Triple bag alert, triple bag alert, triple bag
alert, folks. That's right. Garrett Wilson gets
paid. Trey Smith resets the guard market. Sauce
Garner resets the cornerback market. Terry McLaurin
speaks out. Juan Jennings gives the 49ers an
ultimatum. The NFLPA backs the league executive.
Why? I don't know. Why has only two second round
picks signed their rookie deals? TJ Wattrade,
question mark? Maybe. And we got to do gut check
time. That's right, folks. Gut check time. But
this time we're doing it a little bit different.
We're doing training camp edition. And we're
not just doing just one division. We're doing
two divisions. That's right. AFC North, NFC North.
So guess what? You already know my spell. So
guess what? This is the 85th episode of the Football
Junkies podcast. All right. I am your host with
the most. I am your chief, Bagroll Adamas. That's
right. Chief, head of the table. Anything and
everything related to the bag. Rumors to the
bag. bag and more. But guess what? I am your
chief RSS affiliate. I am your GM who currently
is not on the team right now. But don't you worry
about it, okay? Don't you worry about it because
guess what? I am all these things and more. But
most importantly, the most important thing that
you must remember is I am your host, Kale. You
already know how things are about to go. So guess
what? If you have something that you have to
do. You got to clean your room. You got to clean
the house. Got to clean the bathroom. Whatever
you got to do. Guess what? This is the episode
to listen to because guess what? This episode
is full of twists, turns, hot takes, truth bombs,
and more. So guess what? On three. One, two,
three. Let's lock in. Right folks, let's just
get into the meat and potatoes of everything
that is going on in the league right now. And
man, is there a lot of stuff going on in the
league right now. For some teams, they've already
started training camp. For others, I think they
start either today, tomorrow, or next week. Depends
on the team. We're not worried about that, okay?
Because we got bag alerts, all right? We got
triple bag alerts to talk about, all right? So
let's start things with Sauce Gardner, okay?
So Sauce Gardner inks a four -year, $120 .4 million
deal, $60 million guarantee, and he'll be making
$30 .1 million a year. When we look at his stats
from this past season, 49 tackles, one sack.
He was targeted 51 times for 28 receptions, allowed
454 yards, one touchdown, and had one pick. Now
here is a... A junkie nugget that definitely
caught my attention that I just had to bring
it up. So this is according to Zach Rosenblatt
on X. So from 2011 through 2022, the Jets only
signed one first round pick to a second contract.
And that was Muhammad Wilkinson. Since then,
Quinton Williams in 2023, they re -signed him.
Garrett Wilson, 2025, they re -signed him. And
then Sauce Gardner in 2025. Times are changing,
which is true. But I feel like the Jets overpaid
Sauce. And let me explain why. Sauce last season
didn't play his best ball. And so in my mind,
I would have thought Sauce would have taken a
little bit less just to say, hey, I'm still that
guy. Let me just prove it to you guys. Instead
of just saying, hey, we're going to reset the
market for you. If the Jets would have made him
top five or top 10 highest paid corners, I would
have no problem with that because he's still
a top five, the top 10 corner, depending on who
you ask in the conversations and whatnot. But
to reset the market for Sauce, it's a little
bit of a head scratcher, honestly. Because on
one hand, yes, Sauce Garner is a really good
player and he's probably their best corner since
Darrell Rivas. But on the other hand, resetting
the market is... To me, resetting the market
means you've been balling out since coming into
the league compared to, you know, you may have
probably two good seasons out of three or, you
know, three seasons out of four or whatever the
case may be. And now we're just, you know, we're
only talking about resetting the market. That's
where we get things a little bit tricky. But
congratulations to Sauce. Now let's talk about
somebody else that got paid. All right. So Trey
Smith. Guard for the Chiefs inks a four -year
$94 million deal, $70 million guaranteed, and
he'll be making $23 .5 million a year. So this
was expected. We all knew that the Chiefs had
until four o 'clock yesterday afternoon to finalize
a long -term deal with Trey Smith. Otherwise,
he was going to play on the franchise tag. And
there was a moment in time where the Chiefs were
skeptical on if they were going to be able to
get that deal done, but they were able to hash
it out. And so congratulations to Trey Smith.
Now, the question is, are the chiefs going to
start contract negotiations with Trent McDuffie?
Because that's another person that they need
to take care of. And the question is, with Sauce
Gardner getting his deal yesterday, does that
make Trent McDuffie want to be top five highest
paid, top three highest paid, reset the market?
What exactly is the magical number for Trent
McDuffie? only time will tell but let's talk
about another jet that inked a deal and that
is garrett wilson who inked a four -year 130
million dollar deal 90 million guaranteed he
gets a 13 .75 million dollar signing bonus and
he'll be making 32 .5 million a year which is
a little bit of a head scratcher because at first
I thought Garrett Wilson was just going to just
play out the rest of his deal and hit free agency
or better yet, just take a short -term deal so
he can hit free agency while he's still in his
prime. But clearly that's not the case. Garrett
Wilson has a lot of upside to his game. And if
the Jets find stability at quarterback, it's
to the moon. Garrett Wilson could possibly be
in the same conversation as... you know, an A
.J. Brown, a Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase type
of receiver because he has that skill set. You
were talking about somebody who, and I had to
look this up and it was actually crazy. He's
one of five receivers in NFL history that have
80 plus receptions, 1 ,000 plus receiving yards
in each of his first three seasons. The other
receivers, Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Michael
Thomas, and OBJ. That's a pretty good class to
be in. But let's go a little bit deeper into
this extension. So according to Reception Perception,
Garrett Wilson's success rate against zone coverage
is 82 .4%. His success rate against man coverage
is 77 .6%. His success rate against press coverage
is 78 .6%. So you're talking about somebody that
is pretty good when it comes to man zone and
press coverage. Not to mention, when you look
at his success... by routes you're talking about
somebody that that has a 94 .7 success rate at
flat routes you're talking about somebody that
has almost a 90 success rate in a lot of the
routes so why wouldn't the jets want to pay him
the way that they paid him not to mention the
deal doesn't kick in until the 2026 season But
let's keep talking about wide receiver, okay?
So Jawan Jennings, wide receiver for the 49ers,
has informed the team that he is looking for
a new deal or he wants out. So he's in the final
year of his deal, making $7 .5 million this season.
And according to SpotRack, his market value is
two years, $20 million, which is $10 million
a year. Now here's the crazy thing about it.
His stats this past season, although to some
they may not be the best, is still very productive.
He had 113 targets for 77 receptions, 975 receiving
yards, 6 touchdowns, and 12 .7 receiving yards
per reception. But here's a junkie nugget. According
to the 33rd team, among players who ran 200 plus
routes, Jawan Jennings ranked in the top 20 in
yards per route run and in total EPA on targets.
Folks, you're talking about somebody that is
a very productive wide receiver two, wide receiver
three on a lot of teams. And the 49ers realize
that they need Jawan Jennings because there's
no other option at wide receiver. We still don't
know the timeline of Brandon Ayewick. Ricky Pearsall
is still trying to get used to everything. There's
no other options available other than Jawan Jennings.
What sense does it make giving Brock Purdy all
that money if he doesn't have a receiver to throw
to? Now, the question is this, and this is for
any receiver and this is for any player. What's
the magical number? Now, my number for Jawan
Jennings is probably between 15 to maybe 20 million
a year. Now, with the 20, that's with incentives.
But base salary, as far as guarantees and whatnot,
is between 15 to maybe 18 million a year. He's
not a wide receiver one. He's a wide receiver
two slash three on a lot of teams. But if you're
the 49ers ownership, you're probably starting
to get a little bit tired of this because how
many off seasons have we seen the 49ers once
again being the headlines of somebody who's looking
for a new deal? Go from Trent Williams, Brandon
Ayewick, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Fred
Warner. Everybody's looking for deals and everyone's
getting paid. But here's the thing though, nobody's
holding up a Lombardi trophy. Nobody's going
to the Super Bowl. So if I'm ownership, I may
be a little reluctant on giving Jawan Jennings
a deal because why? I don't roll this person
a check, that person a check, that person a check,
that person a check, and I haven't gone anywhere.
I haven't held up a Lombardi trophy because that's
what it's about. So at some point, the line has
to be drawn in the sand. I think John Lynch in
the front office will try to start up negotiations
with Jawan Jennings. And if they feel like his
number is a little bit too big, then they'll
probably ship him off. And then they'll probably
target a wide receiver when he gets to cut down
time at the training camp. Because there is a
potential that we can see a lot of receivers
getting moved once we get down to trimming down
the rosters. Keyshawn Boutier, Jalen Pohl, Javon
Baker, Dontavion Wicks, Romeo Dobbs. There could
be a lot of young receivers that they could possibly
get. Or you can make a big move and you can go
after someone like a Terry McLaurin. You know,
just saying. Which, speaking of Terry McLaurin,
we need to talk about this situation, okay? So
Terry McLaurin was able to speak to the media
after shooting a commercial with Eastern Motors.
If you know, you know. I'm not going to get into
that because it might get copyright struck. He
basically voiced his displeasure on how things
are going between him and the commanders. And
let's just get into everything. So here are some
of the talking points from this situation. So
Terry McLaurin has said both sides haven't talked
in a month. He's undecided on if he'll report
to camp, but we'll see what happens. He's frustrated
and disappointed on how negotiations are going
and doesn't know the outcome. He wants the commanders
to let him know that if he's a part of the future
or not. He's also said that Jaden Daniels has
voiced his support during this entire process.
But here are some of the quotes from that media
session. And I quote, It's obviously the compensation,
but it's kind of like the confusion. All year,
you feel like you're a part of something. You
earn the right to be a captain. When you have
that type of production, when you know how people
value you and see you and have told you to your
face, and then you see how it's progressing until
this point, that's very disappointing. I'm just
trying to get some clarity. Shoot it to me straight,
end quote. He also goes on to say this, end quote.
I guess you can say there is no point of return.
I don't think it's at that point now, but time
is kind of ticking, end quote. He also says this,
end quote. When things were adverse, when there
was a lot of chaos going on, I held firm. I held
strong. I held my head high and I was a leader.
I'm going to continue to do that, end quote.
He also goes on to say this, end quote. With
how the market is today, it conveys what guys
of my caliber are deserving of. I feel I fit
in that box because of how I've carried myself
on and off the field. I don't want to feel like
you have to beg for someone to see your worth
and value. Everything in previous regimes and
now I've done everything asked of me, end quote.
While I understand this is a new regime change
and the front is different, so their vision may
be different, their approach to contracts are
different. I get all of that, but this is a no
brainer. If he wants 30 million, give him 30
million. Better yet, I'll give you two extra
million just to show you of how much I love and
appreciate you as a person. Because Terry McLaurin
deserves that. Let's be real here, folks. The
last deal that he signed, that was a cheap deal.
He took a team -friendly deal. Now he's looking
for a re -up. He's looking for a real deal. So
it's only right that you give him what he deserves.
If you paid Terry McLaurin between what DK Metcalf
and Garrett Wilson got, Who's complaining? Because
by the time Terry McLaurin's deal is over with,
guess what? It'll be almost time for you to pay
Jaden Daniels or somebody else. So it's only
right that you take care of Terry McLaurin. It's
not going to hurt the team. It's actually going
to benefit the team because what you're doing
is playing a dangerous game, not only with the
players, but with the fan base. Not to mention
you're playing a dangerous game in the development
of Jaden Daniels. Why wouldn't you want to pay
his number one weapon? It's ludicrous. You've
made all of these moves in the offseason to better
this team, but the one thing that you need to
do, you haven't done yet. What's the problem?
Please tell me what's the problem. Now, see,
here's the thing. If Terry McLaurin's asking
price was a little bit too high, if it was in
the range of what Justin Jefferson and Jamar
Chase was making, okay, fine. I have no problem
with that. You have every right to say no. But
if it's 30, 32, maybe 33 at best, Who's complaining?
No one. You give him the deal. He shows up. Everyone's
happy. No problems. Now that we've talked about
contracts and whatnot for now, because we still
have some other things we have to talk about
with contracts. Let's talk about the Players
Association. So we all know about the whole collusion
case. I talked about it in the previous episode.
If you guys haven't listened to it, please go
ahead and listen to it. Also, listen to Pablo
Torres's. episode as well, because he did a more
deeper dive into the entire collusion case as
well. So this is what the NFLPA had to say about
the calls for the resignation of Executive Director
Lloyd Howe, and I quote, As members of the NFLPA
Executive Committee, we categorically reject
false reports insinuating doubts within this
committee or suggestions that we have asked our
Executive Director to step down. We further reject
attempts to miscategorize the committee's views
or divide our membership. We have established
a deliberate process to carefully assess the
issues that have been raised and will not engage
in a rush to judgment. We believe in and remain
committed to working with our executive director
and other members of the NFLPA staff and player
leadership who have a shared mission to advance
the best interests of players. As we approach
the 2025 season, we look forward to continuing
our important work together and ensuring the
strength and unity of our association. If this
ain't a load of shit, I don't know what is. I'm
going to be really honest with you because there
is no way under God's green earth that you as
an executive director and the NFLPA staff can
allow someone like lord howell to continue to
represent the players association when literally
in this collusion case it shows his inability
to execute his job not to mention the way that
he was able to acquire said job is also controversial
in itself why would you want someone like that
representing the players association why would
you want somebody who clearly is not for the
players. He's for the corporation, which is the
NFL. May I remind you, folks, if you guys haven't
looked this up, Lloyd Howell was a part of one
of the biggest scams in U .S. history with Booz
Allen. I'm not going to go in depth with it because
if I do, that'll be another 20 to 35 minutes.
I'm not going to do that. If you want to, go
on Google, type in his name, and then type in
Booz Allen. It's going to tell you the entire
story. Why would you want someone like that representing
the Players Association? No. Absolutely, positively,
hell no. And if I'm a player, I'm raising some
sand about this because why? This collusion case...
On top of this statement shows that the Players
Association is not for the player. Instead, it
is for the owners, it is for the league, and
it is for the Shield. And that's not how this
is supposed to work. The Players Union is supposed
to be the thorn in the league's side. They are
supposed to be the people that continues to just
nag at them every single chance that they get.
Every time. But we don't have that right now.
Instead, what we have is two people that say,
hey, we really don't like each other, but in
actuality, you guys are doing business with each
other. On top of that, if you guys didn't listen
to the previous episode when I talk about the
collusion case, there's also something that I
want to add in as well. Lloyd Howell is a part
-time consultant for the Car -L Group, which
is an NFL -approved private equity firm that
is seeking minority ownership within NFL franchises.
Conflict of interest? Somebody that clearly is
for the league instead of the players? Oh, but
wait. There's more. And you were a part of the
group who said, you know what? We can't let this
case get out to the players. We are going to
hide this. Let's agree, NFL, to hide this from
the players so they don't know exactly what we
just did. Folks, if I'm a player... If I'm someone
like a Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Russell
Wilson, hell, if I'm any of the players that
were involved in this collusion case, I am blowing
this up. I'm name dropping because it's not right
that you have somebody in a position of power
such as Lloyd Howell who is not in favor for
the players, but instead is in favor for the
league and the owners. At some point, someone's
going to have to man up and talk about this.
At some point, significant change is going to
have to occur. Otherwise, people like Lloyd Howell
are going to continue to stay in power. People
like J .C. Tretter, yeah, J .C. Tretter, that
J .C. Tretter, the one that played for the Browns,
the one that put Lloyd Howell in position because
y 'all was trying to look out for each other.
That's what that is. You scratch your back, I
scratch yours. You look out for me, I look out
for you. And this is where we are. And if I'm
a player, especially a player of power, I'm raising
sand. I'm raising sand every chance I get. Every
time somebody wants to ask me a question, I'm
bringing it up because you know why? It needs
to be known. The players need to know exactly
what's going on because this is going to have
future ramifications on future contracts. Look
at the next batch of quarterbacks that are going
to be looking for money. You don't think these
teams are going to do the same thing that they
just finished doing to Russell Wilson, Kyler
Murray, and Lamar Jackson? Please. No matter
how many handshakes they give you, no matter
how many times they ask, oh yeah, how's mom?
How's your family? How's your grandma? How's
things going? Guess what? Remember this case.
Remember this collusion case. Remember that the
league and the owners came together and said,
you know what? We are going to do everything
in our power. to prevent players from getting
large guarantees. Oh, by the way, we're doing
this in a period of time where the NFL is making
so much money that we just want to keep it for
ourselves. But you know what? We have no need
to talk about that, you know? We have no need
to talk about that because we got some other
things that we have to talk about, and that is
this whole, well, you know what, better yet?
Yeah, I'm going to say the TJ Watt thing later
on. We have to talk about the rookie deals real
quick. A lot of people are wondering what's going
on with the second round rookies. And I finally
got some clarification about it. So all the second
round rookies are now looking for fully guaranteed
contracts. And this is all thanks to the Texans.
So the Texans gave Jaden Higgins the first fully
guaranteed contract as a second round pick. And
so in doing so, the Browns followed suit and
they gave their second round pick, Carson Swearinger,
as a fully guaranteed contract as well. Now,
Trey Harris, excuse me, wide receiver for the
Chargers, he's officially holding out because
he wants the same thing as well. So at some point,
league offices are going to have to give in.
You're just going to have to give second round
picks fully guaranteed contracts. That's just
what it is. We knew at some point this was going
to happen, and it finally happened. Now, this
is probably the wrong time for this to happen
because you have the whole collusion case happening
and you have the after effects with that and
now you got this. So, a lot of stuff going on.
But do I think there's going to be some resolution
anytime soon? No. Do I think this could possibly
get pretty ugly? Yes. Because if you only have
two second round picks that have signed their
deals, and nobody else has signed their contract,
that's not good. If you're a fan, you can't really
be mad at the players. You have to be in some
ways mad at the agents because the agents are
telling them, hey, don't step on the field until
you have a fully guaranteed contract. Are they
wrong? No. But again, this goes back to the previous
episode that I put out about the whole Kalooza
case and guaranteed contracts. At some point,
players are going to have to get fully guaranteed
contracts. That's just what it is. You play a
very brutal sport and you deserve a fully guaranteed
contract. Now, the way it's structured varies,
but there is a way that teams can have a fully
guaranteed contract for players. And that should
be an option that should be readily available
for anybody if they want to take that route.
But y 'all don't want to hear me talk about that.
Y 'all don't want to hear me talk about that.
But I know what y 'all want me to talk about,
and that is T .J. Watt, okay? Yeah. Steelers
fans, you're going to hate me today. But guess
what? I love each and every one of you. So according
to Andrew Filippone, Pat McAfee Steelers insider
Mark Caboli says the Steelers have inquired around
the league to see what T .J. Watt's trade value
is, called it, and I quote, doing their due diligence,
end quote. That's a big change in the T .J. Watt
discussion from a big -time Steelers insider.
That's what Filippone put out not too long ago.
Then 24 hours later, Mark Carbole puts this out.
He says Steelers are still in a holding pattern
with T .J. Watt's contract extension, length
of deal, guarantees, and total value. Basically,
everything, to some varying degrees, are the
sticky points right now. Even so, there is no
anticipation for Watt to hold out when camp starts
on July 23rd, and there has been no inquiries
made to other teams about trading him according
to sources. Basically, these are how high -profile
and big -money deals go. Seems like it could
go down the same wires it did in 2021. Now, according
to Nick Faribault from the Sports Breakdown podcast
via PennLive, shout out to him, He said the same
thing, which is year three guarantees and contract
leave. Here's the thing. Okay. If I'm the Steelers,
I'm trading away T .J. Watt. And I'm just going
to be very honest with you. This team is nowhere
competitive. This team has not shown that it
is going in the right direction. And there are
too many question marks on this team. It's time
for you to give TJ Watt a better opportunity.
If you aren't willing to break out of the mold
that you've been in for the past, I don't know,
10, 15 or 20 some years for a star player, a
game changer, a person that stats show that if
you don't have him on the field, you are going
to lose more games than win. Then what are we
doing? See, it's one thing if this was just a
normal pass rusher who he's had, you know, two
really good years and, you know, he's feeling
himself and whatnot. Okay, fine. You can put
your feet in the sand. But y 'all know TJ Watt
took a discount with the last deal. So it's only
right that you do right by him this deal. Not
to mention, let me put a little bookmark in that
because we have to go back to the whole Kaboli
thing. We all know Marco Boli got a phone call.
Because, see, ain't nobody finna just put out
a tweet in 24 hours that says something contradicting
to what they originally said. No. The Steelers
are shopping around T .J. Watt. They're asking
different teams, hey, if we made T .J. Watt open,
what's the asking price? What would you be willing
to give up to get someone like a T .J. Watt?
And they probably didn't like their response.
And so they went back into, you know, contract
negotiations. On top of that, they don't want
something like that to get out because if that
happens, that could potentially mess up any progress
that's been made between T .J. Watt and the Steelers
right now. See, I know there's going to be people
that's going to be thinking, well, you got your
tinfoil hat on and you're probably, you know,
in a dark basement, in a dark room with no light
on, you know, thinking about these conspiracy
theories. No, I'm just putting two and two together.
December comes around. Guess where they're going?
Cancun, Turks and Caicos, Paris, London, Japan,
Canada, Brazil, Cape Town. You know, vacation.
See, here's the thing, okay? Last season showed
us a lot. That gauntlet specifically showed that
this team still can't go toe -to -toe with the
Chiefs or the Ravens. or even the Eagles. So
if I'm TJ Watt, if I'm getting up in age, if
I want to win a championship, and I know that
this team is not in no capacity of winning a
championship within the next three years, I got
to go. I got to bust a move because I want to
win a championship. And if I'm TJ Watt, I would
say, you know what, Omar, I'm going to make it
easy on you. Trade me. Because there's no need
in me staying on this team and continuing to
buy into this foolishness that every single year
they find a way to build it up with Steelers
fans and the media thinking that, oh, the Steelers
are legitimate contenders when they're really
not. They're actually pretenders. There's no
need to do it. Think about this for a second
here, folks. Next year, they're going to have
to draft a quarterback. Okay, cool. And on top
of that. You'll probably have to get some weapons
and you may have other things that you have to
talk about, which we will talk about when we
get to gut check time. If you're TJ Watt, you
understand that rookie quarterbacks don't win
the Super Bowl. So then that's another year that
you're going to have to wait. Who wants to keep
on waiting? See, here is the number one thing.
Here's the secret sauce for all the teams right
now that are Super Bowl contenders. You want
to know the one thing that they all have in common?
They hit on their drafts. That's the number one
thing that's been keeping the Steelers from being
ultra competitive right now. They haven't been
hitting on their draft picks. That's the reason
why Kevin Colbert and those Steelers in the early
2000s were super successful. Because you know
why? Year after year, what was Kevin Colbert
doing? Hitting on his draft picks. Not just his
first and second round picks, but his third,
fourth, fifth, sixth. Seventh round picks. And
so when you hit on those picks, that mitigates
the cost in trying to get somebody via free agency
or in the trade. But now this team has gone through
a stretch since 2017 because we all know that
TJ Watt is the last first rounder to get a second
contract with this team. Since then, Terrell
Edmonds, Devin Bush, Kenny Pickett, who else
you want to go? Possibly Broderick Jones. That's
almost four people, four first -rounders that
didn't get a second contract with the Steelers.
That pushes you back a lot. That affects you
a lot in your decision -making moving forward,
not to mention the mishandling of Kenny Pickett
by not firing Matt Canada after that first season,
instead of keeping him. That also pushed the
team back. A lot of moves that have been made
for the Steelers have pushed them back instead
of pushed them forward. So if I'm TJ Watt, send
me to the Eagles. Send me to the Lions, 49ers,
you know, teams that are actually competitive.
Not a team that just shouts from the mountaintop,
oh, yeah, we're super competitive. Oh, yeah,
this is going to be our year. It's a Super Bowl
mentality. That's all that it is. No, it's not.
No, it's not. But you know what? You know what
time it is? It's gut check time, folks, all right?
Let's talk about gut check time because this
one's going to be a little bit different, okay?
Instead of us doing the normal one that we used
to do during the regular season, we're going
to do something a little bit different. This
one is for the training camp, okay? So I decided
to break this down like this. So we're going
to talk about positional battles to watch out
for, players to keep an eye out for, the storyline
for the team, and possible free agency additions.
So let's just get into it. AFC North, all right?
So with the Ravens, the positional battles that
I'm looking out for are guard, cornerback, and
not specifically cornerback one, quarterback
two, quarterback three, or quarterback four,
but, you know, quarterback five and quarterback
six, edge, and inside linebacker. Now, here are
the players that I want to keep an eye out for.
David Ajabo, Daniel Falele, TJ Tampa, Octavius
Robinson, Adiza Isaac, and Ben Cleland. Now,
there's probably a few more, but those are the
main ones that I really have my eye on. So let's
start with David DiGiabo. The Ravens have been
very lenient with David DiGiabo. They're trying
to give him a chance because we all know that
coming out of Michigan that year, he was slated
to be a first round pick. And then he got injured.
I think he routine drill and he just fell off.
And so the Ravens are trying to, you know, find
a way they can tap into that potential that he
had when he was coming out of Michigan. So far,
that's been unsuccessful. And he's on the outside
looking in for for for pass rusher. And so if
I'm David Ajabo, you got to be spectacular not
only in training camp, but also in preseason.
You have to give the Ravens a reason not to cut
you, because right now it's looking likely that
you may not make this team. Same thing with Daniel
Felele. They've tried you in different positions
and you haven't been successful in them. Why?
I don't know. So can you blame the coaching?
I don't think so because everybody else is catching
along with it. So what exactly is causing Daniel
Felele to not progress like how he's supposed
to progress? Now, I'm not saying he has to take
this ginormous leap and become an all pro this
season. No, but if you are a league average to
a league above average guard. Who's complaining?
No one. But you have yet to show anything, and
that's important. TJ Tampa, you're on the outside
looking in, especially with the move with Jair
Alexander. You're definitely on the outside looking
in. So you have to be spectacular on special
teams, spectacular in training camp, and in the
preseason. If not, most likely they're probably
going to move on from you. Tavius Robinson, I
see the potential. But he has to put it together.
The pass rusher group is somewhat already established.
I mean, you have Adafio Way, you have Kyle Benoit,
you have Mike Green, the Green Machine, and you
have a few other pass rushers as well. And so
if I'm Tavius Robinson, I have to have a spectacular
training camp. See, that's the number one thing
with all of these players. You have to be spectacular
in training camp and in the preseason. See, that's
the number one thing that messes up a lot of
players, right? In training camp, you could be
having like, you know, three or four really good
practices. And, you know, everybody's talking
very high about you. But when the preseason comes,
you just fold. You're like a deer in headlights.
Can't be like that. Adiza Isaac, it's the same
thing that I said about Tavius Robertson and
David Ajabo. Ben Cleveland, it's time for you
to step up. It's time for you to show that you
belong to this team. Otherwise, guess what's
going to happen? The Ravens are going to get
a free agent guard. And I can already tell you
right now who they'll probably get. It'll probably
be Brandon Sheriff. But I'm going to save that,
okay? Now for the storyline for the Ravens right
now, prepare for battle. Because this is a make
it or break it year for the Ravens. It's time
out for the excuses. It's time out for, well,
we didn't do this and we didn't execute this.
And how we did this, we would have made it here.
We would have made it there. Would have, could
have, should have. Nobody cares about that. It's
either you make it to the Super Bowl this year
or just blow it up because you've invested far
too much into this team on both sides of the
ball. And you guys haven't made at least to one
Super Bowl. I'm not saying winning, but just
making it to the Super Bowl would mean a lot.
That would say, hey. All the moves that we've
made, it was worth it. But if you don't make
it to the Super Bowl, it was a waste. Every single
move from going after Roquan Smith and Jair Alexander
and getting this person, getting that person,
getting this veteran, getting that veteran. It
was all a waste. Because why? You're right back
where you are for the past few years. Losing.
And you don't want that. Now when we look at
possible free agency additions. especially for
guard, you know, you have Brandon Scherf, which
I think is a really good option, and I think
he probably would want to go to the Ravens. You
have Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez, John Feliciano,
Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner, Mark Glanowski.
You have varying options for guard. I mean, do
you bring in somebody to possibly push Daniel
Folele? Do you probably try to let him see how
things go? What exactly are you going to do?
Because if I'm Eric DaCosta at this point, The
gloves are off. We can no longer continue to
play patty cake with our players. Either you're
on the train or you're not. And if you're not,
we're going to bring somebody in. They're going
to take your job. Simple as that. Because right
now, the Ravens Super Bowl window is closing.
And every single year that you make it to the
Super Bowl, every single year that you don't
win a Super Bowl is a wasted year. Let's continue.
Edge. You have Von Miller, you have Matthew Judon,
you have Preston and Z'Darrius Smith, you have
Jadavion Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Kaiser White,
and John Kaminsky. Now, here's the thing. Jadavion
Clowney, I feel like, is a very interesting signing
because he's had history playing with the Ravens,
and he actually played really well with the Ravens.
That's how he was able to get the deal with the
Panthers. I think if the edge position doesn't
look that well, probably by the second or third
week of training camp, I'll call Jadavion Clowney.
Because, again, it's time to start winning. Inside
linebacker. See, here's the thing with inside
linebacker, okay? And this has nothing to do
with Roquan Smith. This has to do with transition.
Because right now, Teddy Buchanan can take his
job. Teddy Buchanan looked really well in minicamp
and in OTAs. Trent Simpson, your head is on the
swivel. So whatever you need to do, do it. Because
right now, somebody could possibly take your
job. But if the Ravens want to take a veteran
approach, they can go after someone like a Jawan
Bentley, Devondre Campbell, which I don't think
that will happen. If you know, you know. Eric
Hendricks and Neville Hewitt, just to name a
few. So all in all... The Ravens are still in
a really good position. I don't want to take
that away from the Ravens. They're still in a
really good position. They're still competitive.
They are still a Super Bowl team. But the time
for excuses is over. You have everything at your
disposal, especially with the move that they
made to get Jair Alexander. Oh, there's definitely
no excuses. If the Ravens don't win this year,
oh, that's it. That's it. Start calling for people's
jobs. Start calling for people to get traded.
All that and more. Because it's time to start
winning. I'm going to beat the dead horse until
the horse is no more. Until the horse is sprouting
up flowers. It's time to start winning. Now let's
get to the Browns. There are positional battles
I'm looking out for. Quarterback, running back,
wide receiver, edge, and left tackle. Players
that I'm keeping an eye on. Deontay Johnson,
DeJuan Jones, Kenny Pickett, Dylan Gabriel, Shador
Sanders, and Dylan Sampson. Their storyline.
Who's backing Flacco? Now, before we get to the
storyline, let's get to the players, okay? So,
Deontay Johnson, for starters, you're on a vet
minimum. You make one crucial mistake, they can
cut you. DeJuan Jones, it's a little bit tricky
with him because if I'm not mistaken, he's coming
off of injuries. So, for one, you want to see
what condition he's in. But two, you want to
see if he can take that next step to being better
than what he was last season. Yeah, that offensive
line is not looking pretty good right now. And
it also doesn't help that Jedrick Willis has
already said that he's not playing this season
so that he can get healthy for next season, which
I completely understand. But man, if I'm the
Browns, I would probably try to find a way to
get at least like a swing tackle or something
as an insurance policy. Can you pick it? You're
on the outside looking in, brother. Right now,
I would venture to say the Browns are probably
going to roll with Shador and Dylan Gabriel and
Joe Flacco before giving you a chance. Now, granted,
by some accounts, people will consider you as
a veteran. But right now, you really haven't
shown anything in your career for one reason
or the next. But I'm a little bit skeptical with
Kenny Pickett right now. Dylan Gabriel. You're
on the fence as well. Same thing with Shador
Sanders. It's basically who's going to be quarterback
two, quarterback three at this point. It's basically
anybody's spot right now. Dylan Sampson, I want
to see exactly what you're going to do, especially
with this whole Quinn Sean Jenkins situation.
This is now your opportunity to possibly get
the starting running back role. So what exactly
are you going to do? How are you going to respond
with this opportunity is my question. Now for
the storyline, who's backing Flacco? Like I just
said, because right now no one's going to be
focused on any other position than quarterback
because that's the position that they invested
the most into. They literally drafted two quarterbacks
in one draft. So everyone's going to be focused
on Shador as well as Dylan Gabriel, but I think
they're going to be more focused on Shador, especially
if the Browns give him an opportunity to start
in one of these preseason games. Oh, man. Everybody
is going to be talking about it. Now, when we
look at free agency additions, especially for
running back, they have options. Jamal Williams,
Gus Edwards, Jeff Wilson, Naheem Hines, Amir
Abdullah, Chase Edmonds, and Ernest Johnson.
That could be, you know, that could be an option
as well because he did used to play for the Browns
at one point. For edge, as I already said before,
with the Ravens, Von Miller, Matthew Judon, Preston
Anza, Darius Smith, Jadavion Clowney, Demarcus
Walker, Kaiser White, and John Kaminsky. Left
tackle, there really isn't any options available.
Sure, you could probably go with the swing tackle
route, but even then, it's really not the best.
Wide receiver, you have Keenan Allen, Amara Cooper,
Gabe Davis, Nelson Aguilar, DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd,
Chris Conley, and Jamison Crowder, just to name
a few. So when it comes to players to look out
for, I would say Jermaine Burton and Miles Murphy
for right now. I was trying to find a few others,
but really didn't have the best success. But
the storyline for the Bengals, I would say, is
who on the defense will step up? Especially with
everything going on with Shamara Stewart and
Trey Hendrickson. who on the defense is going
to step up? Because right now, the Bengals' defense
needs to move. Neither one of those pass rushers
are going to be on the team this season. Pardon
the interruption, but this is your GM, your bag
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Now back to the good stuff. Defensively, this
team right now could literally cause the Bengals
to not make it to the playoffs. I understand
that they have Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase and
Tee Higgins and they invest a lot of money into
them and I understand they have Micah Secchi
as well, but the fact of the matter is if you
don't have a defense, You're not going anywhere.
You're not making it to the AFC championship,
let alone to the second round of the playoffs.
So I don't know if the Bengals have to go and
get somebody in free agency. I don't know if
they have to try to find a way to, you know,
resolve things between Trey Hendrickson and Shamar
Stewart. But if I'm the front office. I would
rather to have resolution between both pass rushers,
but if I can't get that, then I'd rather go with
Trey Hendrickson over Shamar Stewart because
it looks like to me that Shamar Stewart is probably
going to go back to college or find another way
to just not be with the Bengals. Right now, if
you're the Bengals, you have a lot to do within
training camp. You have a lot of observations
and a lot of tough decisions that you're going
to have to make from the top down. And when we
look at possible free agency additions, I just
put safety in here just to, you know, just to
have something to talk about. I mean, you have
Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead,
Julian Blackman, Quandre Diggs, Chuck Clark,
just name a few. Edge rushers, you have Von Miller,
Matthew Judon, Preston, Anza Darius -Smith. Jadeveon
Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Kyzer White, John Kaminsky,
as I said before, wide receiver, of course, Keenan
Allen, Amar Cooper, Gabe Davis, Nelson Aguilar,
DJ Char, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley, Jameson Crowder.
Now, I just want to preface this. When I meant
receiver, I mean wide receiver three, if I'm
not mistaken, because Jermaine Burton, I don't
know what's going on with him, but he needs help,
okay? You continue to just get into trouble.
And I just don't understand why. Like, you're
a very talented receiver. You showed a lot at
Alabama. So I don't know what's going on. I don't
know if you need a new change of scenery, whatever
it is. Get it done. Because, bro, just stop.
There's only so many times a team is going to
give you a chance. Once you've run out of chances,
that's it. Now let's get to the Steelers because
this one is a little bit of a longer segment,
okay? So positional battles, wide receiver, guard,
tackle, defensive line, and safety, all right?
So players to keep your eye out for, Isaiah Loudermilk,
DeMarvin Liao, Daniel Aquale, Roderick Jones,
Corey Trice, Beanie Bishop, Mason McCormick,
Roman Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Logan Lee, and Dean
Lowry, okay? So let's start with Isaiah Loudermilk.
Well, specifically the defensive line. So the
interior defensive line is packed. You have Derek
Harmon, you have Y .A. Black, you have Daniel
Aquale. You have a lot of defensive linemen.
And not everyone's going to make the roster.
So the question is, who's going to do it? Who's
on the outside looking in? We already know Derek
Harmon is safe. We know most likely Y .A. Black
is possibly safe as well. So if I'm Isaiah Loudermilk,
I got to ball out. If I'm DeMarvin Lee out, I
got a ball out. If I'm Dean Lowry, you're probably
not going to make the roster. But if you can
at least put out some good tape for that, you
know, for maybe another team to possibly pick
you up, you know, that's an option as well. But
this is a very packed defensive line room. And
I just want to see how things are going to go.
We do know that the Steelers. This season are
definitely emphasizing bolstering of the defensive
line, and that has to do in part to, you know,
the beatdown that they took from the Ravens when
Derrick Henry almost ran for, you know, 300 rushing
yards. But DeMarvin Leal, his situation is very
unique because coming out of college, he was
a tweener. So I know, like, the Steelers used
him as a pass rusher in the interior defensive
line. Then, you know, edge rusher again. They've
just moved him everywhere, and it really hasn't
helped him out. So if you're DeMarvin Leal, I
guess the only thing you can do is try to put
out good tape. Because if you can't beat Jeremiah
Moon, I don't know what to tell you. Daniel Akwale,
same thing with Isaiah Loudermilk. Broderick
Jones, we can talk about Broderick Jones a little
bit. He has to show up. He has to step up. He
has to take a significant step forward. They're
not going to bring him back. And then that's
going to set back the team another year. Because
why? That's another first round pick that has
yet to show anything. Corey Trice, you're on
the outside looking in, brother. The problem
with Corey Trice is that he can't stay healthy.
If he just stayed healthy just a little bit,
I think he could have a legitimate chance to
make this team. But because his injury problems
have just been plaguing him since coming into
the league, you're on the fence. Now, Beanie
Bishop, this one's a little bit more controversial.
Here's why. Me personally, I wouldn't cut Beanie
Bishop just because of how well he played last
season. You're talking about somebody that had
four picks last season. He got two off of Aaron
Rodgers in one game. So I don't understand why
people are just automatically discounting Beanie
Bishop. But me personally, I feel like the slot
position. Should definitely go to Beanie Bishop
for right now. Granted, I understand he's at
a disadvantage because of his size, but he can't
control that. But the things he can control,
he tries to put his best into it. Mason McCormick,
sure, you had a pretty decent season last year.
Let's see if you can do that again. Roman Wilson,
it's prove it time with you. Same thing with
Cole Holcomb. It's prove it time. It's time to
show that you deserve to be on this team, especially
Roman Wilson. Right now, the wide receiver position
is open for you. So whatever you need to do,
do it. Because right now, if you don't, the Steelers
are going to either get Gabe Davis or try to
make a move. Just saying. Cole Holcomb, yes,
you took a pay cut, but I mean, again, you're
on the outside looking in because you haven't
played ball in over, what, two seasons, if I'm
not mistaken? Dean Lowry, I really don't expect
for him to make the roster, but... You know,
I've seen crazier things. The storyline for the
Steelers is what's the identity of this team?
And here's why. And this may turn into something
bigger, but, you know, I really don't care. Everyone
from the outside looking in is saying the same
thing about the Steelers. They're all in. They're
focused on winning a Super Bowl. They're going
to make a deep run in the playoffs this year.
I don't see it. There are too many question marks
on both sides of the ball to say that this team
is all in. You have Broderick Jones as a question
mark. You have Corey Trice, Joey Porter Jr.,
Darnell Washington, Patrick Queen, Keanu Benton.
You have a lot of players that have question
marks. And if they don't take a significant step
forward, That's going to push the team back.
And some of those players are getting ready to
enter into contract years. If I'm the Steelers,
this is a make it or break season, not just for
the players, but also for the coaching staff.
Because let's be real here, folks. If this team
doesn't progress or at least show that they're
headed in the right direction, Pat Meyer is going
to be without a job. T .A. is going to be out.
Who else? There's going to be significant changes
if this team doesn't show anything this year.
Because what's the identity? I understand that
they want to play Steelers football and they
want to, you know, run the ball down your throat
and be physical at the line of scrimmage and
impose their will against their opponents. But
every single time that they go up against true
competition, they fold. And see, that is why,
and I forgot to talk about this with the whole
TJ Watt thing, but that's exactly why I was very
critical about Omar Khan getting his extension
before TJ Watt getting extension. And I talked
about it on the TikTok, footballjunkiespod, by
the way. What does it look like that you as a
GM get an extension before your star player?
See, it's one thing if the team is heading in
the right direction and a lot of the question
marks on the team have already been answered.
Things are good. But that's not the case. Your
first round picks are still question marks. A
lot of your picks so far have been question marks.
Granted, you've done an okay job. You've done
what most GMs are supposed to do. And I understand
that you inherited a bad situation. You had to
clean up the books and you had to let a lot of
people go and whatnot. I get all that. But still,
this team has not made a significant leap to
say, hey, we're in a better direction under your
direction. So what sense does it make that, hey,
I'm going to take care of myself before I take
care of my star player? The star player who,
by the way, statistics show that if he's not
on the field, we're going to lose 60 % to 70
% of our games. That's selfish. And if I'm Art
Rooney, if I'm Mike Tomlin, I would say, oh,
what you doing there, play? Uh -uh, uh -uh, uh
-uh. You don't get an extension until... 90 gets
an extension. Then we can start talking about
you. Or better yet, I would have just waited
until the next offseason. That way you can observe
and say, hey, listen, we don't know if we're
going to keep him. We might move off of him.
We may extend him. We may trade him. We may do
something with him. Because right now there's
too many question marks on this team. I'm sorry.
Oh, and by the way, I just want to let it be
known for all the people that said that Broderick
Jones was going to be a good pick. Hey, guess
what? Told you so. Broderick Jones, and I know
I'm just skipping everywhere, but I just had
to get this stuff off my chest, okay? Broderick
Jones, unless he becomes, I don't know, average
to above average, it was a waste of a pick. Whereas
you could have had someone in Christian Gonzalez
who is way better, way more established, and
he would have addressed the need that, guess
what? You haven't really addressed successfully
in a very long time. But you know what you want
to do? You want to go with somebody just because
you like the look. You like the potential. Really
think about this here, folks. If you can't beat
Dan Moore, who was probably a league average
to possibly above league average left tackle,
and you're supposed to be more athletic than
him and just a better left tackle prospect than
him, and you can't beat him to take his job within
the first probably two years? Come on now. What
are we talking about? Just have to put that out
there. Another storyline I think we have to talk
about with the Steelers is what version of Aaron
Rodgers are they going to get? Because although
Aaron Rodgers says that he's all in, he's repping
the Steelers, he's wearing the apparel and whatnot,
I don't believe that. I just don't see it personally.
But what version are they going to get? Are they
going to get someone that's going to be willing
to listen? Or are they going to get somebody
that was throwing his own teammates under the
bus and complaining about the offensive scheme
and the play calling and whatnot? What version
are the Steelers going to get with Aaron Rodgers?
That's the number one question I want to know.
And let's talk about the NFC North, all right?
So this one should be fairly easy, okay? So for
the Lions, their positional battles to look out
for is guard, cornerback, and edge. Players to
keep an eye out for, Tate Rattledge, Christian
Mahogany, and Marcus Davenport, just to name
a few. So with them, we know that one of their
guards unexpectedly retired this offseason. So,
of course, they've had to elevate. And now Christian
Mahogany, if I'm not mistaken, is now the left
guard. And Tate Rattledge is the right guard.
So I just want to see how things are going to
work, especially for Tate Rattledge because he's
a rookie. You know, this is sort of like, you
know, just throwing him into the fire. Marcus
Davenport, I want to see exactly, is he going
to take another step forward? Is he going to,
you know, solidify his role at edge? What exactly
is going to happen? But the storyline for the
Lions is what's the identity of this team? And
let me explain why. So normally when you lose
coordinators, you will lose one, you know, one
offseason and you lose another one. probably
like two or three years later, but they lost
both their offensive and defensive coordinators
in one offseason. Not to mention, they also lost
the people that were under the offense and defensive
coordinators as well. So you've had a lot of
changeover when it comes to the coaching staff,
and all you've really done is just elevated a
lot of people that are already on the staff currently.
So I want to know exactly what's going to be
the identity for this offense. as well as this
defense. Because I feel like that's very important
right now because they're in a very important
window and they have to, and I mean have to,
make it to the Super Bowl. If they don't make
it to the Super Bowl, every move that they've
made so far was a waste. And then we're going
to have legitimate questions about Jared Goff
moving forward. Now we'll look at, you know,
possible free agency additions. Sure, you have
guard. You know, we've already went over Brandon
Sheriff, Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez, cornerback.
You know, you have James Bradbury, Kendall Fuller,
Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, Mike Hilton,
C .J. Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante Samuel
Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. If I'm not mistaken, he
used to play for the Lions. Edge, you have Von
Miller, Matt Judon, Preston Anzidarius Smith,
Jadavion Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Kaiser White.
You know, people have already said before. So
I just want to see exactly. How things are going
to go with the Lions. I knew I was forgetting
something. Let me backtrack. So for the Steelers,
for the possible free agency additions, especially
for safety, you have Marcus Williams, Justin
Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, Julian Blackman, Quandre
Diggs, Chuck Clark, Gar, we've already gone over.
Wide receiver, we've already gone over. Defensive
line, if they decide to take that route, if they
decide to trade away some people, you have Raekwon
Davis, Austin Johnson, Linbal Joseph, Taylor
Bryant, Maurice Hurst. Uh, tackle, if you want
to bring in competition for Broderick and maybe
Troy Fatano, you have, uh, George Fant, Andreas
Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Michael Dunn, Raven Clark,
Chris Hubbard, and Jermaine, uh, Fetty. Okay.
Now moving forward, let's go to the bears. Okay.
So their positional battles to watch out for
safety and left tackle, uh, specifically Kevin
Byard, the third and Braxton Jones. So the storylines
for the, for the bears is can, can Ben Johnson
unlock Caleb Williams? We all know that Caleb
Williams had a disastrous rookie season. And
so can Ben Johnson unlock something in Caleb
Williams that can elevate his play even more?
I mean, look, they've made investments into the
offensive line. They made investments into the
receiving core again and tight end and running
back as well. They've done a lot. And so. We're
starting to hit that point where, hey, is Caleb
Williams legit? Is he not? What exactly is Caleb
Williams at this point? And when we look at possible
free agency additions, you know, with safety,
you have Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan
Whitehead, Julian Blackman, Quandre Diggs, Chuck
Clark. Tackle, as I've said before, you have
George Fant, Andreas Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Michael
Dunn, LaRaven Clark, Chris Hubbard, Jermaine
Effetti. Because Braxton Jones right now. I think
you need to bring in some competition. I think
you need to see what you have in them. And if
you're not satisfied with that, well, then you
already know the next draft, you're probably
gonna have to draft a left tackle high or you're
probably gonna have to get one in free agency
or however you do it. But the time for excuses
for this team is starting to run out. The clock
is ticking now if you're the Bears. Now let's
get to the Packers, okay? So their positional
battles, wide receiver, interior offensive line.
I know, we'll talk about it. So players to keep
an eye out for, Romeo Dodge, Dontavion Wicks,
Elton Jenkins, Sean Ryan, and Isaiah Simmons.
So the reason why I have wide receiver is because
they've made a lot of investments into wide receiver
this off season, okay? They drafted Matthew Golden
and Savion Williams. So the question is this.
Are they going to transition Savion Williams
into someone of like a Cordell Patterson type
of role? How are things going to go? Because
remember, Christian Watson is still out. So you're
going to have Matthew Golden, Don Tavian Wiggs,
Romeo Dobbs, and I think who else, who else,
who else? McCole Harmon and a few other receivers.
So the receiver room is packed. So at least two
or three people are probably going to be moved.
The question is who? Do I think it's probably
going to be Romeo Dobbs? There's a possibility.
Do I think Dontavia Wiggs could possibly move?
That's a possibility as well. All options are
on the table for wide receiver. Now, Elton Jenkins.
I only put him up there because I know like previously,
like in the early parts of the offseason, there
was like some discourse between between him and
the organization because, you know, they wanted
him to move in and play at center. But then he's
like, hey, if I move in the center, then you
have to pay me as a center. And I don't know
what's going on at this point, but he's definitely
a name to keep your eye on. Just because, you
know, there's a chance he may stay at guard or
they may pay him as a center and then he transitions
to center. Only time will tell. Isaiah Simmons,
I want to see exactly what can you do. I understand
you were a high first round pick. You know, you
were super athletic and, you know, you could
play, you know, anywhere on the field. But so
far, you've only really been good at special
teams and, you know, the few times that you've
played a middle linebacker. So I just want to
see exactly. How are the Packers going to use
you? But the storyline for the Packers this training
camp is, can the Packers take the next step to
becoming legitimate contenders? Folks, the Packers
are a really good team. They have a really good
roster and a really competitive division. And
they have a really good quarterback in Jordan
Love. But the question is, what do they need
to do to take that next step? Is it an acquisition
of a player? Is it coaching? Is it a change?
What exactly do they need to do? Because I think
this Packers team can make a deep run in the
playoffs. But it all depends on what they do
now. And when we look at possible free agency
additions, I just put this up there just for
conversation. You know, if they decide to move
Elton Jenkins in and the backup who's going to
be the starting. The starting guard is not good.
You know, you can bring in someone like a Brandon
Sheriff, Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez, John Feliciano,
Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner, you know, just
to name a few. Wide receiver, I don't think they're
going to bring in anybody. I think they're going
to subtract, then add. Because remember, they
drafted Matthew Golden in the first round and
then Savion Williams in the second or third round,
if I'm not mistaken. So only time will tell with
them, all right? Now let's get to the Vikings,
all right? So the only positional battle that
I had with them was corner. And it was specifically
nickel corner, if I'm not mistaken. So the players
to keep an eye out for were Jeff Okuda, Isaiah
Rogers, and Makai Blackman. So here's the thing.
This Vikings team is loaded. But nickel is a
little bit of a sore spot for them. And you have
people like Jeff Okuda, Isaiah Rogers, and Makai
Blackman that are all going to be competing for
that role. Now, do I think Isaiah Rogers could
possibly win it? It's a possibility. But I think
if you're Jeff Okuda or Makai Blackman, you're
on the outside looking in right now, especially
someone like a Jeff Okuda. I want to know what
exactly the Vikings are going to do with this.
Are they going to try to let this play out and
then make a decision there? Or are they going
to bring in someone like a Stephon Gilmore who,
you know, he played last season with them and,
you know, that secondary was actually pretty
good. Because let's be real here, folks. This
Vikings team, their ceiling is very high. Okay,
am I saying they can make it to the Super Bowl?
No. But do I think they can make some noise?
For sure. Now, the original storyline that I
had was, how is J .J. McCarthy going to look?
And the other one I had was, can they reclaim
the fire that they had last year? Because last
year, there was a point in time where the Vikings
were on fire, defensively and offensively. And
then I don't know what happened, but, like, Sam
Darnold didn't play his best ball. They started
to lose some games. And then next thing you know,
one thing leads to another. And, you know, they're
just not playing their best ball. So what exactly
do the Vikings need to do to reclaim that fire?
Now, am I saying J .J. McCarthy can take them
to the promised land? No, because technically
speaking, this is his rookie year. But I do think
he has the intangibles. I think he has the the
the weapons around him to be very successful.
But I think only time will tell. And I want to
look at, you know, possible free agency additions.
You have James Bradbury, Kendall Fuller, Stephon
Gilmore. If you want to bring him back, Russell
Douglas, Mike Hilton, C .J. Henderson, Michael
Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley, just
to name a few. So I want to keep my eye on the
Vikings. I want to keep my eye on probably the
Packers, Lions, Browns, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers.
I'll probably check in every once in a while,
but I'm a little bit turned off with the Steelers
right now. That's another story for another day,
but I'm going to end this episode here. If you
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the South. That's right. NFC and AFC South. All
right. So stay tuned for that. That should be
coming out fairly soon. But this is your GM Kale
signing out. Peace and love. Later.