# The insiders Podcast: Cowboys Sign Edge Von Miller, Colts Sign WR Keenan Allen, and Falcons Sign DE Za’Darius Smith

An episode of [NFL: The Insiders](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1543090622), 19 Aug 2026, 43 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/0414225e-5167-477f-9f83-ae390070e4d2/da566779-5982-4380-82d7-b4ab001085f7/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=3e412703-0644-468e-9001-ae390070e4db

Mike Yam is joined by Dan Graziano and NFL Insider Ian Rapoport to share updates on Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane, and Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. Then they discuss the latest free agent acquisitions, including the Cowboys signing edge rusher Von Miller, the Colts signing wide receiver Keenan Allen, and the Falcons signing defensive end Za’Darius Smith. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:07] Speaker 1: Well, it's been a minute.
[0:08] Speaker 2: The last time a number one overall pick did not
[0:11] Speaker 2: start at the quarterback spot in Week one twenty eighteen.
[0:14] Speaker 2: It's been looking like Kirk Cousins. But what happened today
[0:17] Speaker 2: for Fernando Mendoza that's making us pause.
[0:20] Speaker 1: Oh, here we go.
[0:21] Speaker 2: Some California love on the show today. A joint practice
[0:23] Speaker 2: between the Niners and the Chargers. Injuries, though, continue to mount.
[0:27] Speaker 2: We have those details on deck and a defense in
[0:31] Speaker 2: reality that could only get better. Officially announced, a future
[0:34] Speaker 2: Hall of Famer is in the building. We hear from
[0:37] Speaker 2: Von Miller on this fresh edition of The Insiders, and
[0:42] Speaker 2: with that we welcome you into the show. Lowity and
[0:44] Speaker 2: Rappaport on Mike amone and look, I'm still new to
[0:47] Speaker 2: the show here. I'm trying to gauge what happens when
[0:50] Speaker 2: one of our guys is making a maiden voyage. Tan
[0:52] Speaker 2: Graziano ready to go. First edition to the Insiders, is there?
[0:55] Speaker 2: Oh all right, we'll just clap it up. We'll just
[0:57] Speaker 2: clap it down.
[0:57] Speaker 1: Welcome to the dance man.
[0:58] Speaker 3: What's up then?
[1:01] Speaker 4: Thank you very much, great to be here with you.
[1:03] Speaker 2: Uh, there's gonna be a lot of insight that I
[1:05] Speaker 2: know you're going to be able to offer us during
[1:07] Speaker 2: the course of this hour. Keep in mind we're knocking
[1:10] Speaker 2: on the door of some real significant news. Pukin Nakua
[1:13] Speaker 2: wide receiver, maybe the league's number one wide receiver. We
[1:15] Speaker 2: got some news on him coming up in just a bit,
[1:17] Speaker 2: but new today. Let's go Fernando mendoz Ha. So much
[1:21] Speaker 2: conversation about the number one overall pick. We've been watching
[1:24] Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins quarterback in that Raiders first team offense throughout
[1:27] Speaker 2: training camp, but today it was the rookie who took
[1:30] Speaker 2: some first team work at that joint practice against the Texans.
[1:33] Speaker 2: Here's his head coach, Clint Kubiak.
[1:37] Speaker 5: I wanted to see him, you know, going against the
[1:38] Speaker 5: Texans ones. That was our playing all along. Tell you
[1:42] Speaker 5: did some good things. Look forward to watching the tape.
[1:45] Speaker 5: But just he and his teammates, all these young guys
[1:48] Speaker 5: that were playing. We got to get him up to
[1:50] Speaker 5: speed real quick.
[1:51] Speaker 6: It's such a blessing and honored to be able to
[1:53] Speaker 6: play with the ones, but it's also blessing honor to
[1:55] Speaker 6: play with the twos and the threes and get reps
[1:56] Speaker 6: in general. So I'm very I say I'm very blessed.
[1:59] Speaker 6: I see as an opertunity of the coaching stop believing.
[2:02] Speaker 6: I mean, whatever opportunity I get, I want to take
[2:03] Speaker 6: advantage of and make sure that if they're positives from that,
[2:09] Speaker 6: learn from it. And there's neggets from that, learn from that.
[2:10] Speaker 6: If there's neutrals, learn from it. So I'm I think
[2:13] Speaker 6: it's great to get the speed of the game, because
[2:16] Speaker 6: every group is fast, but the ones might be elevated
[2:18] Speaker 6: a little bit more so to get that speed of
[2:21] Speaker 6: the game, be in there, be able to not only
[2:25] Speaker 6: excut the play, but also command the huddle, see and
[2:28] Speaker 6: read the defense pre snap, post snap. There's so many
[2:30] Speaker 6: different elements that I think are elevated and accelerated with
[2:34] Speaker 6: that group.
[2:36] Speaker 1: Is this like the nicest dude in the NFL? By
[2:38] Speaker 1: the way, you guys are just smiling here, like let's go.
[2:40] Speaker 2: Everything is peaches and great for Fernando Mendoza because look,
[2:44] Speaker 2: you got some first team reps here. I don't know,
[2:46] Speaker 2: I'll start with you, man, like does does the fact
[2:48] Speaker 2: that he got those reps?
[2:49] Speaker 1: Does that signal.
[2:50] Speaker 2: Anything to you about Week one starting quarterback position here
[2:52] Speaker 2: for the Raiders.
[2:54] Speaker 3: First of all, my understanding is still Kirk Cousins to
[2:57] Speaker 3: be the start of the Las Vegas Raiders. That has
[2:59] Speaker 3: been the plan throughout the announced it. They've been very clear.
[3:02] Speaker 3: I don't believe that has changed at all. But if
[3:04] Speaker 3: you were wondering why Klint Kubiak in the Raiders organization
[3:07] Speaker 3: wants to get Fernando Mendoza those snaps with the first team,
[3:11] Speaker 3: I can't explain it better than the number one overall
[3:13] Speaker 3: picked it. You gotta get in and out of huddle,
[3:15] Speaker 3: you gotta do it at the speed that is required
[3:18] Speaker 3: with the starters. And yes, it is a little bit faster,
[3:21] Speaker 3: just like games are a little bit faster than preseason games,
[3:25] Speaker 3: just like those are a little bit faster than fraxes.
[3:27] Speaker 3: There are different levels, and bringing Fernando Mendoz along the
[3:30] Speaker 3: right way, Dan means you have to elevate his game
[3:33] Speaker 3: just a little bit. It does sound based on my understanding,
[3:36] Speaker 3: like today was a really good day, made some good throws.
[3:38] Speaker 3: Someone I spoke to who was watching this said they
[3:42] Speaker 3: noticed how well he does so many of the little things.
[3:45] Speaker 3: It is all positive. This is a very good day
[3:48] Speaker 3: for the Raiders because this guy Dan will help. It
[3:51] Speaker 3: just doesn't seem like it is going to be right
[3:53] Speaker 3: away in the twenty twenty six season.
[3:57] Speaker 7: It's not.
[3:58] Speaker 4: And obviously his press conference game is Week one. Ready,
[4:01] Speaker 4: there's no question about that. He's the starter in terms
[4:04] Speaker 4: of his handling of the podium. However, the Raiders want
[4:08] Speaker 4: to bring him along at the correct pace. They do
[4:11] Speaker 4: not want him to feel rushed. They want him to
[4:13] Speaker 4: play when he is ready. Also, when you talk to
[4:16] Speaker 4: Raiders people, they would tell you we also want to
[4:19] Speaker 4: make sure that we're ready for him, meaning they want
[4:22] Speaker 4: to make sure and get the offensive line squared away.
[4:24] Speaker 4: The wide receiver situation has some things that need to
[4:27] Speaker 4: shake out. It's not that they're trying to put Kirk
[4:30] Speaker 4: Cousins there behind a line that isn't any good, or that,
[4:33] Speaker 4: you know, they like to be a sacrificial lamb. They
[4:35] Speaker 4: just feel like, because of Kirk cousins experience, he's better
[4:39] Speaker 4: suited to handle whatever problems might result from the fact
[4:42] Speaker 4: that this is a team that honestly is still sort
[4:44] Speaker 4: of putting its roster together. So when Fernando Mendoza does
[4:49] Speaker 4: become the starter, which is inevitable he was the number
[4:51] Speaker 4: one overall pick, the Raiders want to make sure they
[4:54] Speaker 4: are putting him in the best possible position to succeed
[4:58] Speaker 4: right away. That's why they have Kirk Cousins there. They
[5:01] Speaker 4: do not want Mendoza to feel rushed, and they do
[5:03] Speaker 4: not want to feel rushed to get him in there.
[5:05] Speaker 2: I'm still smiling thinking about those blessed to be with
[5:08] Speaker 2: the Bonds, blessed.
[5:09] Speaker 1: To be with the twos.
[5:10] Speaker 2: Can you imagine if you said, hey, Fernando, tell me
[5:12] Speaker 2: who your favorite teammate is. His head might explode, like
[5:14] Speaker 2: he might name check every guy on the roster just
[5:17] Speaker 2: so that no one feels left out. It is absolutely amazing. Look,
[5:21] Speaker 2: we'll find out exactly what's going to happen in week one,
[5:22] Speaker 2: but Danny hit nil on the head. He's going to
[5:24] Speaker 2: be out there at some point. Is the number one
[5:26] Speaker 2: overall pick. We got some good news from a chief's perspective.
[5:29] Speaker 2: After missing mini camp, a lot of limitations during training
[5:32] Speaker 2: camp because of a shoulder injury, ma In'sford Delane back
[5:34] Speaker 2: on the field in full pads. Dan explain to me
[5:38] Speaker 2: this ramp up phase, how did we get here for
[5:40] Speaker 2: first rounder?
[5:43] Speaker 4: So Mansor Delayne had an injury that was like a
[5:46] Speaker 4: hairlined fracture on his scapula in the back of his shoulder.
[5:50] Speaker 4: So that happened in the spring, and when he got
[5:52] Speaker 4: to training camp, they did tests on it and they
[5:54] Speaker 4: still saw something there that concerned them enough that they
[5:57] Speaker 4: put him in a yellow non contact jersey. Throughout training camp.
[6:01] Speaker 4: He was still taking all the reps, first team reps
[6:04] Speaker 4: with the defense, but they didn't want him in a
[6:06] Speaker 4: position where he was either going to get hit or
[6:08] Speaker 4: make a tackle. So the plan all along was to
[6:11] Speaker 4: image it again last week, which they did and they
[6:14] Speaker 4: got good news, which is that it's cleared up and
[6:17] Speaker 4: he is cleared for full participation in practice. You see
[6:21] Speaker 4: there he's wearing his number five jersey in white, no
[6:23] Speaker 4: longer in yellow. So a good bit of good news
[6:27] Speaker 4: for the Chiefs as they're revamping their secondary this year
[6:30] Speaker 4: and the number one pick their first round pick in
[6:33] Speaker 4: this year's draft, obviously they expect to be a big
[6:35] Speaker 4: part of that.
[6:37] Speaker 3: And they're not just revamping their secondary, they are revamping
[6:41] Speaker 3: a lot of their defense. Monsieur Delaine is going to
[6:43] Speaker 3: be a huge part of the retooling of the defense.
[6:46] Speaker 3: And this really brings me back to four years ago
[6:49] Speaker 3: after they traded Tyreek Hill and they said, you know what,
[6:51] Speaker 3: We're going to take all those draft picks and all
[6:53] Speaker 3: the money. We are going to just rework this entire thing.
[6:56] Speaker 3: And they did it, and it was a great draft class,
[6:58] Speaker 3: and the Chiefs got back to where they need to
[7:00] Speaker 3: be by drafting really good players and they played immediately.
[7:03] Speaker 3: If they can do that, the Chiefs are going to
[7:06] Speaker 3: be more than fineo. Offensively, they got Patrick Mahomes, they
[7:08] Speaker 3: got some receivers they like, They signed a running back
[7:11] Speaker 3: in Ken Marker. Offensively, hopefully for them are going to
[7:14] Speaker 3: be back to.
[7:14] Speaker 1: What they should be.
[7:15] Speaker 3: But if they can get delaying Peter Woods, another first
[7:18] Speaker 3: rounder who has been really really promising, our Mason Thomas,
[7:21] Speaker 3: their edge second rounder, really quick first step. You got
[7:26] Speaker 3: Omar Norman Lott, the defensive tackle last year in the
[7:29] Speaker 3: second round, missed all the season with the ACL. He's
[7:32] Speaker 3: coming back. This can be the young defense that they
[7:35] Speaker 3: can build around as they get toward the next act
[7:37] Speaker 3: of Mahomes' career.
[7:38] Speaker 2: Yeah, two point zero for a young defense, because that
[7:41] Speaker 2: to one point zero defense the first time around, good
[7:43] Speaker 2: enough to win this team some Super Bowls. Dan, I
[7:46] Speaker 2: know you spent some time obviously training camp around this
[7:49] Speaker 2: Chiefs team.
[7:49] Speaker 1: We spent a lot of time.
[7:50] Speaker 2: Talking about quarterback battles and by the way, we got
[7:51] Speaker 2: more of that coming up, especially what's happening in Cleveland
[7:54] Speaker 2: in just a bit, but offensive line kind of important
[7:57] Speaker 2: right now for Patrick Mahomes coming off the injury.
[7:58] Speaker 1: What do I need to know about what's happening there?
[8:02] Speaker 4: Interesting development on the right side of the line. They
[8:05] Speaker 4: have an undrafted rookie from Indiana, Khalil Benson, who really
[8:09] Speaker 4: impressed them throughout the spring and they kept moving him up.
[8:12] Speaker 4: He was with the third team, they moved him up
[8:13] Speaker 4: to work with the second team. He started at right
[8:16] Speaker 4: guard for them in the preseason game this past weekend.
[8:19] Speaker 4: Because Trey Smith is working through something and they're starting
[8:22] Speaker 4: him at right tackle in practice the last couple of days.
[8:25] Speaker 4: It sounds like they're going to give him a shot
[8:26] Speaker 4: to start at right tackle in their next preseason game.
[8:29] Speaker 4: Jalen Moore is the veteran tackle they have there. He's
[8:32] Speaker 4: penciled in as the starter at right tackle, but Benson
[8:35] Speaker 4: has been impressive enough throughout the offseason that they are
[8:38] Speaker 4: actually considering the possibility of starting him at right tackle.
[8:42] Speaker 4: An undrafted rookie when the season starts. If he shows
[8:45] Speaker 4: enough through the remainder of the preseason, he's got a
[8:48] Speaker 4: real chance to win that job.
[8:50] Speaker 2: All Benson and Indiana, Kid, you want to go back
[8:52] Speaker 2: to Fernanda Mendoz ask him how good of a teammate
[8:54] Speaker 2: he is.
[8:54] Speaker 1: I'm sure Forerneda would tell he was blessed to go
[8:56] Speaker 1: and play with Benson.
[8:58] Speaker 2: Some other news to get to and it comes from
[8:59] Speaker 2: a RAMS perspective. One hundred and twenty nine receptions over
[9:02] Speaker 2: twelve hundred yards and ten touchdowns, Pooka Nakoula has made
[9:06] Speaker 2: the case he's the NFL's wide receiver, one the in
[9:10] Speaker 2: terms of the production, it's out out of this world.
[9:13] Speaker 1: Significant payday, though potentially is looming.
[9:16] Speaker 2: Dan, should I be looking at my watch right now
[9:18] Speaker 2: and are we on the clock for an extension for Pooka?
[9:22] Speaker 4: It doesn't sound and Ian can correct me if he's
[9:25] Speaker 4: hearing differently, It doesn't sound to me like anything's particularly
[9:28] Speaker 4: close on that front. When Jackson Smith and Jigba got
[9:32] Speaker 4: his extension with Seattle earlier in the off season, it
[9:34] Speaker 4: felt like, well, Pooka, it makes sense that he'll land
[9:37] Speaker 4: in that neighborhood. But remember, he's had he's had some
[9:40] Speaker 4: significant off field issues that have come to like this
[9:43] Speaker 4: off season, the Rams are you know, he entered you know,
[9:46] Speaker 4: he entered some you know, some programs to help him
[9:50] Speaker 4: deal with some of the issues he's he's going through.
[9:53] Speaker 4: And it's possible the league would look into potential discipline
[9:57] Speaker 4: on a personal conduct policy violation. So there there are
[10:00] Speaker 4: some unanswered questions still with Pooka Nakua. The Rams still
[10:04] Speaker 4: believe in him as a player as a person. They
[10:06] Speaker 4: told me he's in a good place right now with
[10:08] Speaker 4: everything that's going on. But the big money contract extension
[10:12] Speaker 4: might not be imminent. It might be something that kind
[10:15] Speaker 4: of bleeds into the season here.
[10:17] Speaker 3: Yeah, I set it perfectly, Dan, I don't get the
[10:19] Speaker 3: sense anything is coming as well. And making Poogan NiCoT
[10:22] Speaker 3: go out play it out on the field and off
[10:25] Speaker 3: the field as well. He's been very up in front
[10:27] Speaker 3: about some of the struggles he had this past offseason
[10:29] Speaker 3: over the course of the last calendar year. That seems
[10:32] Speaker 3: to be in the cards. And when you look at
[10:33] Speaker 3: what the Rams have done this offseason, they do have
[10:35] Speaker 3: several players It's not just Pookin Nakoua, it's several other
[10:38] Speaker 3: players on the defensive line as well. Do big contract
[10:42] Speaker 3: extensions could potentially be working out some deals they really
[10:45] Speaker 3: have opted not to instead of what they did was
[10:47] Speaker 3: basically go all in with players from other organizations. Obviously,
[10:51] Speaker 3: Miles Garret would be won. Trent McDuffie swung a big
[10:54] Speaker 3: trade paid him as the highest paid corner in the
[10:56] Speaker 3: NFL after.
[10:57] Speaker 1: They traded with the Chiefs tour.
[10:58] Speaker 3: He would be another. We'll see if a Donald comes
[11:00] Speaker 3: in more money, that would be another. Teams the Rams say,
[11:03] Speaker 3: you know what, we got a lot of good young
[11:05] Speaker 3: players we need to pay. Maybe we can just wait,
[11:08] Speaker 3: take care of this year and worry about everything else after.
[11:11] Speaker 3: We'll see how it all turns out.
[11:12] Speaker 2: Yeah, I got to imagine once that deal does come
[11:15] Speaker 2: to fruition, we will be talking about Puka Nakua as
[11:17] Speaker 2: the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
[11:19] Speaker 1: Here on the Insiders.
[11:21] Speaker 2: Joint practice Chargers Niners, Stevich was just telling me Chargers
[11:25] Speaker 2: looked really, really good. We'll hear from him in just
[11:28] Speaker 2: a moment. Star power all over the field, But it
[11:30] Speaker 2: was interesting to hear who Jim Harbaugh wanted to spend
[11:33] Speaker 2: some time with.
[11:35] Speaker 8: Yeah, really, I want to meet brock Perdy. I want
[11:39] Speaker 8: to shake his hand. Hopefully Kyle will introduce me to him.
[11:42] Speaker 8: I want to say, I how to George Kettle. I
[11:43] Speaker 8: want to I want to meet him kind of the
[11:45] Speaker 8: same way I think of Kyle, you know. I mean,
[11:47] Speaker 8: it's cool, other stuffy ports on tape. I love love
[11:50] Speaker 8: his demeanor, love aw he love the toughness of its teams. Yeah.
[11:56] Speaker 8: I love that they're really good at football and you know,
[12:00] Speaker 8: great great to be around it. So much respect for
[12:03] Speaker 8: the kind of players they are, people they are so
[12:07] Speaker 8: and it's it's a roster full, you know of great
[12:10] Speaker 8: guys and great players. Our guys are great guys and
[12:14] Speaker 8: great players, and so I mean, that's it's super fun.
[12:20] Speaker 8: That's super fun to be to be on the same
[12:23] Speaker 8: field and talking and talking ball.
[12:27] Speaker 2: Hard not to co sign on everything harbod just said
[12:30] Speaker 2: about his team and the.
[12:31] Speaker 1: San Francisco forty nine ers.
[12:33] Speaker 2: One thing coach did not make reference to was just
[12:36] Speaker 2: the injuries for the Niners that continue to mount up
[12:39] Speaker 2: year in and year out. And if calling a spade
[12:41] Speaker 2: a spade, that's probably a reason why there's some hesitation
[12:44] Speaker 2: about picking this team to come out of a division
[12:46] Speaker 2: that's already loaded. Maybe even get back to a super
[12:48] Speaker 2: Bowl man who was at that practice today. He saw
[12:50] Speaker 2: great players and great guys on both sides of the
[12:52] Speaker 2: football field. We just showed some injuries there. I couldn't
[12:54] Speaker 2: help but notice Mike Evans. But take me through some
[12:56] Speaker 2: of the things that you saw and the injury. Maybe
[12:58] Speaker 2: that's catching your attention.
[13:00] Speaker 9: First off, Jim Harbaugh's availability was pre practice. That's how
[13:03] Speaker 9: come it was a little more upbeat than would have
[13:05] Speaker 9: been post practice. But Tyler Biattis, the starting center who
[13:08] Speaker 9: the Charger signed to a three year, thirty million dollar
[13:10] Speaker 9: contract in the offseason, was carted off the field after
[13:14] Speaker 9: getting rolled up on on eleven on eleven drills.
[13:18] Speaker 8: We have no.
[13:19] Speaker 9: Diagnosis yet, but we've seen these before and it was
[13:22] Speaker 9: a very somber approach from his teammates and coaches afterwards.
[13:25] Speaker 9: So everyone was hoping that Biaddish gets well soon, but
[13:29] Speaker 9: until we get a diagnosis, we don't know. Stepping into
[13:32] Speaker 9: his placetill was rookie Jake Slaughter, who they drafted the
[13:35] Speaker 9: second round out of Florida and now Slaughter, who played
[13:37] Speaker 9: center at Florida, had been working mainly at left guard,
[13:40] Speaker 9: but he'd been cross training some at center, and he
[13:42] Speaker 9: stepped in, had a good practice with starting centers. As
[13:45] Speaker 9: the starting center. He could be starting at Thursday when
[13:48] Speaker 9: these teams do square off at SOFI Stadium. Jim Harbaugh
[13:52] Speaker 9: said the starters will play at least a series, and
[13:55] Speaker 9: so Slaughter is going to be the starting center. He's
[13:57] Speaker 9: got to get that time with Justin Herbert because they
[13:59] Speaker 9: have not worked together much this offseason.
[14:02] Speaker 1: This has been a revolving Dowarf fan.
[14:03] Speaker 2: You set this offensive line in the last couple of years,
[14:05] Speaker 2: and I can't help but think some of the results
[14:06] Speaker 2: for this team may be different if guys like Slater,
[14:09] Speaker 2: for example, are completely healthy. By the way, I don't
[14:11] Speaker 2: know how many fantasy leagues you're in at this point,
[14:13] Speaker 2: but if you're in a league with Steve, you don't
[14:15] Speaker 2: want to listen to what he's about to say because
[14:16] Speaker 2: that's going to target again.
[14:17] Speaker 1: You have been loving up Hampton.
[14:19] Speaker 2: I was talking to you in your news from before
[14:20] Speaker 2: you got out here, like dude was cooking tomorrow.
[14:22] Speaker 9: Hampton. I'm saying it for weeks because this new offensive
[14:24] Speaker 9: zones game by coach now by Mike McDaniels, outside stretch
[14:27] Speaker 9: zones game really favors with Amar and Hampton really can do.
[14:30] Speaker 9: The second year player, big physical running back, got some
[14:34] Speaker 9: stuff to him, some explosiveness, and man did he have
[14:36] Speaker 9: a practice today. Even coming in after Beatish went down.
[14:41] Speaker 1: He had a couple of runs. Boom, just rolled over
[14:44] Speaker 1: the tackle.
[14:44] Speaker 9: This is a thud, right, you used to hit contact.
[14:47] Speaker 1: You don't bring him down. That was a thud thud.
[14:49] Speaker 9: And he did it again on that drive twice.
[14:52] Speaker 1: Came in and want some of this poop.
[14:54] Speaker 9: No, you don't, to the point where the third time
[14:57] Speaker 9: he carried it on that drive towards the left sideline,
[14:59] Speaker 9: the defen came up on him, kind of sized him
[15:02] Speaker 9: up a little bit and gave him a little extra
[15:03] Speaker 9: mustard on there because they were sick of getting beat on.
[15:05] Speaker 9: But again, Amarin Hampton a very strong practice and like
[15:09] Speaker 9: I mentioned before, we could see him for about a series,
[15:11] Speaker 9: if maybe not a little bit more. When the team's
[15:13] Speaker 9: square off Thursday in their preseason SEC Week two game.
[15:17] Speaker 2: All right, you cover football, So you show up to
[15:19] Speaker 2: a practice, You're probably looking at it a little bit differently,
[15:21] Speaker 2: but at the same time, you want to see the
[15:23] Speaker 2: stars that are out there. It's like a fan of
[15:24] Speaker 2: shows up that expects to see someone and when they're
[15:27] Speaker 2: you know, a scratch, it's a buzzkill. Christian McAffrey hasn't
[15:29] Speaker 2: been out on the football field. We've done these updates.
[15:31] Speaker 2: We did it yesterday on Insiders. What's the latest on
[15:33] Speaker 2: his status?
[15:34] Speaker 9: Well, first off, the start off with wide receiver Mike Evans,
[15:36] Speaker 9: who of course comes over to San Francisco from the
[15:38] Speaker 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left practice early with what has
[15:42] Speaker 9: become a term that the forty nine ers using a
[15:44] Speaker 9: lot with tightness, But again head coach Kyle Shanahan said
[15:47] Speaker 9: it didn't seem like it was anything series with Evans,
[15:50] Speaker 9: So we'll see if he plays Thursday or return. Revieoms
[15:52] Speaker 9: practice a little bit later in the week. But in
[15:55] Speaker 9: terms of Christian McCaffrey, he did not practice again with
[15:59] Speaker 9: the four men tightness that has kept him out of
[16:02] Speaker 9: practice for a little bit more than a week. But
[16:05] Speaker 9: Kyle Shanahan did say, look, if it weren't Christian and
[16:09] Speaker 9: if this were a game week, he would be playing.
[16:11] Speaker 9: It does not seem like a significant concern and the
[16:14] Speaker 9: McCaffrey is trending towards playing in Week one.
[16:17] Speaker 1: Same with defensive end Nick Bosa right.
[16:19] Speaker 9: Remember some ten to night has flared up that's kept
[16:21] Speaker 9: him out of practice for more than a week as
[16:23] Speaker 9: well in his surgically repaired knee. He did not practice
[16:26] Speaker 9: again today, but Kyle Shanahan said he is trending in
[16:29] Speaker 9: the right direction to get back for Week one in
[16:32] Speaker 9: Australia against the Rams.
[16:33] Speaker 1: Real quick on CMC.
[16:34] Speaker 2: There's some speculation at least on social media about contracts.
[16:38] Speaker 2: We've seen a bunch of them aid, John Robinson, Jonathan Taylor,
[16:41] Speaker 2: Jamior Gibbs all got new contracts.
[16:43] Speaker 1: You think that it's at all a factory.
[16:44] Speaker 9: Kyle shanaans to that is that is nothing more than
[16:46] Speaker 9: a wrong assumption that it could be a contract issue.
[16:49] Speaker 9: And I will say this with Christian McCaffrey out Kayln Black,
[16:52] Speaker 9: the rookie out of Indiana who has missed some time
[16:54] Speaker 9: within a doctor injury. He came into practice today and
[16:57] Speaker 9: he was doing work. You hear me talk about what
[16:59] Speaker 9: a Mario Hampton was doing. Somebody inside run drill stuff,
[17:03] Speaker 9: finishing with physicality and a couple explosive runs. He is
[17:06] Speaker 9: someone that we should see Thursday in this preseason game.
[17:09] Speaker 9: Week two. We get it so far, so again, the
[17:11] Speaker 9: starters for both teams are going to play at least
[17:13] Speaker 9: a series again, Kaylin Black if he starts, someone to
[17:16] Speaker 9: keep an eye out on to spell Christian McCaffrey in
[17:19] Speaker 9: the regular season.
[17:20] Speaker 2: It's like we're twenty minutes into the show. Third or
[17:22] Speaker 2: fourth reference to an Indiana dude. You know, college football
[17:24] Speaker 2: is really really changed. They were really good, you know
[17:27] Speaker 2: about a couple of years ago. We're to talk about
[17:28] Speaker 2: like SEC dudes. Now all of a sudden, you know,
[17:30] Speaker 2: we got a guy like you know in the Big Ten.
[17:32] Speaker 2: We've got an Indiana supporter.
[17:33] Speaker 9: Nil.
[17:34] Speaker 2: That's that is really changing college football. I don't know
[17:36] Speaker 2: if it's a good thing or a bad thing. It's
[17:38] Speaker 2: just the reality of things. We're talking about this Niners
[17:41] Speaker 2: team Chargers Thursday night, ten Eastern time, NFL Network.
[17:45] Speaker 1: You'll be able to catch it.
[17:46] Speaker 2: And I know we started the show talking about Fernando
[17:48] Speaker 2: Mendoza Raiders the Texans. They're joint practice today. The big
[17:51] Speaker 2: story for Nana Mendoza getting some first team reps. You
[17:53] Speaker 2: can catch that one ESPN. Do not forget all of
[17:56] Speaker 2: the games in the preseason. You'll be able to watch
[17:58] Speaker 2: on the ESPN app. Yesterday we were spending some time
[18:01] Speaker 2: talking about the Cowboys' newest edition of future Hall of
[18:04] Speaker 2: Famer Von Miller heading to Big d. We hear from
[18:07] Speaker 2: him coming up next back here on The Insiders yesterday
[18:18] Speaker 2: on the show, we told you about this man going
[18:21] Speaker 2: back to Texas, the future Hall of Famer Von Miller.
[18:23] Speaker 1: It's going to be a member of the Cowboys.
[18:25] Speaker 2: Played his high school ball in the state, eventually was
[18:27] Speaker 2: at A and M, and he gets a homecoming in
[18:29] Speaker 2: his fifteenth NFL season, as he addressed the media today.
[18:34] Speaker 10: Yeah, it's really cool. It's like that movie inception, like
[18:38] Speaker 10: a dream within a dream. You know, I always wanted
[18:40] Speaker 10: to play in the National Football League and then you
[18:42] Speaker 10: play for the Dallas Cowboys. You know, we're just going deep.
[18:44] Speaker 10: We're going deep with it. Year sixteen, Dream within the dream.
[18:47] Speaker 10: It's super cool. I mean being here, I know a
[18:49] Speaker 10: lot of guys already, know a lot of coaches too.
[18:54] Speaker 10: Being here, being in this atmosphere is surreal. So this
[18:59] Speaker 10: year I really wanted to be intentional with you know,
[19:01] Speaker 10: the decision that I made and what team that I
[19:03] Speaker 10: that I went to. And it's it's crazy because I
[19:06] Speaker 10: ran in the I ran into dak in Vegas, probably
[19:08] Speaker 10: like a month ago. You know, he was sitting in
[19:11] Speaker 10: the high Limit gambling. I just sat down with Dak
[19:13] Speaker 10: and we just started gambling together and talking, and I
[19:17] Speaker 10: was like, hey man, y'all, it's about toime for Dak,
[19:19] Speaker 10: it's about Tom. You know, you got to break through
[19:21] Speaker 10: one of these teams. You got to break through one
[19:22] Speaker 10: of these years. I think this year you'll be able
[19:24] Speaker 10: to do it, like you got everybody to do it.
[19:26] Speaker 10: And that was I had. I didn't have any inkling on,
[19:29] Speaker 10: you know, being a Dallas Cowboy. They just happened naturally,
[19:31] Speaker 10: and then the Cowboys reached out and I was just like, bright,
[19:34] Speaker 10: this is this is a sign, Like this is a
[19:35] Speaker 10: sign for me. And you know, we worked on it,
[19:38] Speaker 10: talked to some other teams, but ultimately, you know, my
[19:41] Speaker 10: love for the Dallas Cowboys. My my chicken farm is here,
[19:44] Speaker 10: my family's here. Just by being a Dallas Cowboy and
[19:47] Speaker 10: wearing that star, it was beneficial to me and my
[19:49] Speaker 10: family and that's what ultimately made the decision for me.
[19:53] Speaker 1: Dallas certainly loading up on defense from a fifteen year
[19:56] Speaker 1: Nvelvelt to a fourteen year Vett and Keenan Allen's got
[19:59] Speaker 1: an home a one year eight point three million dollar
[20:02] Speaker 1: deal with the Colts.
[20:03] Speaker 2: Shrewd move by Indy. Remember Alec Pierce coming off the
[20:06] Speaker 2: ankle surgery. Michael Pittman now playing in Pittsburgh. Some other
[20:10] Speaker 2: wide receiver news for you. I was watching Josh Allen
[20:12] Speaker 2: do Josh Allen things in one of the preseason found
[20:15] Speaker 2: Keyon Coleman for a touchdown.
[20:16] Speaker 1: That was the good news.
[20:17] Speaker 2: The bad Coleman diagnosed with a sprain foot and a
[20:21] Speaker 2: toe injuries. Who's been dealing with walking around with the
[20:23] Speaker 2: boot Joe Brady did not, though seem overly concerned about
[20:27] Speaker 2: that injury. Told you yesterday about the groin problem for
[20:31] Speaker 2: Breeze Hall and that injury that he suffered. The Jets
[20:33] Speaker 2: running back is going to be out two to three
[20:34] Speaker 2: weeks according to his coach, Aaron Glenn, but coach did
[20:37] Speaker 2: today he should be good for week one. Remember he
[20:40] Speaker 2: is coming off a one thousand yard season on the
[20:42] Speaker 2: ground last year. Falcon's still trying to figure out that
[20:46] Speaker 2: quarterback situation, but their defense it got a boost.
[20:49] Speaker 1: Defensive zends.
[20:50] Speaker 2: Darius Smith's on a one year six million dollar deal
[20:53] Speaker 2: could get pushed up to eight million. Smith remember actually
[20:55] Speaker 2: played for Kevin Stefanski and Cleveland back in the twenty
[20:58] Speaker 2: three and twenty four campaigns. For a little bit more
[21:02] Speaker 2: on this, we bring in back Dan and Ian. You
[21:05] Speaker 2: just explained to me the significance on the defensive side
[21:08] Speaker 2: for Smith now rocking at Atlanta uniform.
[21:11] Speaker 3: Yeah, this was a badly needed edge for the Atlanta Falcons.
[21:13] Speaker 3: Remember earlier this offseason, earlier this training game, they've had
[21:16] Speaker 3: some significant news surrounding both of their starting edges, actually
[21:20] Speaker 3: two first rounds from last year. First of all, Jalen
[21:23] Speaker 3: Walker tore his ACL the day. Actually Steve Weisch and
[21:25] Speaker 3: I were there at practice. He of course is out
[21:28] Speaker 3: for the season. That created one need on the edge.
[21:31] Speaker 3: And then James Pierce, their other starting edge, really promising
[21:34] Speaker 3: rookie from last year now a second year players, suspended
[21:37] Speaker 3: eight games because of an off the field matter, a
[21:40] Speaker 3: criminal matter that he has been dealing with.
[21:43] Speaker 1: So that created the need.
[21:44] Speaker 3: So Zadarius Smith, who last year played a little bit
[21:46] Speaker 3: for the Eagles, then retired and was open to unretiring
[21:50] Speaker 3: and coming back, worked out for Kevin Savanski's old team,
[21:54] Speaker 3: the Cleveland Browns. I think a lot of people assumed
[21:56] Speaker 3: that he would just sign with the Browns the Falcons
[21:59] Speaker 3: knowing and then the news of James Pearson. You know what,
[22:02] Speaker 3: we want to get involved as well. They had him
[22:04] Speaker 3: in for a workout, ultimately paid him a lot of
[22:07] Speaker 3: money for a player coming off the couch one year.
[22:10] Speaker 3: As you mentioned it, six million dollars can be eight
[22:13] Speaker 3: million dollars with incentive. Za Darius Smith now has a
[22:17] Speaker 3: new home in Atlanta.
[22:18] Speaker 2: Yeah, they're gonna need him, and you made reference, so
[22:20] Speaker 2: they had some hits in terms of that draft a
[22:22] Speaker 2: couple of years ago with Walker and Pierce, with those
[22:25] Speaker 2: guys not out there, are definitely gonna fill a nice void.
[22:27] Speaker 2: But from an offensive standpoint, we haven't keep calling it
[22:30] Speaker 2: a competition. I haven't seen.
[22:31] Speaker 1: Penix out there at this point.
[22:33] Speaker 2: At what point do you think they just focus their
[22:35] Speaker 2: attention on the guy that's healthy enough to play in two?
[22:40] Speaker 4: I think it's coming pretty soon, just because the season
[22:43] Speaker 4: is Michael Penis Junior has not been cleared for eleven
[22:46] Speaker 4: on eleven team drills, those kinds of activities yet still
[22:50] Speaker 4: coming back off of that torn ACL. So until that happens,
[22:54] Speaker 4: until he is cleared for that work, this can't really
[22:57] Speaker 4: be a quarterback competition, Tua Tugoviloa is healthy, Michael Pennox
[23:01] Speaker 4: Junior is not. The season starts in a little over
[23:04] Speaker 4: three weeks, so at this point the Falcons are doing
[23:06] Speaker 4: a lot of a lot of what they're doing is
[23:08] Speaker 4: trying to get Ta ready to start Week one, because
[23:11] Speaker 4: unless Pennis jumps back into action here really soon and
[23:15] Speaker 4: makes it a close race, that does seem to be
[23:18] Speaker 4: the way things are pointing now. Tua starts Week one,
[23:21] Speaker 4: Penix gets healthy. Do the Falcons want to see Penix
[23:24] Speaker 4: at some point eventually to figure out if he can
[23:27] Speaker 4: be still their franchise quarterback that they thought he could
[23:29] Speaker 4: be when they drafted him in the first round. Entirely possible,
[23:33] Speaker 4: but as of right now it's not an option for them,
[23:35] Speaker 4: and Tua is Yeah.
[23:36] Speaker 2: They've also spent about three hundred over three hundred and
[23:39] Speaker 2: fifty million dollars this offseason on that team's offense. Whoever
[23:42] Speaker 2: QB one is is definitely going to have some pieces
[23:44] Speaker 2: around them to work with. There is another quarterback competition,
[23:47] Speaker 2: because you know there can only be one. I think
[23:49] Speaker 2: I just aged myself with a high Lander reference. QB
[23:52] Speaker 2: one status for the Brown still undetermined. Top Monkey gave
[23:54] Speaker 2: to Shaun Watson the start in Week one. Sanders Shdor
[23:56] Speaker 2: that is, will start Saturday against the Bills, a game
[23:59] Speaker 2: you can watch here on on Nfilm Network and the
[24:01] Speaker 2: ESPN app and Dan handicap. The state of this competition for.
[24:05] Speaker 4: Me, Todd Monk, in the new head coach, has said
[24:10] Speaker 4: all along that he wants to give each of these
[24:12] Speaker 4: guys an equal opportunity to win the job. So Deshaun
[24:15] Speaker 4: Watson started the first preseason game last weekend in Chicago.
[24:19] Speaker 4: Shador Sanders will get the start this weekend at home
[24:22] Speaker 4: against Buffalo. After that, I would anticipate Monkin will make
[24:26] Speaker 4: an announcement, a decision, and an announcement about his Week
[24:29] Speaker 4: one starter. To this point, everything we've heard out of
[24:32] Speaker 4: Cleveland throughout the summer has been that Watson has been
[24:36] Speaker 4: in the lead and is probably the favorite to win
[24:39] Speaker 4: the job. Can Sanders do something Saturday to change that?
[24:42] Speaker 4: Entirely possible, But right now it feels like Watson is
[24:45] Speaker 4: in the driver's seat in this competition in Cleveland.
[24:49] Speaker 1: I would agree with that.
[24:50] Speaker 3: Certainly. It has been like that with the Cleveland Browns,
[24:52] Speaker 3: with Deshaun Watson having the leg up here, the only
[24:55] Speaker 3: thing I would say is there is something about Shador Sanders,
[24:58] Speaker 3: and the organization knows this. When the lights come on,
[25:00] Speaker 3: something happens and there is a lot to like and
[25:03] Speaker 3: he will go out there and he will make plays,
[25:05] Speaker 3: and he's got a sort of magnetic thing going on
[25:08] Speaker 3: where guys will play for him. And yes, there is
[25:10] Speaker 3: a chance that he goes out plays plays well and
[25:12] Speaker 3: forces the bound. So you know what, We're gonna maybe
[25:15] Speaker 3: take another week to consider. That said, if Deshaun Watson
[25:18] Speaker 3: is the starting quarterback, we wouldn't be surprised if at
[25:20] Speaker 3: some point this season probably the same like Dan was
[25:23] Speaker 3: just talking about with Atlanta, it wouldn't be surprised if
[25:26] Speaker 3: we end up seeing both quarterbacks.
[25:27] Speaker 4: The only thing.
[25:29] Speaker 3: That matters for the Cleveland Brownds this year, besides just
[25:31] Speaker 3: getting this team to a point where they could win consistently,
[25:35] Speaker 3: is knowing if they have their starting quarterback for twenty
[25:37] Speaker 3: twenty seven on their roster right now. If not, they're
[25:41] Speaker 3: gonna have a big offseason. If yes, everything gets much easier.
[25:44] Speaker 3: But that's the answer they would like to find out,
[25:46] Speaker 3: and that might take playing multiple quarterback.
[25:49] Speaker 2: Yeah, they've been taking some swings and looking for a
[25:51] Speaker 2: hit at some point, guys, we do have some sad
[25:53] Speaker 2: news to report. In fact, the man who actually shaped
[25:56] Speaker 2: how we consume sports passed away today. ESPN's co founder
[25:59] Speaker 2: first president Bill Rasmussen actually came up with the idea
[26:03] Speaker 2: for the world's first all sports cable network with his
[26:06] Speaker 2: son Scott. Back in twenty nineteen, Bill announced that he
[26:09] Speaker 2: had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In twenty fourteen, ESPN
[26:13] Speaker 2: chairman Jimmy Pataro called him a remarkable man, a visionary,
[26:17] Speaker 2: and an innovator. The father of sports television was ninety three,
[26:21] Speaker 2: Week two of the NFL preseason. We got you covered.
[26:24] Speaker 2: It was, in fact our top story today, Fernando Mendoza
[26:26] Speaker 2: getting some first team reps in that joint practice against
[26:29] Speaker 2: the Texans. That matchup Thursday on ESPN. Steve Witch was
[26:33] Speaker 2: at Niners Chargers joint practice, keeping byd Mike Evans had
[26:36] Speaker 2: a taped ankle at the end of practice.
[26:37] Speaker 1: A little bit of a tweak there.
[26:39] Speaker 2: All of these matchups you can catch on the ESPN
[26:42] Speaker 2: app when you know, you know, and Kevin O'Connell knew
[26:46] Speaker 2: early made the call. Kyler Murray is his starting quarterback,
[26:49] Speaker 2: got a glimpse of him against the Giants, played just
[26:51] Speaker 2: one series two or three passing for ten yards.
[26:54] Speaker 1: But that's not really the story here.
[26:55] Speaker 2: It's what's about to happ him in week number one
[26:59] Speaker 2: of the season, Dan, I know you spent some time
[27:03] Speaker 2: around this squad. What's exciting the vikings in this fan base,
[27:06] Speaker 2: in this front office, and this coaching staff.
[27:11] Speaker 4: Well, it's the run game on offense. They really set
[27:14] Speaker 4: out this offseason to make some changes in that aspect
[27:17] Speaker 4: of their offense, bringing in Frank Smith, who was Mike
[27:20] Speaker 4: McDaniel's offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins for the past
[27:24] Speaker 4: several years. They feel like Smith has brought some new
[27:27] Speaker 4: ideas to the run game. They're running more wide zone stuff.
[27:30] Speaker 4: I had a chance to talk to Aaron Jones, they're
[27:33] Speaker 4: running back in one of their running backs in camp,
[27:35] Speaker 4: and he went on and on about Frank Smith and
[27:38] Speaker 4: his football mind and how much he's already learned from
[27:41] Speaker 4: him and all that. So they really believe that the
[27:44] Speaker 4: run game is going to be a benefit to as
[27:47] Speaker 4: it turns out, Kyler Murray but whoever ended up playing
[27:50] Speaker 4: quarterback for them, and also that Kyler can be a
[27:52] Speaker 4: factor in the run game. As well with his mobility.
[27:56] Speaker 4: So it's really not just the quarterback situation that was
[27:58] Speaker 4: occupying the Viking's mind. In terms of their offense this
[28:02] Speaker 4: offseason and where they could improve it. They really feel
[28:04] Speaker 4: like they have a chance to elevate their run game
[28:07] Speaker 4: as well, and that that'll benefit Kyler. Kyler Murray and
[28:11] Speaker 4: you know whoever else might end up playing quarterback for
[28:13] Speaker 4: them this year.
[28:14] Speaker 1: I can't wait to see him buy some time with
[28:15] Speaker 1: those legs. We saw it in Arizona. But I got
[28:17] Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson, I got Jordan Atison.
[28:19] Speaker 2: There's some wrinkles to this offense with Kyler Murray at
[28:21] Speaker 2: the helm that could be very entertaining from a fan's perspective.
[28:24] Speaker 1: Hopefully it means wins for that organization. Now.
[28:27] Speaker 2: I remember when Tucker Craft season ended. Boy, it was
[28:29] Speaker 2: Catastropha playing some of the best ball in the NFL.
[28:33] Speaker 2: He's coming back from that acl tair and could be
[28:35] Speaker 2: in line for a big payday.
[28:37] Speaker 1: Here's their general manager, Brian Gudakust.
[28:41] Speaker 7: Him getting back and the team jows really had no
[28:43] Speaker 7: effect on anything, but it's good to see him out there.
[28:46] Speaker 7: I mean, you know, he's worked his tail off, you know,
[28:49] Speaker 7: congratulations to him. I mean, these are little things that
[28:51] Speaker 7: are big things, you know when you're coming off an injury,
[28:53] Speaker 7: like coming off and so I know he was really
[28:56] Speaker 7: excited to get out there and join his teammates. As
[28:58] Speaker 7: far as the contract goes, it doesn't have any really
[29:00] Speaker 7: effect on that.
[29:01] Speaker 11: That's a whole part of this process is me day
[29:04] Speaker 11: in and day out, coming in, being consistent, stacking days
[29:07] Speaker 11: without setbacks, and accumulating these reps now in a team
[29:12] Speaker 11: setting so that they can see my health and we
[29:16] Speaker 11: can we can just keep taking the talk from there.
[29:19] Speaker 1: To Jason's point as well, did you think about not
[29:22] Speaker 1: doing Elen elements to you?
[29:24] Speaker 11: To never cross my mind?
[29:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, the dude wants to be out there, wants to
[29:27] Speaker 2: show that he's healthy, and I got to mention he
[29:29] Speaker 2: wants to get paid.
[29:30] Speaker 1: Ian. How do we handle this contract from a Green
[29:32] Speaker 1: Bay perspective, the.
[29:35] Speaker 3: Packers really need to Uh. I would say, just watch
[29:38] Speaker 3: watch football, watch the field, watch watch him go out
[29:40] Speaker 3: there and play, because it really is no doubt one
[29:42] Speaker 3: he's healthy too. You watch that interview and I mean,
[29:45] Speaker 3: this is a guy who wants to be out there.
[29:47] Speaker 3: Didn't consider holding in. It is really the exact kind
[29:51] Speaker 3: of guy that the Green Bay Packers have wanted to
[29:53] Speaker 3: draft end of up, which they did. When you get
[29:55] Speaker 3: to a new contract, which I would not be surprised
[29:57] Speaker 3: at all if it is this year.
[29:58] Speaker 1: Might be the preseason.
[29:59] Speaker 3: You hope it's preseason, but it might not be going
[30:01] Speaker 3: to be the highest paid tight end in the NFL.
[30:03] Speaker 3: And of course he is not.
[30:04] Speaker 4: The only one.
[30:05] Speaker 3: You also have the Detroit Lions and Sam Laporta also
[30:08] Speaker 3: engaged in contract negotiations. Won't be surprised if he also
[30:11] Speaker 3: was the highest paid tight end in the NFL. What
[30:14] Speaker 3: Tucker Craft has on his side, not that it really
[30:16] Speaker 3: needs anything, and now that he's shown that he is healthy,
[30:20] Speaker 3: what he has on his side is just how good
[30:22] Speaker 3: he was last year Dan and then when he came
[30:25] Speaker 3: off the field when he suffered his injury, the offense
[30:28] Speaker 3: looked different. And if he needed to argue for his
[30:31] Speaker 3: value as a star on this field, that probably spoke
[30:35] Speaker 3: as loud as anything.
[30:38] Speaker 4: Certainly, the offense, their explosive element of their offense, suffered
[30:42] Speaker 4: a great deal once Tucker Craft went down last year
[30:45] Speaker 4: and was difficult to replace, so they're hoping to get
[30:47] Speaker 4: some of that back. We talked about you're talking to
[30:50] Speaker 4: you guys talked about the Detroit Lions and Sam Laporta
[30:53] Speaker 4: also in that tight end extension market. The Lions are
[30:56] Speaker 4: in an interesting situation this offseason. They had four draft
[31:00] Speaker 4: picks from the twenty twenty three NFL Draft that they
[31:03] Speaker 4: felt like they wanted to keep around long term. Jack Campbell, linebacker,
[31:07] Speaker 4: first round pick, Jamior Gibbs, first round pick at running back.
[31:10] Speaker 4: Those guys both got deals, Sam Laporta still doesn't have one,
[31:13] Speaker 4: and safety Brian Branch still doesn't have one. So the
[31:17] Speaker 4: Lions are a team that has almost kind of drafted
[31:19] Speaker 4: too well for its own good and ends up having
[31:22] Speaker 4: to pick and choose which guys get extensions and which
[31:25] Speaker 4: guys don't. You do wonder whether at some point there
[31:29] Speaker 4: will be one that can't get done just because there
[31:32] Speaker 4: were so many to do. Brian Branch still working through
[31:35] Speaker 4: an injury that one might take a little more time.
[31:37] Speaker 4: But Laporta is a guy that the Lions would like
[31:39] Speaker 4: to find out if they can keep around long term.
[31:41] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's kind of wild man like, especially when it's
[31:43] Speaker 2: not you're the person out writing those checks. But you
[31:46] Speaker 2: really can't pay everyone, and they have just out a
[31:48] Speaker 2: whole lot of money this offseason, so we'll continue to
[31:51] Speaker 2: monitor that situation. I want to come here on the
[31:53] Speaker 2: Insiders carry On ARNOLDI former first round pick's been facing
[31:57] Speaker 2: some serious legal trouble. We have to details on what's
[32:00] Speaker 2: potentially next form the corner back here on the Insiders
[32:11] Speaker 2: former Lions first round or Terry On Arnold's was arrested
[32:15] Speaker 2: this summer in connection to an armed robbery and a
[32:17] Speaker 2: kidnapping case in Florida. Now the felony charges carry a
[32:21] Speaker 2: potential sentence so to life in prison. Detroit releasing Arnold
[32:24] Speaker 2: as the legal situation continues to unfold for a little
[32:28] Speaker 2: more context on what's next. Ian Rappaport back with us Ian,
[32:31] Speaker 2: what more can you add to the story?
[32:34] Speaker 3: Well, I'll tell you about the timing and then what
[32:36] Speaker 3: is going to happen to Terry On Arnold? And this
[32:38] Speaker 3: is something I reported earlier today with colleague Mike Garritfoulo.
[32:41] Speaker 3: So our understanding is tarry On Arnold will be placed
[32:44] Speaker 3: on the NFL's Commissioners Exempt List, which means to be
[32:48] Speaker 3: not able to practice and not able to play in
[32:50] Speaker 3: games until and unless his legal situation gets resolved. In
[32:54] Speaker 3: whatever way it gets resolved, So that is likely going
[32:57] Speaker 3: to be sometime. He is still playing to sign with
[33:00] Speaker 3: the Seahawks, and they are not backing away from this.
[33:02] Speaker 3: They're not walking away from They are going to sign him,
[33:06] Speaker 3: but it's not expected to be for at least a
[33:08] Speaker 3: couple of weeks. The Seahawks are still working through the
[33:11] Speaker 3: timing of this. But our understanding is this is not
[33:13] Speaker 3: immediate and as far as him being placed in the
[33:16] Speaker 3: commissioner as exemptlest our understanding is teams that were interested
[33:19] Speaker 3: in him, and he took several visits, they were told
[33:22] Speaker 3: that this was the likelihood, so all would have signed
[33:25] Speaker 3: him knowing that he might have to put him essentially
[33:28] Speaker 3: to the side for a little bit as his situation
[33:31] Speaker 3: gets resolved. So that is where Terry on Onnold is.
[33:34] Speaker 3: Expect him to sign, perhaps by the end of the summer,
[33:38] Speaker 3: and then we'll see when he's able to get on
[33:40] Speaker 3: the field or how a situation is resolved.
[33:43] Speaker 2: And I know whenever those updates come in from a
[33:44] Speaker 2: legal perspective, I you and Michael have us covered on
[33:47] Speaker 2: that story. Some other news to get to here from
[33:51] Speaker 2: Seattle perspective too. Former Cowboy Trevon Digs worked out for
[33:55] Speaker 2: the Seahawks today. Corner also worked out for the Lions
[33:58] Speaker 2: earlier this month. There's some connections here with the Arnold story. Now,
[34:03] Speaker 2: last year played in nine games with Dallas in Green Bay.
[34:05] Speaker 2: No picks, twenty seven tackles. We're also waiting you talk
[34:11] Speaker 2: about contracts this offseason. Christian Gonzales certainly in line for
[34:14] Speaker 2: the next big deal at the corner spot in the NFL.
[34:17] Speaker 2: We saw Seattle paid him Witherspoon, making him the highest
[34:20] Speaker 2: paid corner in the league. Conventional wisdom would tell you
[34:24] Speaker 2: Gonzales in line for a big deal. Dan The cadence
[34:27] Speaker 2: usually works like this, One really talented guy gets paid,
[34:30] Speaker 2: sets the market a day, two days, three days later
[34:33] Speaker 2: the next guy. He then becomes the highest paid player.
[34:36] Speaker 2: So Witherspoon already set the bar. What's the process?
[34:39] Speaker 1: What's the hold up here right now for Gonzales and
[34:42] Speaker 1: the Patriots.
[34:44] Speaker 4: Well, I still expect this deal to get done at
[34:47] Speaker 4: some point. But you know, unlike the running back situation
[34:50] Speaker 4: from a couple of weeks ago where Bjon Robinson signed
[34:53] Speaker 4: one day and then Jamior Gibbs signed the next day
[34:54] Speaker 4: for a little bit more, this is taking a little
[34:57] Speaker 4: bit longer, and it's probably not as simple as just
[35:00] Speaker 4: Devin Witherspoon's getting thirty three million a year Christian Gonzales
[35:03] Speaker 4: should get thirty three point one. Because Seattle has a
[35:06] Speaker 4: specific way of doing their contracts with their guarantees and
[35:09] Speaker 4: their cash flow, They do not guarantee money beyond the
[35:13] Speaker 4: first year in this case is the second year because
[35:15] Speaker 4: they already had guaranteed the fifth year option. They don't
[35:18] Speaker 4: do rolling guarantees a year ahead, where like the twenty
[35:20] Speaker 4: twenty eight guarantees on Devin Witherspoon's contract would trigger in
[35:24] Speaker 4: twenty twenty seven, he has to wait till twenty twenty
[35:27] Speaker 4: eight to get that guaranteed. So all that said, if
[35:29] Speaker 4: Christian Gonzalez wants year three guarantees or early triggers on
[35:33] Speaker 4: the guarantees, then the Seattle contract with Devin Witherspoon does
[35:37] Speaker 4: not establish a precedent that he can work off of.
[35:39] Speaker 4: So these tend to be all about cash flow guarantee structure. Basically,
[35:45] Speaker 4: when does the guy get his money? And the Patriots
[35:48] Speaker 4: and Christian Gonzales continue to work through that. But if
[35:51] Speaker 4: you're wondering why it wasn't as simple as Oh, Devin
[35:53] Speaker 4: Witherspoon got done, now Christian Gozales gets done. It gets
[35:56] Speaker 4: to the issue of how different teams handle long term
[35:59] Speaker 4: contract structures differently, and that could be why it takes
[36:03] Speaker 4: a little while for Gonzales to get paid.
[36:05] Speaker 1: Yeah, Dan, great stuff.
[36:06] Speaker 2: Love that context, because I don't think people will realize
[36:08] Speaker 2: sometimes how the different teams work on some of these deals.
[36:10] Speaker 2: I think it was Ian or Mike g yesterday on
[36:12] Speaker 2: the show that told us they have the same representation.
[36:15] Speaker 2: So maybe that's another point here as we just he'll
[36:19] Speaker 2: wait to find out exactly when this deal eventually comes
[36:22] Speaker 2: together for Gonzales and the Patriots.
[36:30] Speaker 12: My name is Kyle Yuschek. I played fullback for the
[36:35] Speaker 12: San Francisco forty nine ers, and I scored a touchdown
[36:40] Speaker 12: in the Super Bowl.
[36:49] Speaker 13: It's the singing of the national anthem and America the
[36:52] Speaker 13: Beautiful that probably it settles in for these players as
[36:56] Speaker 13: they looked into the stands and see the family and friends,
[36:59] Speaker 13: certainly among them.
[37:02] Speaker 12: My brothers are my biggest fans in the entire world.
[37:05] Speaker 12: My brothers, my mom, my wife, Like nobody goes to
[37:09] Speaker 12: bat for me more than them. You just want to
[37:13] Speaker 12: make the people that you care about proud of you
[37:15] Speaker 12: to feel that and genuinely feel that you've made them proud.
[37:19] Speaker 1: Like that's a jet ball done. It's about time to
[37:24] Speaker 1: kick it off.
[37:24] Speaker 13: We have been waiting for this.
[37:28] Speaker 4: It's time to play some football, and these guys are
[37:31] Speaker 4: ready to go.
[37:33] Speaker 12: You are on the biggest stage in the world, and
[37:36] Speaker 12: you're experiencing the biggest high you could ever possibly imagine.
[37:40] Speaker 12: It's hard to even wrap my head around because I
[37:42] Speaker 12: go back to me playing with my brother's in.
[37:44] Speaker 1: The backyard and us pretending, you know, we're in the
[37:47] Speaker 1: Super Bowl and you gotta go score a touchdown to win.
[37:52] Speaker 13: HI first downs lash five plays for the Niners. I'll
[37:55] Speaker 13: shut up. Let Chi's fifteen, San Francisco first and cham
[37:58] Speaker 13: trailing by shut them.
[38:00] Speaker 3: Garoppolo wonders.
[38:02] Speaker 1: Jimmy Garoppo was booting out to the right.
[38:05] Speaker 12: The other guys weren't open. He came to me, and
[38:07] Speaker 12: I turned up field, and I remember seeing the goal
[38:11] Speaker 12: line and just like immediately, my eyes, you know, blew
[38:15] Speaker 12: up super wide because like, oh my gosh, I'm about
[38:18] Speaker 12: to score, Like there's actually some room here.
[38:22] Speaker 13: Your side is part of the tim breaking a tackle,
[38:24] Speaker 13: you're shut Bay got kind somebody untune touchdown.
[38:27] Speaker 3: Ten unters.
[38:31] Speaker 12: Right after I scored it. It was it was such
[38:33] Speaker 12: a special moment because my family was in that end zone.
[38:37] Speaker 12: They were probably twenty yards away from me, and after
[38:41] Speaker 12: I score it, I pointed right to him. I'm gonna
[38:47] Speaker 12: get emotional. I'm so thankful too that just a random
[38:52] Speaker 12: fan happened to be sitting behind my family, didn't know
[38:56] Speaker 12: that they were my family, and he filmed the whole
[38:59] Speaker 12: shot of me scoring. Painting to my brothers and they're
[39:04] Speaker 12: just losing their minds. I'm the youngest of three boys
[39:19] Speaker 12: and all we did was play football in the backyard
[39:21] Speaker 12: growing up.
[39:22] Speaker 13: Fifteen yard touchdown passed by San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
[39:27] Speaker 13: So the fullback Kyle HER's check leaving his way for
[39:30] Speaker 13: the touchdown and now an extra point away, but nin
[39:33] Speaker 13: Nurse could tie the game.
[39:35] Speaker 12: And when we were playing ball in the backyard, you
[39:37] Speaker 12: know that last play is always all right, the seconds
[39:40] Speaker 12: are taken down, you're in the super Bowl, you gotta
[39:42] Speaker 12: score a touchdown.
[39:43] Speaker 1: And so to actually do.
[39:44] Speaker 12: That in real life and have my brothers, my wife,
[39:50] Speaker 12: and my mom right there and I'm pointing at Him'm like,
[39:55] Speaker 12: it was so cool. You have a second to catch
[40:07] Speaker 12: your breath and you're just like and I do remember,
[40:11] Speaker 12: like I'm just looking around. I'm like, no, I just
[40:14] Speaker 12: score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. This is pretty cool.
[40:30] Speaker 1: One unbelievable moment.
[40:32] Speaker 2: Cool doesn't even begin to describe it. Some other news
[40:35] Speaker 2: to get to. Ben Johnson gave us some tough news.
[40:38] Speaker 2: Running back calm and un got week to week after
[40:40] Speaker 2: sustaining a knee injury and practice on Sunday. Dude rush
[40:44] Speaker 2: for almost eight hundred yards five touchdowns as a rookie.
[40:47] Speaker 2: Also caught eighteen passes for one hundred and sixty four yards.
[40:52] Speaker 2: Some other running back news, How about this told you
[40:54] Speaker 2: that this might happen here on the Insiders Yesterday, Giants
[40:57] Speaker 2: signing free agent running back down She Harris.
[41:00] Speaker 1: It's a one year deal.
[41:01] Speaker 2: He's coming off the ACL, joins a crowded running back
[41:04] Speaker 2: round camp, Scataboo's own Tracy Devin Singletary just to name
[41:07] Speaker 2: a few, but Harbaugh obviously familiar with Harris in his
[41:11] Speaker 2: time in Pittsburgh inside that division.
[41:13] Speaker 1: Some other Giants us to get to Adam Schefter.
[41:16] Speaker 2: Giants officially yes signing Harris but releasing Juju Smith Schuster,
[41:22] Speaker 2: which also has us thinking about Malik Neighbors continues to
[41:25] Speaker 2: come back from that acl back on the practice field yesterday.
[41:28] Speaker 2: We heard him say on the show, my soul's been
[41:30] Speaker 2: dead for so long, just being away. John Harbaugh would
[41:34] Speaker 2: love nothing more for him to come back from the dead.
[41:37] Speaker 14: Is he ready or not? You know? And I think
[41:40] Speaker 14: the doctors will know. But also the knee is stable.
[41:44] Speaker 14: The knee is stable. Now he's got to be in
[41:46] Speaker 14: those situations where he just relearns how to play the
[41:49] Speaker 14: game and protect himself. So I think the doctors are
[41:52] Speaker 14: going to know the same time. We're going to know
[41:53] Speaker 14: because we're all going to see it, and he's going
[41:54] Speaker 14: to feel it. You're going to see him playing the
[41:56] Speaker 14: game the way that's going to be, you know, first
[41:59] Speaker 14: of all, protect himself and secondly that he can produce right.
[42:02] Speaker 14: So I think we're going to know when we see it,
[42:05] Speaker 14: all of us. But ultimately the doctors have to clear him.
[42:08] Speaker 14: That's it.
[42:10] Speaker 1: Giants could use him. He'd be a difference maker for
[42:12] Speaker 1: that offense.
[42:13] Speaker 2: The expanded footprint for the NFL continues to be a
[42:16] Speaker 2: major storyline. Roger Godill saying quote, at some point there
[42:19] Speaker 2: will be NFL teams outside of the United States of America.
[42:23] Speaker 1: Ian and Dan picked the spot man, where are we going?
[42:26] Speaker 1: Where are we landing? A franchising in.
[42:30] Speaker 3: So My wife and I took a lovely trip to
[42:32] Speaker 3: Portugal this summer Oliver Portugal. Had a great time in Porto,
[42:36] Speaker 3: which is a lovely city right along the Duro River.
[42:39] Speaker 3: Look how beautiful that is, Dad, That is a great
[42:41] Speaker 3: place for an NFL team.
[42:43] Speaker 1: I will go a couple times a year.
[42:45] Speaker 3: Just to visit.
[42:48] Speaker 4: I would happily cover the Paris team. I would happily
[42:51] Speaker 4: cover the Rome or Florence team. I think this is
[42:55] Speaker 4: a very exciting opportunity for those of us who cover
[42:57] Speaker 4: the league.
[42:58] Speaker 6: Co sign it.
[42:59] Speaker 1: We're all ready to go, taking up
[43:05] Speaker 10: Name

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