them and one other team on here where this team is not competitive, but the need is so obvious that we just have to get into it. You can make an argument that they still have a needed receiver. They think they absolutely do. It's less important just because in theory, you could give opportunities to some of the young guys that you drafted last year. You could say, I don't necessarily want to go out and sign a Steph Diggs. This is all hypothetical. But somebody like that, that's a stopgap

because I don't want to cut off opportunities to play and opportunities to grow for some of my younger pieces. That being said, I think they absolutely should still address it in the draft at some point because they probably need more than one receiver. But at left tackle, there's no argument like that to be made. Verderian Lowe doesn't need to get more reps at left tackle. You need to find a long-term solution at that position. So that's why in my mind, I've kind of prioritized the left tackle conversation

over the receiver conversation for New England. I completely agree. And even with receiver like, at this point, I don't even for them want somebody who's going to like play a lot of snaps and be super impactful. But like maybe just one of the veterans who has clearly done this before to just like kind of foster some of these younger players. That's all they need. Whereas like with left tackle, it's like, no, you need somebody to start for you. I'm be curious to see what they do at left tackle.

I touched on this a little bit with Dane yesterday. You can be of two minds about this when you're a team that's sort of rebuilding, at least in the early stages of who you're trying to put together. you can say, all right, we're going to find a left tackle early in the draft, let that guy sink or swim. If you drive one in the top five, you have no issues playing that guy because that's what you hope he's going to be, a first year starter and then ultimately, hopefully a pro bowl ever player over multiple years. If you end up waiting, and let's say you go receiver earlier in the draft, or Travis Hunter is there and you say, yeah, we just think he's so good, we can't pass him up, but we like him better at corner. However, it plays out where you have to wait a little bit of tackle. do you want to have that guy kind of have a trial by fire situation

in the same way we've seen with other teams in this spot. I'm thinking about Brandon Coleman and Washington last year. I'm thinking about what Braxton Jones did for the Bears where you think, you know what? This is close between our young, middle round guy and whatever stopgap tackle we can sign. With the Bears, it was Riley Reef. With Washington last year, it was like,

do we go get a Donovan Smith? Or we just say, eh, we'll roll with Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman and figure it out. That's the conversation you're going to have to have. Depending on what happens in the draft, if a Kyle like Cam Robinson is still available or a DJ Humphrey is one of these players, do you think it's best to have your guy learn on the job?

Or do you think it's best to have a floor at the position, even if it's a floor that's lower than the one you probably want? So that's likely going to be a discussion that has to happen in the Patriots building depending on how they fill this need. I think in the particular, in the Patriots scenario, it doesn't have to be either or. They have so much money that it can be both,

like them paying one of whatever free agent left tackles is left, whether Cam Robinson, I assume, would be the one that gets the most money. Whether it's him or like, do they think they can, you know, resurrect Jedrick Wills, whatever it is. Like if they think that they can be one of these teams, I would rather do that. And then honestly, I don't care where you draft the tackle after that. Like, I still think it should be either Campbell or Mendo at 4, whatever it is, or if they want to trade down a few spots to do that, whatever. I would like rather sign one of the free agent tackles, still draft the tackle in the first or second round. and then just figure it out. Because, like, truthfully, Morgan Moses is old, man.

He's going to be there for you one year. He might even get hurt. Like, older guys like that get hurt. And then you just never know if, like, Cam Robinson or somebody's going to get hurt. He's been hurt in the past. So, like, I would be totally fine double dipping here, especially, again, when you have a young quarterback who's already shown something. That's a good point.

Even if you're overpaying a little bit for a guy who could end up being your swing tackle, it's like, who cares? Right. If we have to spend an extra $5 million against the cap, it doesn't really matter. But I think having an open competition where you're allowing a pathway for the young guy to play is something that I would absolutely consider if I were them, no matter what they do on the veteran market over the next couple months. And there's a chance they wait until after the draft. And there's a chance Cam Robinson is still available after the draft. I mean, it's obviously

still early. We're nine days into this. But there aren't that many left tackle spots left outside outside of New England. So there's a chance they could afford to wait. Let's get to the next one here. For me, it's, what are the Chargers going to do at wide receiver? They haven't done anything outside of signed Mike Williams to a very modest one-year deal. I'm not surprised that they, they haven't jumped at signing a receiver in free agency. We talked about this. Really, the only starting caliber receiver contracts that have been handed out in free agencies so far were to Josh Palmer and Diami Brown and Devante Adams.

If you were going to miss out on Devante Adams, would it benefit you to just try to draft the next Josh Palmer and Diami Brown? I'm fine landing there. But in that scenario, you got to at least try to draft the next Josh Palmer or Diombe Brown. And if they can't do that or they don't take a swing at the position, I'd be very, very scared about what the Chargers' offense looks like. So I anticipate them doing that at some point.

They're one of those teams that when I thought about this exercise, I went into it thinking, okay, can this team still solve it in free agency or does this have to be a draft thing? Or can it be both? I think in some scenarios it's both. I think for the Chargers, it might be both. You almost certainly have to spend one of your top 100 picks on a receiver. Like, you just need bodies there. And I understand that this class doesn't have that many bigger bodied outside receivers,

which to me is kind of what they need. But still, I think you have to take a dice rule on somebody. In free agency, it's like what? You're going to be the Amari Cooper team if you want someone who can kind of play outside. Or your other option is, do you bring Keenan Allen back to play the slot? And then you allow McConkey to be just a little bit more of an outside receiver and use him the way that like the Falcons used Darnell Mooney this year. And I think he's a better version of that.

But that to me is like if they want to sign a guy in free agency, really their only solution, it feels like. again, Diggs is still out there if they want to do something like that. And those are your options. And again, it gets back to do you want to sign one of those guys as a temporary solution? Or do you just want to dip into the draft and see what you have from your young players and give them the opportunities? It's funny because I look at Deante Johnson on this list. And to me, Deante Johnson would be the receiver version of what they did with Dante Jackson. And I just think in terms of Calvert player, but also the fact that they were traded for each other last year.

It just seems like that's the type of swing. And that's what we've seen from this team so far. They signed Mackay Beckton, but they signed Mackay Beckton for $10 million a year when other guys at Garder getting 17, 18. So they've been comfortable trying to find some bargains here, similar to the way that the Ravens have approached for agency for a very long time. So I'll be curious whether they think a veteran receiver fits into that mold or into their plans. My gut feeling is that they'll just draft somebody and see what they can get out of that guy early on rather than cutting off a development pathway for a young player. And they probably should because I think. think if they fix the offensive line the way that they are hoping the Bechden signing does and maybe

moving Zion Johnson to center, whatever it is, that I think solves more of what ailed the offense last year than anything with the receivers. Like they still need to get better at receiver, but like when the quarterback is that good and at least has one very obvious outlet he can go to, it will probably be okay. They signed Andre James this week after he was cut by the Raiders. And so if you look at, and the only real exception here is Linderbaum, right? The Ravens Draven's drafted Linderbaum in the first round. But other than that, when you look at the interior offensive line solutions for Baltimore over a multi-year period, they've kind of been okay saying, eh, we'll figure it out.

We'll figure it out with X fourth round pick and a guy that we're paying three million bucks. And right now, it kind of seems like that's what they're trying to do on the interior. So they'd sign Mackay Beckton, which was from the start, one of my favorite free agent fits of anybody on that side of the ball. I think stylistically, he just fits what they want to be up for. front and then they sign Andre James after bringing Bradley Bozeman back. So now you've got, and Baltimore does this all the time, we're outside of the Linderbaum draft pick.

It was kind of like, we'll figure out who's going to play all these spots. If McCarrie's got to play center, he'll play center. And so now you have Bechtin, Bozeman, James, Johnson, four guys, three interior spots. Let's just see what happens. And if you want to add depth to it in the draft, you can't. But it seems like they might be done adding bodies there because they got a lot of, if not low cost dice rolls, then lower tier signings in order to figure out that spot

rather than taking a bigger swing, which is not surprising to me, given the history of the people who are in that building. Yeah, I think the biggest thing I've taken away from their moves now is just, I thought maybe first round interior was still going to be on the table for them. I think at this point it's absolutely not.

Like maybe in the third round, they still want a guy to add competition there, but first, right, it's like completely off the board. I think at this point, a defensive line is something that they would consider at that spot, just because you got back on a one-year deal you lost Puna Ford and free agency, so your interior depth probably isn't what you want it to be.

Tair Tart comes back on a short-term deal. So I think building up the trenches makes more sense for them. Again, given their history and what they did last year, I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to go that route again and then waited on receiver to try to get one in the second round or the third round. Next one here for me, what are the Bengals going to do to continue adding to their defensive line? As you look at the Bengals depth chart, is that the one that jumps out to you the most on defense?

We've talked about the interior a little bit and the fact that they could add there. But if you're looking at the Bengals depth chart right now, would you still say defensive line help would be your number one need? Because it still is for me. I think it has to be maybe maybe safety. Like I still think safety is pretty rough for them. At least the cornerback room, the way that it's constructed, you know, maybe like Dax Hill plays a little bit.

Maybe he can just stay healthy because he played well at corner. DJ Turner has shown something. Cam Taylor Britt is incredibly inconsistent, but you can sell yourself that maybe he can just have a better year because corner play is typically volatile. So the cornerback room, it's not great, but I can sell myself on why they would run it back. It's the defensive front that I think needs help. Like last year, they got nothing out of the young guys that were supposed to be helping Trey Hendrickson on the other side. And then even some of the guys they drafted on the interior like McKinley Jackson just didn't really pop a whole lot to me. And obviously

they already added T.J. Slayton, but that alone, I don't think solves all of their issues. So this is still the part of the roster, I would very much like to take swing. I also think linebacker, but for as important as I think the position is, I think they have bigger fish to fry right now. We'll see what happens. Jermaine Pratt had the trade request earlier this off season. They have not done anything about

that yet. He's still on the roster as far as I know. Logan Wilson was hurt last year. You'd hope getting him back will be helpful. You look at the interior. There's still stopgap guys they could potentially sign. If they wanted to go out and get, you could double dip. If you want a Dalton, Risenor and Brandon Shurf on one-year deal,

because you have a little bit of cap space this year before you're really going to have to start paying for all of those guys you just handed out contracts to. I think short-term solutions there for 2025 while potentially drafting guys to have in the pipeline for a little bit later on. That's fine to me on that side. I'd probably spend a high-value pick on the defensive line because right now, unless you get huge steps forward from McKinley Jackson, who they drafted in the third round last year, Chris Jenkins, who they drafted in the second round last year, and Miles Murphy, who's been on a team for multiple years. years, you need a edge right now and another interior past rushing presence. I just don't think you can really bank on huge leaps from all of those guys when you have committed to the offense in the way

that you have and want to be competitive right now. I think you have to be a little bit more urgent than that. I think you do too. They probably do need to double dip and defensive line is going to be a little bit trickier to double dip just because they already signed Slayton and then they already drafted the two guys last year. But maybe on the edge, I would be more fine with like, do you draft a guy in the first two rounds and then just go sign to get a body like a John Kaminsky just to be like a run defender

push the pocket a little bit like just something like that and there's not many edge options left but just the guy who can give you like 25 useful snaps a game would be better than what they've gotten recently is Darius Smith is still out there like if you can go get

we talk about the mercenary pass rushers all the time and how important the mercenary pass rushers are to teams that are in this sort of situation And so the Charles Menehus, all guys like that, is that something that's worth seeking out if you're the Bengals and you don't want to spend a high-end draft pick on one of those guys? You want to do it at a defensive tackle, whatever. So those, the veterans still hanging around, I think, both at edge and on the offensive line are probably worth paying attention to for Cincinnati. Because, again, they do have some cap space. And they're probably going to have even more cap space as the 2025 numbers lower for both Chase and Higgins after those extensions.

Next one here, and I'm sure the Rams will tell you this isn't one, because they just re-signed akello-weather spoon. I still would like to see the Los Angeles Rams do something at Outside Corner. I want to see them do something. Having Weatherspoon back is nice. He was fine for them last year. He stepped in mid-season and was a reliable outside presence. I still would like to see this team show some urgency at cornerback.

And they have not done it in free agency. Maybe they'll do it in the draft. Akello-Weatherspoon is like the perfect he hangs around for a while as like a perfectly serviceable cornerback two and fits into a particular role. But you know that the wall is going to come eventually. And this happened with Levi Wallace, right? Like Levi Wallace bounced around for a few years, perfectly fine cornerback two to have. And then the one year he hits the wall athletically, it's like, oh, okay, this is not good.

And I just fear that Witherspoon is getting a little bit closer to that, despite how much I love the way that he plays. So for them specific. He's like cornerback DJ Chark from like three years ago. Yes. Yes. And then DJ Shark hit the wall and it's like, oh, we can't even put them on the field anymore. It is exactly like that. So I think in their particular case, though, this would not be a free agency solved to me. And there are a couple of guys on the lower end of free agency. They could they could still throw a little bit of money at. But if I were going to spend in free agency, to me again, it would be Mike Hilton. I would still entertain that.

But outside corner, I would want to spend a draft pick. That's where I think realistically this is how this is going to get solved. It's going to be really fun when I'm sitting there thinking, oh, could the Rams draft a corner? the first round. It seems like they might need something like that. And then we're sitting there on draft day and the Cowboys are on the board at 12. And then we see the Rams logo flash up and they take a tight end. It's just going to be, it's going to be beautiful. And I should probably see it coming from right now. We're a month out.

I should probably start planning for it emotionally. I can see the world where Sean McVeigh looks at Tyler Warren or Colson Loveland is like, man, what could I do with that? I think a lot of the smartest head coaches in the league right now are looking. meet those two that way, by the way. It's funny because last year they tried to do this with Brock Bowers and just couldn't make it happen. It's not because they didn't have the appetite for it. It's because the other team wasn't willing to make the trade, whether it was the Falcons,

the Bears, the Jets, all of those teams picking in that range. But it's a good scenario because Chris Trullough has been friends with Sean McVey for a very long time. So they have a good relationship. You have to have like a certain understanding when you're the defensive coordinator of a team like this where they have some free agent money for the first time and forever. and the Cooper Cup's savings goes directly to Devonti Adams. So that's just kind of the nature of the beast over there

as they build this roster. Next one here for me, the Panthers have spent in free agency. I don't know where you sit with this. I think they still need like three more debis based on how their current roster looks. And they have needs all over their defense. So at this point, again,

they were so talent-free on that side of the ball, wherever they go. And that's why the Wharton thing, even if it's a little bit price, I see, they just needed bodies and they still need a lot of bodies. Probably one at nickel, probably one at outside corner, probably another one at safety. As you look at the Panthers defensive depth chart, what to you is the biggest need still remaining for them?

Both, like all of the secondary. This is the double dip team. Like, you have to draft a guy and you have to sign at least one free agent, if not two. And I think like you mentioned, like they probably need to upgrade the nickel. They could use another body at outside corner. and then it's safety. And like, in terms of high quality free agents, there's not that many guys left.

But I think there are some interesting, like, low cost dice rolls that would be potential upgrades for them. Like, at the nickel, do you want to go get Avanti Maddox? And like, I know that he, the Eagles obviously tried to move on from him and did. But I do think that is better than what they were getting last year. And he has a little bit of flexibility if he wanted to move back to safety. And then Kavana WALLAS who played safety for the Seahawks last year, played for the Cardinals the year before.

He's not a great starting safety. but he's like a passable player that they can get out there, has a little bit of versatility in the way that Merig does. So I think that that would be like a nice fit. And then at outside court. I'm like Julian Blackman for like the right price. Just having bodies back there. And again, now that we're in the second third wave,

you're hopefully going to be able to get some of these guys at a slightly lower cost. But, you know, Blackman, Ray Sean Jenkins is out there. To me, it's a little bit too overlapping with what they probably want to get out of Merig after the way he was used last year. But even somebody like Quadre Diggs, it's just like, I just need somebody back there, depending on how the draft goes, if we swing and miss on a guy that we think can start for us so that other safety spot, can I just plug in a veteran body with a heartbeat?

Like, that's kind of what I need at that spot. And there are still some of those players available in free agency. Yeah, that's how they got to do it. And then regardless of who they sign, like probably two of their first four picks should be in the secondary, man. Like it's outside of the one guy they just paid $25 million a year. And Trevin Merrick, it's getting pretty rough. You say that, though, but I'm looking at the depth chart right now.

It's like, I think I'd probably still want an edge early in the draft. If they took one in the top 10, that's totally fine with me. I would rather take a big swing with the top 10 pick on a defensive wineman and try to wait and piece together the secondary a little bit later if I were them still. And with this class, actually, that probably makes more sense because I think there's more high quality edge players than there are high quality corners for them to go swing at where they're picking at least. in Dane's post-combine mock, he had Shamar Stewart from Texas A&M going there with the eighth overall pick.

In a vacuum, I support that still. Like, guys, I don't think anything they've done in free agency would prevent you from doing that. Most of the spending they did was on the interior, but they still need a competent edge piece, and they still need some future upside on the edge. And there probably are a couple guys in this draft that you could take swings on in that spot. This is two in the weeds and probably more for like an actual draft pod that we're doing. but I would love Stewart particularly with Judavian Clowny because I feel like body type-wise,

they're the exact same guy and he could probably use some of the help that Clowny has figured out how to make his body type work in the NFL. So that would be good. I would support that. We will likely do a deep dive on the edge class, just the defensive line class in general. We might do one of each. I'm still kind of piecing together what I want the draft shows to look like.

But this year in particular, it just feels like we have to do some deeper looks at the defensive linemen because there are so many of them. really in just the top 60, you know, the top two rounds, there might be eight defensive tackles off the board. And so we should probably take a considered look at those guys. And I'm sure the Panthers still are. We're going to take a quick break.

And then we're going to get back with some more needs that are at top of mind for us. The next one here is a team that we haven't really talked about much in free agency. We talked about Justin Fields, obviously, because they signed a quarterback to a fairly big money deal considering what some of the other quarterbacks have gotten. Other than Sam Darnold, it was the biggest free agent quarterback swing. we've had in the last 10 or so days. But the New York Jets, as you look at this retooling, let's call it, let's use the out word,

New York Jets organization. What to you are still the biggest needs remaining for the Jets? It's probably still pass catcher, but the weird part about it is I just wonder how much like dropback are they going to lean into anyway. So I almost wonder if in their mind that that's not as pressing as maybe refilling the defensive line, which

we talked about going into last season that they had kind of depleted in that area. And I think it's still a bit of a concern. So I think it's more just like depending on how they actually want to structure their offense, how much I think receiver is in need or not. I think that's fair. And the reason I even wanted to throw them on here

is that I looked at their receiver depth chart and I was like, oh man, we need to do something here. They had allowed Alan Lazard earlier this offseason to explore a trade. He is still on the roster. We'll see if he's, remains on the roster deeper into the summer because they can save some money moving on from him. And other than that, we're looking at like Xavier Gibson, Malachi Corley, Tyler Johnson, Charles

Irvin, they need to do something there. And so whether they can wait on it because of how they want to play, et cetera, like you mentioned, I don't know. But I think a receiver at some point before now and week one is probably a necessity for this team. That being said, I think you could make an argument that defensive tax is, I think you can make an argument the defensive tackle next to Quinn and Williams is actually a bigger need for them right now than receiver is.

I mean, probably. Like, especially with the like, what Aaron Glenn is Derek Nadi and Byron cohort right now and Fadarian Mathis. Those are the three guys on the depth chart next to Quinn and Williams as things currently stand. Mathis hurts. I loved him as a prospect,

but he's just not athletic enough to do the things that he wants to do as a player. Nottie is interesting because he obviously fits what you need next to Quinn and Williams body type-wise where he's just a true nose. But in terms of like free agency, I just don't know how many options the Jets have left to fix this position. Like would they want to bring back Lucky Foto?

Like I don't know if that really solves any issues for them. And other than that, you're thinking like, can we get the best play out of like Rayquan Davis again? Because he showed some flashes earlier in his career. Like they're just in terms of getting an actual impact player, I don't know how many guys are actually left for them. It almost feels like this would have to be a draft pick.

which in Detroit, Glenn was used to that. They spent a number of top 100 picks trying to fix the defensive interior until they landed on the lien McNeil finally, like, breaking out. I think that, so Dane had in his post-combine mock, he had Mason Graham going there at seven, and that feels correct to me, right? Like a guy with that sort of skill set next to Quinn Williams, I think that does make sense, and I still think they need that. Like, Nottie is your third rotational defensive tackle is a little bit more exciting to me than,

oh, we're going to give this guy 600 snaps next to Quinn and Williams. He's a useful piece as part of a rotation, but I think they still need to add to that spot. A little bit of news. Still run the risk of doing this as we are still actively in free agency. We are not free here. If you guys want to go back and listen to the Patriots conversation, no longer required because Cam Robinson, one year, $12 million with the Houston Texans. So they clearly thought we just need to save some money as part of this

Laramie Tunsel decision. And this idea of maybe Blake Frisher will play left tackle, maybe we'll move Titus Howard back to right tackle. Seems like that's not going to be the plan. So them bringing in Cam Robinson still feels like we're going to have Titus Howard at guard, or one of those two guys is going to play guard because you're not paying $12 million to a guy you do not think is going to start. So I don't love Cam Robinson. I don't actually think that this solves many issues for them, like specifically at left tackle. However, I do think that the rest of the offensive line probably makes sense if you just keep Fisher on the right side and then keep Howard at guard.

Like that probably for the overall health of the line makes more sense. So if that's what they're paying for rather than necessarily an upgrade or any sort of real security at left tackle, I think that that actually makes this make sense. I'm wondering them doing this to me is a signal that they want to keep those other guys in the spots that they're playing. So does that mean that they're going to now seek out a left tackle still at some point early in the draft because Camp Robinson is a one-year solution? Or at a multi-year viewpoint, would you be comfortable moving Fisher around? That'll be interesting to see. How much urgency do they have to add a left tackle of the future if they don't think that is Blake Fisher? And this is kind of what that says to me is that we're not.

ready to move him or Titus Howard over there. I would rather try to just let Fisher get the reps at right tackle and then keep the door open for left tackle, whether it's first round this year, second round this year, whatever it is. Like, they could still use depth truthfully too. So like even if that's all Cam Robinson becomes and they hit on their first round pick, whatever it is, I just, I think I would rather leave Fisher and Howard on the right side. If they hit on their first round pick, who knows? That guy could be as good as Laramie Tunsell.

He could be as good as Laramie Tunsell. you never know. Speaking of Derek Nottie, my next one here, the chiefs need defensive tackle help so desperately. Among all the teams we're talking about here, I probably could have put this at the top of the list. We just hadn't talked about the chiefs that much in free agency

because they've been fairly restrained. But somebody to play next to Chris Jones feels like a necessity for this team between now and when we're going to kick off the season. But they're also in the spot where like, I know I've talked about before in free agency where the defensive tackle that you can pay like $3 million to it is can get you reps is usually you can find those there's still just not many of those guys left like I said it's like lucky

foe too or like you hope that you can revive Raqwan Davis like it's guys like that um that you're hoping can give you something so I don't know how many options I do think Foto would make sense for them because I think body type wise he actually is a very good replacement for what they had in Derek Naughty and obviously they let him out of the building this year so but this is still a team that probably needs to double dip as well. So like if you could sign a guy like that and then still with one of your first handful of picks, go and draft another defensive tackle in what we just talked about is a pretty rich defensive tackle class. Like it would be, if that is a need for you, it would be hard to come out of this draft without one of them. And I think addressing it early if you're

not going to spend any money on it in free agency, because even beyond a temporary solution that they could find in free agency, they still probably would need another one. And so drafting a guy high to have him in the pipeline and now have three guys that you can rotate between. That still makes sense to me. So that to me is the number one need on this team. It was kind of, I don't know what people's takeaways were from the conversation we had a couple weeks ago where we were talking about corner and receiver and tight end with the chiefs.

I think that was because they had added players at those positions and the idea of dropping a tight end to succeed Kelsey was a fun idea. There were some people that thought we were saying tight end and corner were bigger needs than Interior Defensive Line. No. Like right now, interior defense line is still a huge need. But I still feel like drafting a corner in the middle rounds to try to restock some of your depth there

because Christian Fulton misses games every single year. Jalen Watson had a rough end of the season last year is still probably worthwhile on the second day of the draft. I'd be surprised that they didn't do more to add to that position, even if it's just depth. That was the thing. We talked about it because of the Christian Fulton signing and it's like, okay, on paper for week one, yes, having Christian Fulton

and then presumably Jalen Watson on the outside to move McDuffie back inside, that does fix the problem. But again, Fulton has heard all the time. Watson is recently not played some of his best ball. And then like you still don't have that many contingency plans for the future. Like this is still a team that needs to throw bodies at outside corner. But yeah, defensive tackle probably is more pressing overall. Speaking of teams that need to throw bodies at outside corner, I have the Buffalo

bills needing a cornerback. near the top of my list here. Do you agree that that is still one of the biggest remaining needs that any relevant team has? Yes, but it's also, there's something in the back of my mind that just like feels like maybe Rassul Douglas is just going to come back. Well, that's fine. If that's the answer, then that's okay. They already re-signed Dane Jackson.

If I were a Bills fan and we were deeply in our Super Bowl window and we were a handful of plays away from going to the Super Bowl last year, I think I'd want somebody else other than Dan Jackson in that cornerback room as competition for week one. Dan Jackson has been a fine depth piece for them and for other people forever, but that still is a pretty big need to me. If the answer is Russell Douglas, that's fine. But they need to do something there for me to sleep a little bit better at night.

I definitely agree. It's just there's something, I don't know if it's about like his, the way that he's played there or just where he's at in his career. Just like something speaks to me that Russell Douglas is just going to be a Buffalo bill again. But even if he is, they probably do need to throw another, maybe a third round pick at it or something because all of the other guys like Dane Jackson, Brandon Coddington, Jamarcus Ingram, they're nice to have when you need to throw your emergency cornerback four into the lineup. They should not be getting significant reps early in the season. So whether it is bringing back Douglas or throwing a pick or both, they probably do need to add something there.

Part of me wants to see them do it early in the draft just because I like Russell Douglas. I think Russell Douglas has been solid for them. I would like to see higher end cornerback play as part of their overall formula defensively because I'd like to see them be a little bit more flexible in what they can do defensively. Well, and the problem with Douglas is what we just talked about with Akella Weatherspoon and Levi Wallace.

And I think Douglas more recently has been like a higher quality player than that. But he's one of those guys that is so big and could never run to begin with. When he hits the wall, it's going to be very, very ugly. He'll be 31 this year. Exactly. Like he is, he's creeping up to it. And it's one of those things. Usually with corner, it's not even a gradual thing. It's like one year boom. You just don't have it. And when you get over 30, it's that year is creeping up closer and closer. And so even though I would like him back, I do think because of that possibility, you do have to open yourself up to a contingency plan of first or second round, go draft somebody. I've become a little bit too sensitive to cornerback ages, I think, because it is a position where the cliff does come fast. And I think keeping that in mind as you're handing out third, contracts is important. So in my head, as I've looked at the deals handed out to Carlton Davis and to Gervaeris Ward, I'm like, oh, man, that's, that's dicey. Like, those guys are getting

up there. They're both 28. They're both going to turn 29 this season. Rassul Douglas is going to turn 31 this season. So he is significantly older than even that bucket of older corners who were third contract players hitting free agency this year. So just something to keep in mind compared to how the rest of that cornerback market shook out. DJ Reed, Charvarius Ward, Carlton Davis, still significantly younger than Rassul Douglas, even if a couple of those guys have more checkered injury histories, mostly Carlton Davis. And the issue now that Buffalo kind of runs into with the free agency class, not many of the guys left really fit what they need.

Like Mike Hilton could be useful for somebody, but you have Taryn Johnson, so that doesn't help you. And then in terms of potential outside cornerbacks, it's like Asante Samuel, who doesn't at all fit the body style and type that they play. So, like, they are definitely in a position where drafts probably, makes the most sense for them. I just want to see them be able to play a little bit more man when the situation calls for it. And I just want them to have corners who allow them to do that. And I think that Christian Benford absolutely was that guy last year.

He was pretty good when put into those situations. Finding another person who could do that, I think that would go a long way and just the defense feeling a little bit more dynamic than it's felt over the last couple years. And I think that's why this has taken up so much oxygen and has such a presence in my mind as I think about offseason moves because I just think another gear to that defense would potentially be unlocked with the right second corner opposite Christian Bedford. Right or wrong. But that's how I've been seeing it.

I mean, it would because earlier in Sean McDermott's tenure, they did play more man coverage when like Trey White was younger and Levi Wallace was younger and didn't, hadn't hit the athletic cliff. Like they, this was something that they did a lot more. But just more recently, they have not had the cornerback body types to do that. Obviously, they tried with Kyra Elam. which signaled that they wanted to do more of this, but just obviously now that he's a Dallas Cowboy,

that has not worked out. The other team I wanted to talk about kind of in similar places that Bills are, the AFC contender trying to break through is the Baltimore Ravens. I had one need that I saw as a pretty pressing one for Baltimore. You actually thought there was a bigger one on your mind. If you were looking at the Ravens' biggest need after the first wave of free agency, what is it to you? To me, it's pretty comfortably past rushers.

Like they, it's been an issue for them for like three years now and they've gotten by with signing some of these mercenaries. But one, for as miraculous as Calvanoi getting like 20 sacks over the past two years is, I don't know if relying on that every year is like a great way to go about things. Especially too, because like, look, he puts up the numbers, but a lot of them are like effort sacks after guys like Matabike really get the pressure and stuff like that. So it's useful to have. But he's not, it's not like he's just wreaking havoc all the time. And then the other younger guys that they have right now, David Ajabo, Owe, Odafe, like they just really have not materialized. I think it's the players they want.

This was a unit that last year was like 25th in pressure rate. Like they were not getting to the quarterback. And I think that for as bad as Brandon Stevens was, I think the fact that they couldn't get pressure kind of allowed teams to really pick on Stevens the way that they did. So to me, this is just, I think they could solve a lot of their problems by getting to the quarterback a little bit better. I don't disagree with any of that.

that and I do think that they should try to address this again. Like the OJabo swing has not played out in the way that they probably would have hoped. Obviously, he had the red shirt year and he just hasn't been an impact player for them. This is now going to be year four, which is moneyed a little bit because of the injury. But it's been a while and he still has not developed into that guy. Kyle Van Nuey is very old. They're going to have to make a contract decision about O'DafioA at some point, right? This is his fifth year option, one, two, three, four, five.

So the fact that he has not been extended yet where a guy like Greg Rousseau has, I think is potentially notable. So I do think they need to do something there, but as it currently stands, so maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way, because in my mind, corner is a very big need for them. But you could also make an argument that it's safety

if they want to play Kyle Hamilton at Nickel. But either way, they need another defensive back because if it currently stands, if Kyle Hamilton is playing safety, T.J. Tampa, who they drafted in the fourth round last year, would be their other outside corner. Maybe they're okay with it. that. Maybe he's the next guy up and they feel fine about where he's headed. But I do think that

corner or safety as I currently look at it based on what we've seen from the players on the roster, they need to do something there to maintain the flexibility they've had over the last couple seasons. I think they definitely do. Like they will certainly spend, I would think one of their first three draft picks there or maybe they just, if for Sewell Douglas stays on on the market, whatever it is, like to fix this problem. They're one of those teams. They love doing that. I mean, that wouldn't surprise me at all. If they, listen, I mentioned Kavana Wallace earlier. Like, I think he actually makes a lot of sense for the stuff that they do and he could

like potentially solve a problem for them. But my thing is- From that defense in Seattle. Exactly. So they're familiar. So it kind of makes sense. And so the other thing to me, though, is I could at least sell myself with T.J. Tampa that like, okay, the Ravens typically, typically drafts well overall.

They usually get these guys who sat a year in the mid-rounds and can like jump up and play. They do this a lot with the offensive line. with the past rushers, there's none of that. Like these are already guys they've given the chance to try to develop and it just hasn't worked. And they didn't add anything this offseason. And so to me it's like they need a kick in the ass with the past rushers where at least with the cornerback room, even though they do need to add at least probably one guy for depth, you could sell me on the idea that T.J. Tampa could work for them. How excited are you for when we get to like May 15th for the first thing that they do, they signed Rasul Douglas to a one year, seven million. dollar deal and then the next day

Zadarius Smith or Matt Judon come back for like one year, six million. Because you know that's where this is trending. You know that that's how they're going to solve both of these things. If I literally had in my notes for this, what if they just bring back Sadarius Smith? And I don't know what the relationship and stuff with him is like, but like that would make so much sense for them to go do something like that.

Every time we want them to be like, oh, let's do some splashy. They'll draft an edge rusher in the first round. Maybe they'll draft a corner in the first round. They've done both of those things in the last five years. but I think for this problem specifically, it's probably more in character for them to just say, eh, we'll figure it out with these stopgap veterans. We'll make it work.

And you know what's funny, though? So they do that they always sign these stopgap guys and older guys at receiver, and they do it at pass rusher. With receiver, it usually doesn't work, but then every now and then you get to Steve Smith. With the pass rushers, it like mostly has worked. Like you think about the Justin's. Yeah, like it's kind of incredible their hit rate on it.

So to me, if they brought back Zed Smith, that would be like eight sacks. He'll figure out a way to get his production. He may, I mean, he's going to sign for $5 million bucks and then signed for $12 million next year based on what he does with the Ravens.

It feels like inevitability. Another team that very clearly needs defensive line help, the San Francisco 49ers need multiple guys along their defensive line. We haven't talked about the Niners very much. For Niners fans that are a little upset that we didn't discuss them on the, are you freaking out show or the NFC teams

that's spent. It's because we had a pretty extended Niners conversation on our day two free agency recap after everyone had been released, just kind of talking about how this felt like a pivot point for the Niners. So if you're a Niners fan and want like a big picture discussion about what they've done this offseason, that is available to you on that day two free agency recap. So I would go check that out. But as you look at the, say, refreshed Niners roster, I'm trying to be as as delicate as I can be with some of these. Is defensive lines the number one need for you as they hit reset here a little bit? Yes.

And at first I thought I was just going to think about this in terms of the interior, which I do think is a little bit more pressing because at least on the edge, even though you need probably a better two and three, at least you got Nick Bosa and that is something. With the interior, you have a lot of these guys that are probably best served as like rotational players. Like I think that that is true of Jordan Elliott. I think that that's true of Kevin Givens.

They still have Kalia Davis, who is like pretty much in that tier. So they to me, I think, would be best served. If they could sign any of the nose tackle types left, I know I'm going to say Lecky Foto for the 800th time, but like that's probably their best option left in that regard. And then I think you probably have to swing on one of those guys in the draft, whether it's in the first round with like a Kenneth Grant from Michigan or if in the second or third round, you can find one of these other nose tackle types.

Like in Alfred Collins, I think out of Texas, it's like 3.30. That could be the body type that they need. So this is probably a team that has. to double dip at interior and then even then they still have an issue on the edge. I'm going to make a very cruel comparison here that I do think works. You know what this group reminds me of right now as I look at it? Oh, don't say the Bengals. No, it feels like the 2022 Browns.

Oh. Oh, that unit was bad. They got. So you have Miles Garrett over. Right. So you have Miles Garrett. And then you have Jordan Elliott was their number one snap. out on the defensive interior that year.

It was actually Jordan Elliott. He got 700 snaps for that team. It was JOK, I think his second year. So they were young at linebacker, and they had nobody else on the edge. The edge of Davian Clowny on the edge. He only played 500 snaps to them. He only played 12 games.

But the interior pieces and just the edge depth around Miles Garrett, that's what this group reminds me of. It's pretty bleak as it currently stands. You do not want to be compared to the 22 Browns or one of the worst run defenses I think I've ever seen. I was going to say, that defensive interior linebackers included because look jok does some stuff well he does not do well when guards are allowed to climb to him from double teams that are just getting moved all the time so

that was one of the worst like spying of the defenses that i've ever seen and so to be compared to them which does feel mean but also looking at the depth tried as it stands is probably not that far off it's it's a pretty scary predicament for them to be in at least in that you got mustafo you got Fred Warner, you got a little bit more pop through the spine on the second and third level. But the defensive line specifically that it's giving me shades of that. It's even the same defensive system.

The Browns were running that defense because of what Robert Sala did to them, or did to Kevin Sifansky in the playoffs in 2019. So there are a lot of connection points here that I don't think you want to have if you're building the San Francisco 49ers defense for 2025.

We're going to take one more quick break, come back and hit Really only four teams because we already talked about the Texans before we get out of here. Sticking with some, I was trying to make a fun transition between the Niners and the Cowboys. Former storied NFC franchises, but the Niners have been good recently. The Cowboys haven't. So speaking of prominent NFC franchises, the Dallas Cowboys need a receiver and they need one desperately. And this is probably one we could have included in the first two or three teams based on how glaring the need actually is as we get to

mid-March. Yeah, and this, again, probably a team that needs to double-dip, which is, I think, not what they want to hear to have to spend that many resources, but the pain point for me is that this was a problem last year, where we knew going into last season that they didn't have enough receiving talent for them to be the team that they wanted to. And so now they're sitting here again, where it's pretty much C.D. Lamb and a bunch of guys, and even like Brandon Cooks, who they maybe thought that they could still get something out of last year is no longer on the roster. So, they are probably in a spot where they need to sign anybody. who can play outside for them, which at this point I'm going to assume is not going to be a Mari

Cooper. Like, I don't know what the relationship is like, but I assume that's off the table for them. So they're probably left with like Saffon Diggs or maybe they're the Tyler Lockett team. And then you still need to go spend probably one of your first three picks at receiver. I think that's kind of where I said too. Even if they go out and get Diggs, which I think could make sense for them, just based on the skill sets that they have. I still think that I would want to go see them chase speed and explosiveness at receiver, even if they brought one of those guys in.

And you know what? I'm definitely more critical of Diggs and his style of receiver I think than you are. But I do think this is actually a perfect spot for him because I think sometimes when we've seen the best of Dack, it's when he's just in the gun, he's being the sheriff, he's doing all this stuff. And I do think Diggs who's like is just a pure one-on-one like man coverage beater. It actually does make sense for like that style of quarterback. I think that's fair. And I think the teams got away with playing a lot of sticky coverage against the Cowboys last year because they just didn't have separators. And so somebody, like that would make some sense. But I do want to see them chase upside of that position in the draft because they desperately need it. Again, this is the team where midseason last year I'm calling for more Kavante Turpin playing time because it is just the slowest, just most molasses-like skill position group almost in the NFL, even when you consider the fact that they have CD-LAM. A couple more small ones here, the Broncos running back spot just needs to be addressed.

And it feels like more and more signs are pointing to them doing it. potentially even at 20. Like Dane, Mockto-Merry, Hampton there. I think other people have talked about why that might be a fit if they can't come up for Ashton Genti, which I don't think they should. I don't think you should be trading up 10 spots in the first round to draft the running back ever. But if you want to draft one in the first round because you feel good about the other

infrastructure you have, I totally understand that. And it does feel like we might be trending in that direction where they take one pretty early in this draft, given the hold that they still have. I think if they want to fix the position and get more pop, it has to be in the draft. There's nobody left in free agency to do it. It's like you would pray. There wasn't anybody to start with. Right.

There wasn't anybody to start with. And there's certainly not anybody left. Like, even the guys who theoretically you think might have pop or did have pop at one point, it's like 30 year old Jeff Wilson, which is probably not going to do it for you at this point. And so if they want to address this and get more pop at that position, I think it has to be in the draft. I think as far as getting the guys who can get you five yards is five yards is blocked. like, Outrick Esmé is going to be fine for them there. But the offense, you know, we've seen with Sean Payton before has a little bit of like a guy who can take that type of workload and then has a more dynamic player who can be a little bit more of a pass catcher, give you a little bit more pop. They need to go find that in the draft, whether it's in the first round or second round, whatever it is.

I'd be curious to see how aggressive they still aren't adding pass catchers after going and getting Evan Ingram. Is it still an option for them to draft a tight end early even if they have Ingram? where do they look for another receiver? Do they think they need another receiver based on the current makeup of that room? So I've been intrigued by the Broncos offseason to this point and I still am paying a lot of attention to where the next two or three moves come from.

Where I talked about the Texans offensive line, that was going to be one of them before the Cam Robinson signing. Now in my mind it was interior. Now it feels like they, again, they thought the left tackle was a more pressing need for them immediately, which I think lends you some insight into their plans and how they see that group coming together. I got two more.

A team that we haven't not talked about almost at all in free agency, except we were applauding their very modest moves because they were modest and made sense. But if you look at the Miami Dolphins defensive depth chart right now, it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. I don't know how you feel about it. Okay. So what's funny is that in a lot of these cases, it's like, okay, this team has players, but none of them are good.

So they need to upgrade it. The Miami Dolphins on the D line, they don't have players. They have three guys on the interior right now. It's like Zach Seeler and two guys that should not be starting for them at all next year. So this is a team again, you're going to have to double dip. And realistically, with free agency, you're probably just going to sign guys who are going to be depth pieces for you. But then in the draft, like, if they spent their first two picks on defensive linemen, I don't even think that that would be crazy.

If you look at their defensive line depth chart as it currently stands, I'm just looking at the R-Laz depth chart right now. They have no players on the second line among their defensive linemen. There's just three defensive tackle, like three interior defensive linemen currently on the roster. Two of them were street free agents from last year. So seeing them add low-cost players in free agency is almost a given while trying to add some real pieces in the draft. But then you even look at the secondary right now as it currently stands. I like Efei Mel Phonwoos like a low-cost swing because I do think he's talented and explosive. But him and Ashton Davis are currently slotted to be starting safeties for them.

And then their other starting outside corner, other than Jalen Ramsey, is Storm Duck, if you're looking at the depth chart as it currently stands. This is fine when you're a team that doesn't have a ton of resources. The problem as I stare at this is that this feels like a deeply important year for this regime in Miami. And the fact that this is the current state of the defense as we inch toward the regular season or we get past the first wave of free agency is at least a little bit concerning to me. Like maybe they go out and get one of these veteran corners and they have enough bodies at the end of it to piece it all together. But if I were a Dolphins fan

and I knew this season was make or break for this entire group and this was the current state of the defensive personnel, I would be a little bit concerned. Yeah, corner you could, like they could probably sign one of these veterans and I would look at the three corners. They just go get Kendall Fuller again if they wanted to.

He's sitting out there. Honestly. And like if they did that, I'd be like, this isn't great. But this is passable. To me, where I have the, issues is one looking at again that they have no second line on the defensive line and only one good player period in that unit and then also Ashton Davis starting at safety terrifies me. So I don't know if they go sign another free agent to play safety, but then you would be signing

three guys, which feels crazy. But I don't know, man. Like this, it's just not a good. This is the most, you remember how like two, three years ago with the Chargers, it was a very Stars and Scrubs defense. and it turned out that the scrubs really made them worse than the stars could allow for. Yes. This unit feels like that.

It's like Jordan Brooks, Jalen Ramsey, and maybe Jalen Phillips if he's healthy. And then other than that, man, it's tough. Part of the problem is if you look at what they've done and how they've built this group, they've put so many resources into edge rusher. And those guys just haven't been difference-making players. And even as you project forward into this year, they're not healthy. They're not healthy. And that's the concern.

They just haven't played very much. and almost in perpetuity, they're bouncing back from injuries. Jalen Phillips again this year, like when is he going to be able to play? I believe Bradley Chubb took a pay cut this year. I mean, and think about what they gave up for Bradley Chubb. It's not just the contract. They traded a first round pick for Bradley Chubb and then still needed to use a first round pick on Chop Robinson last year.

And so you just see overall an atrophy of the rookie contract talent, especially for them on defense. I was looking at just roster texture today, which is an interesting thing that over the cap does. anybody can go take a look at it. It's just the amount of different types of contracts that make up your team. And the dolphins are dead last in the number of rookie contracts currently on their roster, which shouldn't be surprising.

They've traded away a bunch of picks, Chubb, Tyree Kill, etc. But you feel that when you look at this group. There just aren't a lot of ascending players, especially on the defense that you feel good about. If you're going to do that, you have to hit on all the fourth round picks that you have left, which is what has allowed the Rams to kind of survive being that sort of team. But that's a very hard needle to thread consistently. And again, I'll make the same joke all over again. They've used most of those third and fourth round picks on fast running backs.

There haven't been a lot of them to go around in the secondary. Last one here, and this is one that you wanted to talk about. Even after the Hassan Reddick signing, you still feel like the bucks, I was going to say desperately or desperately might be strong. You still feel like the bucks need to add some help in the front seven. The front is not good. And what's funny is that a lot of these other teams that have front issues, specifically, like, just don't have a nose tackle.

The bucks have two. They have Vita Vian and they have great gain. So, like, that's not actually the issue for them. The issue for them is that the guys who play, like, the bigger defensive end for them in Logan Hall and Kalaja Cancie, they're kind of useful, explosive players, but they're also undersized. So I almost wonder if they would like to upgrade from there. But then you look at the other spots and it's like,

okay, yeah, yeah, Diabi to me is like a nice number three, potentially low end too. But if he's maybe still their best guy if Hassan Reddick doesn't turn out, well, that really is a concern to me. And then they didn't really add that many other pieces outside of Hassan Reddick. And then even at linebacker, like,

I know they brought back Lavante David, but he has clearly lost a step and they're going to have to replace him soon. And then you saw some stuff from Servossier last year, but like, or Servossier Dennis. But like, I just, again, I don't feel like that's a guy who was a long-term starter at linebacker for them.

So outside of the guy, that they have at nose tackle who are very obvious different makers mostly in Veya. This is still a front that does not inspire very much confidence in me. And last year, they still had some pretty big needs on the offense, right? It made sense for them to go get a Graham Barton. They drafted Chris Braswell in the second round last year, you know, supposed to be you pass Russia for them. So, you know, potentially if you build in some development there.

And he's like, I actually kind of liked him coming out of college, but he is a, he's kind of like what Anthony Jennings is, honestly, for the Patriots where it's like, okay, he plays really hard and he can set the edge and run defense. I don't know how many sacks he's going to get you outside of like the high effort pick stuff up in the end. And maybe I'm wrong on that, but, and that's a useful player to have. I just don't know if it solves the pass rush thing for me. I like Diabi probably more than you do. I think that he's definitively like a workable to moving forward, but adding like a true ace and a long-term ace that makes whatever you get out of Hassan Reddick kind of irrelevant in the long term. I still think

that does make sense for where this team is right now. Yeah. Like so if it's a good class to find an edge man, it would be really hard to knock them out of the first round with that one if they, if they wanted to go get one. And I think that does make sense. Again, just based on the availability, the players in this class, what this class looks like and what their needs are, seeing them take another big swing there. It wouldn't surprise me at all. All right. That is all we've got. So that kind of ties a bow on our free agency coverage here over the last nine or so. days. Some of these needs will be filled inevitably, like the Cam Robinson thing over the next couple weeks. I apologize for that. Not a ton we can do. But I do think just kind of reexamining where

those big holes still are after the first big wave of free agency is worth doing. Quick programming update here. This is going to be out on Thursday. We're going to be recording a mailbag for Monday. If you still want to send in some last minute questions on Thursday morning, Encourage you guys to do that. Athletic Football Show at gmail.com. Moving forward, now we're in our offseason cadence now that the craziness of free agency has slowed down. So what this is going to look like from now until the draft and then even after the draft, we're going to be doing shows Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. That's when these shows are going to be coming out.

Monday is going to be a mailbag every week all the way through the draft. So just consistently send in questions as you have them. because we're going to be digging through them on a weekly basis. Athletic Football Show at gmail.com, anything on your mind, send it along. And then we're going to be having three other shows every week all the way through the draft and then all the way through the off season. So those will be coming to you on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday is the only day we will have off.

So if you kind of want to recalibrate a little bit after the wave of shit in free agency came over us, that is what we're going to be looking like here over the next couple months. So we will be coming to you a lot, even if it's the off season. So I hope you guys are ready for a bunch of different sort of draft conversations because they're going to be coming your way here over the next five weeks or so. For now, that's all we got. Sincerely appreciate you listening. We'll talk to you very soon.