Training Camp Primer! Questions We Want Answered Before Week 1

>> Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. I'm your host, Shield Kapadia. It is hope season. So today, we're putting ourselves in the shoes of various fan bases and coming up with headlines. We would want to see between now and week one. It's just an exercise to look at the biggest training camp question stuff. We can actually get information on between now and week one. We'll do that with Deontay Leigh. Before that, though, there's some news around the NFL. Jalen Carter got a contract extension from the Eagles. Vida Vaya of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has a trade request in. Then there's this Kyle Shanahan story, which we spoke about as well. Now, just a heads up after we recorded the segment on Kyle Shanahan, he met with a group of reporters in the Bay area and actually clarified some things saying that the car accident he was in was actually his fault. He wasn't on his phone, but he had dropped his phone. It got stuck between the seats. He went to look for it, took his eyes off the road and got in the accident. He said he was going 20 miles per hour when he came back up. Got his eyes back on the road. The airbag hit him in the face. That's according to an NBC sports report. So there was public records that had indicated a 21-year-old woman was actually at fault, but Shanahan said that wasn't accurate. San Francisco's VP of security said the inaccurate report with the result of a clerical error. So details continue to come in on that bizarre story. Again, that was from NBC Sports in the Bay area. Some of those details I wanted to get to you at the front of the show because they were not available at the time, Deontay and I talked about Shanahan. All right, let's take a break. We come back and we talk to Deontay Lee. All right, welcoming in, my friend. Deontay Lee, we're going to do a little news off the top, Jalen Carter Extension. Vita, they are a trade request, this Kyle Shanahan story. And then we'll get to our exercise. Deontay, how we feel in training camps? Opening up. Ready for another season here. Look, man, I just put some gas in the car because I'm taking a couple trips up to Los Angeles so I can go check out, you know, the chargers and the ramps. I think we are ramping this thing up, little by little. There we go. Before you know it, preseason week one, halfway awards, you know, plan all that. Gotta be honest with you, Sheila, the more you say, the more this sounds like a threat. Let's call it a stress, okay, let's not call it stress. Let's enjoy it. Let's be thankful. Football is almost back to your big news. This week, Jalen Carter gets the extension from the Eagles four years, a hundred and $52 million per Adam Schaefter, that's 38 million per year, eclipsing Jeffrey Simmons, who is at 35.2. So he is Jalen Carter now the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, Deontay. I was a little on the fence, you know, when I talked about this, I think just a week ago on the ringer's Philly Special, I said, I think something's going to get done, but I'm not like totally confident that it's going to get done because it's a little bit of a tricky situation. And what do you make of the deal that Jalen Carter got? Are you surprised? Do you think the Eagles were wise to make this type of investment right now? I think, and I think that you've reflected similar terms on this. I don't think I ever really doubted that they would extend him. I think that the terms were always going to be the question, right? And I knew, at least I had assumed that whatever we would hear back, you know, once it officially went out, that he would be the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL history, but I wanted to see just how real that money would be. Once we started to see all the contract details laid out, and I mean, if he is able to maximize, you know, he hits all the incentives and it's here for all, you know, it's here in Philadelphia for all four years, and you would be talking to, talking about maybe 40 million per. I think off of his guarantees right now, you're talking about high 20s, which is a pretty good, you know, it's market rate. And I think that it makes sense for what his ceiling is. I think that this doesn't necessarily close the conversation, though, on what version of Jalen Carter are you going to receive in 2026 and 2027? And when we get to 28 and 29, is he going to be so good that not only is this deal making all the sense in the world, but you already started to think about ripping up the last year or two of what this extension is going to be and it's tacking on a couple more years if you can continue to be at the top of the market. I think that that's still a little undecided, but ultimately, I think the terms of this deal are not a big surprise knowing that Philadelphia has always kind of viewed him as a high ceiling investment. And if you're looking at his peaks, he has definitely looked like the kind of player that merits getting paid, what he'll be paid on this deal. Yeah, you alluded to it there. This is about projection and you're getting a player who you feel like has the potential to be best defensive tackling football, defensive player of the year candidate. Game record can take over possessions, can take over series, can take over halves, whatever the case may be, you feel like you're paying for that for the next four years, but you mentioned it. That was not the player we saw last year. And he was coming out, you know, he had two shoulder injuries. So I'm not any at a long Super Bowl run. So there are valid reasons why maybe he wasn't that player and I could still show you a highlight real of like here is 10 plays, best plays from last year and you're like, OK, that looks like one of the best defensive players in football. But in terms of like game to game, even possession to possession, that kind of consistency, I wouldn't say he was one of the best defensive tackles in football last year. So I get the projection, but I think that's why it was tricky because you add that in with the fact that this is a guy who had serious red flags coming out of college. I mean, I have to believe that that was the thing that I don't want to say, hold up because it got done before training camp. But the fact that it didn't get done earlier in the off season, you know, they have no more information on that stuff than you and I do as far as publicly reported stuff, he hasn't really had issues since he's joined the Eagles out of Georgia. But this was a player who was not on everybody's draft board. He only slid to a range where the Eagles could get him because of those, you know, off-field issues. You know, that otherwise, I mean, based on film, he's the number one pick like almost every year. There's a quarterback thick. And so, you know, I think they tried to figure those things out and I think they just bet on the upside, bet on the ceiling for jail and Carter and now it's a matter of kind of him proving you right as the franchise that, hey, I could handle this kind of money. I could be more consistent. And we already know what the peaks are. That's Super Bowl run in 2024. They don't beat the Rams unless he just takes over the game with those two plays at the end. So his impact at the highest level, you really can't question it. 100%. And I think that another interesting kind of layer of this is the conversation around Jordan Davis when he got paid, right? Because you're coming off of a Jordan Davis season where the summer previous, we hear all about, he's changing his diet, he's spending time on the Pelotones, making sure that he's in the proper shape to be more available. And then you get that proof of concept that shows Philadelphia, hey, you're the player that we thought we were getting when we drafted you, you have added to your game, you have adjusted on some of the things that we felt like you needed to in order to be the best version of yourself. Here is your reward for the time that you've put in. Whereas as you were saying with jail and Carter, this is much more a, hey, we've just seen what you are at your peak, we're betting that that is a more likely outcome for the next half decade of your career than what we saw in 2025, right? And if we're to assume that the shoulder surgery is successful, that his recovery from that is successful and that he'll be durable again, then I can understand why, you know, Philadelphia might feel like what we saw in 2024 where he looked like, hey, this guy might be knocking on the door of being a Jeffrey Simmons of being, you know, an Aaron Donald level type of playmaker on the interior. I get it from that perspective. And I also think about signaling, right? And not the how he roseman needs to go send a message to the rest of his team about what he's willing to do at this stage of his career as a GM, but I think if you're coined on Mitchell and you're Cooper Dugin, you see this deal and you feel good. You and your agent are feeling good because it lets you know, hey, this team is now identified some of these young core defensive players as guys who are worth paying. And if despite, you know, jail and Carter's shoulder injuries and some of the things you mentioned about what the circumstances were for him coming into the league. If they were so willing to pay him, we set them a league basically as all pro players. And if we're talking about Michelin Dugin, we'll be just fine with his hard time to come to the table and talk about what our contracts are going to mean. And I think that really this deal along with the Jordan Davis deal is just really table setting. I think for what the next era of Eagles football is going to be that they are clearly just going to make those guys their defensive anchors, but they're going to get younger and cheaper on the offensive end. And we'll have to see if a guy like Jalen Carter can reach his peak often enough for this defense to be able to lead the way for whatever the next iteration of Eagles football is going to be. Only 25 years old. So you feel like, all right, that we're paying for the peak now. Let's let's hope he reaches that. But demand to put it into perspective, you know, 38 million a year. So Jeffrey Simmons is making 35.2 and Chris Jones is making over 30. Those are, he's making $10 million more per year than every other defensive tackle other than those two. But this really does reset it in a way. I was thinking, all right, maybe he'll be, maybe it'll be 35.5 and I'll just beat Jeffrey Simmons. But this is 38, which is, which is legit, and you have an owner who will pay cash and you have a front office with stability so you can work on years at the end of these contracts. This is tough, Deonte, for owners who want to, you know, not pay players and I'm not saying the salary cap is fake. The salary cap is real, but there are ways to keep a lot of your best players. just match it. At this time next year, Cooper DeGienin Quinnian Mitchell will be paid at the top of the market and they will be filling off the Eagles. I feel confident saying that while other owners and franchises will say, well, you can't keep everybody. So I mean, it is one of those things that there are tools you can use. The owners have to be willing to spend to implement those. If you're Stephen Jones, after this deal gets done and you see Nicole Lynn's name and the text messages after the deal gets done, saying, hey, can't wait to talk to you sometime between now and the end of this season. I know that you've got a not in your stomach knowing that someone like a Quinn Williams for an organization like Dallas now, you're going to be looking at a pretty hefty bill. Even if someone like a Quinn Williams isn't getting 38 million a year, we obviously I think that there's another news item. We'll get to a V2Va. Now it's a defensive tackle. We want an extension from his current team. I might be looking for other suitors elsewhere, like the market rate now, I think is going to get a lot more tricky for defensive tackles, which is funny if you think about how undervalued I think they were, maybe a half decade ago, before some of these young guys started hitting the market or coming to the end of their rookie deals or their first extensions. Now it's time to start talking about paying these guys like the highest paid non-quarter racks in the league, which is going to create some really interesting conversations around franchises. Yeah. The price only goes up. So you take on some risk. But you say, hey, if we wait a year, that's going to be 41, 42, that's just the way it works. While you mention it, V2Va, next news item here, request a trade according to ESPN from the Tampa Bay Bucks. He's 31 years old, entering the final year of his deal, set to make $17 million per year. And they haven't been able to come to terms on an extension drafted by the Bucks in 2018, has played 112 games for them. I was looking at just the numbers, which the numbers don't always tell the whole story for a defensive tackle, specifically, but eighth in pressures among defensive tackles last year. If you look at some of the metrics with the run defense in terms of run stops, not as good, which it's funny, because always in my head, I'm thinking V2Va, best maybe run stopping, disruptor defensive tackle in the NFL, the past rush, maybe wasn't there earlier in his career last year was a little bit different. How do you think this plays out, Dionys? This is one of those classic late July trade requests, where we all know week one, he's going to be on the box probably with a new extension. This is a way of exercising leverage, or are you saying, no, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he is traded at some point between now and the start of the season. I think if you're asking me today, this sounds very much like a, all right, defensive tackle is going into the GM's office and asking for money. GM says, our quarterbacks deal is ending. Can I please work that out first? And I promise we will get back to your deal. And he is just trying to exercise just a little bit of public leverage to make sure that his deal isn't put on the back burner for too long. I would not be surprised if this ultimately lands in someone like Vaya getting extended for another three or so seasons in Tampa Bay. That said, I mean, we are going to have a conversation about what Tampa Bay's franchise is going to look like if Baker Mayfield is able to secure a 52, 53, 55 million per year contract right, and given where the market is at for quarterbacks, especially for someone like him, a veteran who has proven himself as a multi year starter that's made, you know, the playoffs a couple of times since he's been in Tampa Bay, that might be the going rate for someone like Mayfield. And if he's getting paid that, knowing that this team is already kind of veteran laid in, has paid a lot of guys that are supposed to be cornerstones for this franchise, maybe someone like Vaya doesn't end up on the cutting room floor, you know, for this roster. I don't think that's the best way to approach this team from a team building. I still very much have a vision of the best version of the Bucks featuring him as its centerpiece. It's the best run stopper that they one of the only things I think that has kind of been consistent on a week by week basis for the Bucks defense because they've had guys who have been hurt over the last couple of years. But I would not be surprised if a 30, you know, 30 plus year old detackle maybe ends up being the next in the list of lines of guys who ends up getting paid at another spot because they have to prioritize what they're doing with the quarterback position right now. Yeah, I was trying to think of compensation for Vita Vaya, you know, Dexter Laurence got the tent overall pick in the offseason, but he's two years younger than Vita Vaya. And I think for as much as I've I've loved watching Vita Vaya and he's one of those guys that you hear offensive lineman talk about him and they're just like, like, I do not want to go up against the sky for 45 snaps on a Sunday. So I think he's a great player, but I think it comes down from what Dexter Laurence got. And again, he's a little bit older 31 is they can probably a day to pick? I don't know. I think that's the range for maybe day two, plus a late day three pick, you know, something that's going to something you can punch into whatever your little points calculator to say that it comes out to be unlike the 30th overall pick, whatever, you know, trade value chart you're working off of. I could imagine that being all what's on the table. And then when you think about the fact that there's reporting that he wants to be on a contender, if you're a contending team that feels like he might be the missing piece for what you're trying to build, you would definitely, I think, part with the day two pick to be able to bring in a guy like Vaya. I wrote down three teams just because, you know, we I always do this. Yeah. I'm like, oh, this guy's probably not going to get traded, but then I'm like, all right, well, I at least, you know, what's more fun than looking at? Yeah. What's more fun than looked up? Three teams I looked at, the bills disasterous run defense last year, you know, they're trying to win a Super Bowl right now. The cowboys, I know that, you know, they got Kenny Clark is next to Quinn and Williams. I feel like there's a way to, you know, bolster that run defense and then the 49ers who, you know, traded for Oso Digi-Zoo in the offseason. Vaya is a very different player where I kind of like that fit, you know, that pairing at defensive tackle. Those were the three names I wrote down where if I'm the GM, I'm at least calling and saying, hey, what's the price and I'm calling Vita Vaya's agent and saying, all right, what kind of extension? Are we looking for it? Maybe you don't do it. But I'm at least making the phone call with those three teams. I don't hate that. You know, the bills is really an interesting one, right? Because now you're having a conversation. I think you'd be having a conversation with Tampa Vaya if we were to put on our hypothetical hat saying, are we doing a swap at Oliver for Vita Vaya, right? Are we doing a swap? Are you asking for the only bolster? I wanted to play a bolster. Yeah. So, you know, like, so now you're going to have, because if you are, if you're Tampa Bay, you can't just let an all pro like Vita Vaya leave and say, we're just going to leave this massive gap on our defensive interior that we have no prayer of being able to kind of replicate his production even in the aggregate. We need to have a guy that can step into that spot with a high enough ceiling or floor to be able to feel like we can put together a viable front for our defense. I think a team like Chicago, you know, is something that that would be really interesting. It's a good way. In the offseason, there was a bunch of reporting that they were kind of poking around Max Crosby. I think that the price, you know, given what the Ravens rescinded trade ultimately turned out to be, was probably just a little hefty for Chicago, but hey, if you're looking for a vet that could step in and you can say, hey, if it's just a day to pick, that also means that we don't necessarily have to tie ourselves to giving you your next payday. We can go bring you in and say, hey, ball out for us. Get us back to the playoffs. Let's get a deep run and then you can go hit the market and maybe you can go get yourself a two or three year deal where you're getting paid, Chris Jones money, right, to continue to play as a defensive tackle. That would be really interesting to me. I would like to also throw the chargers out there as the team might be fascinated by. They brought in Delvin Tomlinson. I don't think that Delvin Tomlinson precludes you from going out and getting beat of Aya. If he could be your starting defensive tackle, that's another one. And I feel like I've said this multiple times in the soft season where I just keep looking at the chargers and I'm like, hey, man, like, what are we going to push the button on speed enough? Yeah. His contention timeline with the quarterback that you have, man, like I think that a guy like that, a distressed asset like that, if we're to assume that they would be willing to make this ugly enough to try to put real pressure to either get this deal done or get him out of town. I think the chargers maybe could go get him out of discount. And I think I've seen the 49ers listed as well. They're a fascinating one for me. So I'm like, man, I don't know. I don't know if you are familiar with the term "unction," right? I don't know if Cliff has brought up the "unction." No, give it to me. So what do we got? I'm the start of all of our… That's where our washed up guys who get together, right? We call that the "unction." I feel like San Francisco's already got a lot of 30 plus guys that they're leaning on or people who are approaching 30 if they're not already, who they're leaning on to try to hold on to the last little bit of this contention window. If you genuinely feel like we've got to take the biggest swing possible to stay competitive in the deepest division in the NFL, I got like Vega there who is also a Northern California guy. Maybe that is something where you're able to get that done. So those are probably the three teams that I have my eye on most. And I think that we're laying out teams that should have legitimate interest. And maybe that does bump up the market to a first-round pick, which I guess kind of turns this right back around to where you're asking Tampa Bay, is that enough to part with what has been a franchise-changing talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball? Detroit was the other team where I know it's not a need. I know they drafted Tyler Williams and have a lead McNeill. That's one where sometimes you just close your eyes and picture, "Can I see this player?" in that uniform and just like Dan Campbell's like, "I love this guy." Dan Campbell will be living that guy up. Yeah. And he's just making big plays and big games and the crowds going nuts. So we'll see. You made a good point that it's not just Vita Vega. They Baker may feel there's no, it sounds like according to their pouring. They are not close to a deal. He's entering the final year of his contract, so is he just playing this out? And is he kind of a big domino to fall in the quarterback market after the season, potentially. So that's kind of one to keep an eye on there with Baker Mayfield. All right. Last one here. here Deontay. Kyle Shanahan involved in a car accident on July 14th. Deontay information is still coming out about this. But man, suffered a concussion, fractured to the nose, ribs, hand 40 stitches in his face. This is all according to the athletic Chris Simms, his close friends, and he was close to losing his right eye. There are questions now about, hey, who knew about this? And why didn't they report it? There's kind of a media angle about this. I don't even really know what the analysis is Deontay. But luckily, it sounds like the other driver was not seriously injured. And it sounds like it could have been worse for Kyle Shanahan. But he will be away from the team as he kind of recovers from these very serious injuries. So the football angle is not the most important as always, but that still is a story as we look ahead to the season. I mean, 100%. I mean, obviously, my jaw was on the floor when the news first broke, right? And you hear the details of the injuries. And I think it's just natural to have concern about just what kind of condition, both Kyle Shanahan and the other victim of this car crash might have been in. So it was a relief to find out that the woman that he had this collision with was able to leave the site with relatively minor injuries, just seeing what she was more shaken up than anything, not that so significant that she had to be admitted to a hospital. And I think that for Shanahan to hear the news at like 40 stitches, you know, broke all these breaks in his face as hand, you know, the severe concussion. I mean, it does open up the question of just kind of what kind of condition he'll be in to start the season. And I think that, you know, the other thing you pointed to, I think that this is probably just like endemic to just where things are right now in our social media culture, right? Where there has to be, there's just a very natural conspiratorial reaction, I think to, to news stories like this, I don't think that, you know, the situation between Diana Rossini and Mike Rebel helped in that regard for this. And it's not to draw direct parallel. I just think that that just kind of speaks to where fans, minds are at, whenever they hear that something, you know, drastic or dramatic has happened with a member of a coaching staff in the NFL. And I think that there's, you know, I've seen maybe some reporting, I'm not sure if it's been substantiated across multiple platforms yet that, you know, he may have been in use of a cell phone at the time of the crash. Yeah, so, so, you know, that that obviously opens up some concern about just like, you know, distracted driving. And, you know, for me is that that hits home for me, both as a parent and as a coach of teenagers, right? You know, trying to make sure people are navigating the road safely. I think the ultimately where I land at is glad that he's okay, you know, I'm, I don't want to necessarily want to shrug off some of the big reactions on social media. Why didn't we know this beforehand? It seems pretty clear that maybe the 49ers who just kind of asked his local beat reporters that when they, you know, maybe kind of access some of these police reports and put two and two together that, hey, because he's going to be limited, we'll put out a statement on it. Details seem to be emerging from there. So it doesn't necessarily seem like most of this was hidden. It just seems like the attention on it was delayed. And if he's going to be in good enough condition to coach the season, I think that we'll ultimately be able to kind of put this story behind us. Yeah. According to the athletic drugs and alcohol, we're not believed to be involved. And even that sports illustrated story that said he was holding and using a cell phone at the time also said that the other driver was deemed to be at fault because she swirved in to Shanahan's lane. So again, this is kind of, you know, I don't want to say like developing story like, you know, gay, all gossipy and rumoury. But we just, there are more details now that are coming out about this and we'll find out if it's worth kind of having another conversation. But yes, get off your phones if you're driving. Yeah. I think that's seriously number one, do not be looking at your phones while you're driving into your point about the social media landscape. I logged on earlier today, Deontay before the pie to make sure I'm not missing any breaking news. And all I saw were posts about whether men are allowed to get pedacures or not. And I logged right on. And I said, right there with you, right there. You don't need this is not healthy. You don't need this in your life. Let's just fire up the mics and talk some football. So there you go. Go touch grass as always is the lesson whenever you log on. All right. Let's take a break. We come back. We are going to talk about touching grass and training camp and headlines that if you are a fan of a specific team, you want to read between now and week one. It's a way to look at some of the questions we want to answer during training camp when we come back. All right. We're back on the ringer NFL show. So I just mentioned the exercise. It's very simple. If you are a fan of a certain team, we came up with headlines. You want to read between now and week one, Deontay. You lead us off. What do you got? I think in this exercise, one of the biggest things that I have to check myself on is like, let me not be lazy and just find five quarterbacks who I think have interesting storylines and just say, oh, fans are left to hear that they're on fire at training camp. But I will offer I will offer this one up to start with because I think that this would have the biggest implications on just what the Super Bowl picture would look like. I think if we see a headline that says Lamar Jackson, Declan Doyle on fire at a start training camp, new look offense is moving the ball up and down the field. Anything in that realm, I think would immediately change or just open up maybe some new conversations on, hey, I think we all know that Jesse Menter is a great ceiling razor and floor razor for a defense. There's questions all what Declan Doyle is going to be as a play collar. Just what the shape of an offense is going to be with someone like Lamar Jackson entering his 30s, approaching his 30s. And what, you know, I guess the interminable Derek Henry as a running back as your lead back is going to look like. So I think if we got news that with this addition, maybe you have a under center running game, maybe taking some things off of Lamar Jackson's legs, given what he looked like last year when his struggle to scramble around. If he's able to pick stuff like that up quickly, knowing that there's not an obvious number one, you know, can't guard a wide receiver on this roster. I think that people would be fired up to know what that Ravens offense would look like. This is interesting. I had a Ravens one down too. It was less about scheme on field performance and more about field and vibes. Deontay, I had down Ravens bets energized by Mintor's new fresh approach. So I think this conversation lets us know there's a lot going on with the Baltimore Ravens at training camp this summer. Like Deontay said, you have a new scheme offensively. You have a new offensive coordinator for Lamar Jackson. You got a lot of moving pieces on the offensive line. You have, like you said, I wouldn't describe the best past catching group in the NFL. You know, I like say flowers. Apart from that, you look around and go, is there enough here? Can they do more with less because of the quarterback because of the scheme? That's interesting. And then I was just thinking about Mintor. And I think Bill Walsh, I can't remember if it was a 10-year rule or a five-year rule or another number. But basically you said, you don't want to coach in one place for longer than X amount of time because the messaging gets stale. The demands are too high. That's a Larry bird thing. Yeah. Oh, is it a Larry bird? Oh, they're birds. Yeah, I think that's a Larry bird thing. I think he never, once he moves to be an executive, I think he had some kind of quote about, I'm paraphrasing here, that like he didn't feel like a head coach could maintain a locker room for longer than like a half decade at a time. That it's the likelihood that your voice goes stale after about a half decade, just leaps up exponentially on a year-to-year basis. Okay, this explains why I Googled Bill Walsh, five-year-old Dianne Tay. And I couldn't find, but now when you Google stuff, you don't know, then it's going to give me some summary on a 10-year rule. I say, you know, Jim and I is going to give you something stories if I get a long gear for the Ringer NFL show. You're probably struggling a little bit to do some of this research. Okay, Larry bird. That's why I have Dianne Tay here to correct me. So John Hartbaugh did not abide by that. He was there for 18 years and you definitely felt that staleness in a recent years. And I think that's a part of the reason why they went to a new coach and I have a new voice and a new approach and change and freshness. And it's just like, how did the Ravens take to this? Because they have a lot of bets on that team, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, St. Flowers, Ronnie Stanley, Rowquan Smith, Tray Hendrix. I mean, I could Kyle Hamilton, you can go on and on. There are guys who have kind of been around, whether it's a shorter amount of time or for a very long amount of time. And I think if you're a Ravens fan, you really want to embrace the idea that these guys are having a great time with this new coach who it seems like expectations are high. Everything you're here about him. It seems like is pretty positive that Jesse Mentor, you know, I remember us having conversations in the winter or about, hey, who are some of the head coaching candidates that really look interesting. And I think he was on the top of a lot of people's list. So Ravens interesting for a number of reasons, Deontay this summer for sure. 100%. I mean, I think that this is, they are not necessarily at a crossroads year. I think that last year probably qualified a little bit more of that because of, you know, the John Harbaugh element that kind of loomed over the late season. Is he going to stay or not? But this is 100% a pivot point for this team, you know, they made some moves, changed some things around with their roster. There is the Lamar Jackson extension that's going to be looming throughout the season. 27, man, that's crazy. Quarterback. So going to the last year, they're deal very often. And then when you have a cap hit that high, you almost can't. So it's like, yeah, yeah, that is a very. The story when I was going to be abound, I think, especially for a team that has super bowl aspirations and has just come up short, you know, repeatedly over the last few years. And there's still among the favorites. I mean, you go on Fandall. I forget the third, fourth, fifth something like that. Top five. Top five in Super Bowl line. So really Ravens a good one to start on art. I'm taking some low-hanging fruit here, Deonti, 'cause we haven't discussed this. I know this has been discussed in your group chats. I know you are excited about this here's the headline. It's official. Aaron Donald is back with the Los Angeles Ram. So I feel like the other 31 fan bases, there's already some fatigue with the Ram's hype, but I'm sorry, a lot of it is, you know, your team should be making more exciting moves, okay? And drink to ass players in the league. So that's not our fault that they're doing stuff, but Aaron Donald appears to be seriously considering a comeback to play with the Ram's and Miles Garrett. Sean McVeigh was asked about it already, and he was kind of like, if he decides he wants to do it, we're gonna make it happen. So it's not official, but it really felt like this is probably gonna happen. Aaron Donald 35 years old. I was looking up when he last played, just trying to jog my memory 2023. First team all pro, eight sacs, 16 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback kits, top 10 in pressures for a defensive tackle. We know by all the workout videos that the man, he's staying in shape, Dianna, I think. I always like to look, when he's got the dumbbells, and he's getting ready to lean back for the chest press, I'm like, what number is that they, well, how do they make dumbbells that big? That is not in my local gym that I'm paying, you know, $12 a month for, you know, I'm trying to, you're 40, when you get over 40, Dianna, your whole algorithm is like, you must lift weights, you must get 10K steps. I'm like, all right, absolutely. Let me, let me make sure I'm doing that, but I'm not pushing the same weight as Aaron Donald, but this is exciting. Dianna, they Aaron Donald, Miles Garrett, potentially on the field together, two of the best defensive players of all time. I don't think that's hyperbole. Certainly, two of the best defensive players of our lifetime. And I actually think we're gonna read this headline at some point in the next month. I mean, I think if there were any likelihood that it wasn't going to happen, the Rams will be pouring cold water on it. It has to just not give anybody any false pretenses about what's to come the rest of this preseason, but it does seem like everything is kind of marching right up to that headline that you're describing. I think that really the decision seems to be very much in Donald's hands, right? Like, that's just kind of my read of the situation is that, hey, after doing all this working out and training, if he feels at 35 that he can ramp his body up to a degree where he feels like he can still be maybe not 2020-2021, Aaron Donald, but can still be some facsimile of that version of a player in spurts that he'll be back. And for us as content people, there's nothing more than I have looking forward to than seeing a third down where Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald are standing next to one another. That photo alone, we will be looking at two Mount Rushmore Esk Producers over their careers. I mean, we still get a lot of opportunities like that. Yeah, well that's going to be rough. I know, I feel like we should just preemptively apologize to whoever's doing that. I'm with you. It feels like, you know, the timing of this is interesting. Does he, you know, I don't know many bets who wanna do training camp? And again, look at Aaron Donald. I don't know that that is completely necessary for him to participate in training camp. As you like, I want to get a couple weeks to practice it and I wanna play the whole season. Is he like, hey, let's keep in touch? But this is, you know, why don't I join in October? Why don't I join in November? I don't have 17 weeks in May, but I can give you eight in the regular season and the playoffs. Does he just, is he like, no, if I'm gonna do this, let's do it. - I'm gonna do it, yeah, the way I always do it. - Yeah, and I don't have to play 80% of the snaps, but I want to be part of the team from the beginning. And if we need to ramp, you know, ramp it up a little bit or keep me on a snap count, I'm probably gonna be yelling at you, but, you know, I understand that that might be smart. So it can go in a number of different directions, but man, like I looked at his age and I'm like 35. Like I'm, you know, we're going through this exercise now where you go through all the rosters and teams and try to come up with your analysis. Like, there's plenty of 35-year-olds still playing in the NFL, Deante, he's not 43, he's not 45, 35 years old for one of the most impressive physical specimens we've seen here. It seems perfectly reasonable. And man, that would, it would just be fun. The first snap to see, you know, what kind of stunt are you using? Or are you just like, okay, you, you whoop the left tackle. And the left tackle, I'm gonna whoop the left guard here. Let's have something on the other side where the center can't slide, you know? I don't know, the possibilities are endless, but it would be a lot of fun, certainly, to see that. All right, what do you, what do you got? What's the next headline? - Next headline says, "Dack Prescott, CDLAM, "say they've never practiced against a defense "that makes things this tough." I think that that would be a just an absolute, you know, watershed moment for a Dallas defense that has clearly been the anchor holding this team where it's been at, you know, right on the fringes but not necessarily truly in the playoff to contender conversation. I think that, you know, there's a lot banking right now on a Christian Parker as a play caller, right? It's, it's, it's pretty rare for a guy who does not have play calling chops entering a gig for there to be as much hype and expectation about what he's going to be in terms of changing the way that we should expect a defense to play on a snap by snap basis. And a lot of this does, I think it is founded in, you know, his history, both in Denver, you know, developing a defense of backs there, you think about the time in Philadelphia, the likes do you get two rookie DBS and Coop Redigene and Kunyan Mitchell, and they instantly look like they need to be in the top five, top three conversation at their positions, right off the bat. That's certainly something that should give you a lot of hype coming into this gig, but I am fascinated to know like when it's, you know, the third quarter and you haven't been able to stop the run for the entire first half and you've got to have an adjustment. What is he actually going to look like? And I think that, you know, if we get any kind of early inklings that he is able to strike a balance with this very interesting collection of young guys who have not proven themselves, veterans who have been banged up and have struggled trying to move from one scheme to the next. Like what is the style of defense that he actually lands upon that is going to give them the best chance to be successful? And is he a fast enough play caller? Does he have a clear enough vision of defense to be able to get these guys all on a court to start off, you know, this preseason and going in a week one. All right, we're on the same page, Deontay. I had very similar iron sharpens, iron cowboys defense, winning its fair share of battles at training camp. 'Cause I think you nailed it. This was a very good offense last year. They've been a very good offense. Basically, any time Dak Prescott is stayed healthy, but the ceiling is going to be determined. And I think they're going to be good again this year in 2026, but the ceiling is going to be determined by whether that defense can be any good. They actually don't even have to be good. Like I'm talking mediocrity competency because we still don't talk enough about how they traded Micaparsans. And the year after they traded Micaparsans, Deontay, they had literally the worst defense in the NFL. I mean, I know I've said it a million times, but it's like, I would just still be in, you know, it'd be so infuriating if I were a cowboys fan that that was the case last year. So Christian Parker feels like one of, you know, sometimes here's those coaches who it's like, everybody seems to just say positive things about him, like anyone who's crossed their path. And like Mike McDonald's was kind of like that. I felt like before he went to Seattle. And Christian Parker feels like he's that kind of guy. So, but I don't, the talent good enough is my question. Like let's say, you know, how good of a job does he have to do? How do you put a league average defensive coordinator on the cowboys? Like the talent to me is probably below league average, right? Like he kind of need the coordinator to do more with less. - I would think if you got a replacement level to average defensive coordinator, I think that best case scenario, you'd expect them to be in like the 18th and 19th range, right? - I think low range and I would say. - I think that that's possible. I think the, I do think that poor health, poor health has been such a weight on this defense. I'm trying to imagine if Doron blend is healthy and back to the level of corner. Even if he's not getting the pick sixes that he did at his absolute in his best season, I still think that he can be a good enough zone corner. I think you add a Kobe Durant, you add a Jalen Thompson. I think that that back end is just enough for it to just not be the kind of abject disaster. It's been at its absolute worst. And maybe you are right. Maybe still you're probably talking about the 23rd, 24th. That's the best defense in the league. I think that if Christian Parker is as he's built to be and he can get this defense, like you said, it doesn't have to be a top eight in DBOA, a top eight, you know, in score, you know, in yards, yards allowed or points allowed for a game type of defense. If we're just in that 13th, 14th range and the offense delivers again by being another top three to five offense, that should probably be enough. I mean, especially in the NFC where, obviously the top cluster of teams are very, very formidable, but there's plenty of opportunity. I think for you to make it in as a five, as a six, as a seven seed in a wild card, I think that that's about best case scenario for Dallas and knowing what you have on offense. You should feel like we can go on the road anywhere in the NFL. And if our quarterback is having the right kind of day, we should be able to get to the fourth quarter within a possession. And that's really all you can ask for. I think a lot of times just for not an obvious super bowl favorite going into a season. Yeah, I've got the bar even lower, honestly. I feel like 20, 21, 22, 23. If their defense is somewhere in that range, where it's like, all right, this is going to be defense. It's going to win you games, but they're going to kind of do enough to give the offense a chance. Yeah. Because again, last year they just, they couldn't do it. I mean, they were last in the NFL. They were terrible. You didn't have a chance in some of those games. The margin for error was so slim on offense. So yeah, you say 13, 14, maybe that's the upside. If you can get to 2223 That might still be good enough you just kind of need to get out of that baseband and maybe they have enough talent to do that I mean they made a lot of changes six new starters. I think the rookie Caleb downs. There's feels like there's a lot of pressure on him to be good right away But I'm with you if you're a Cowboys fan. I don't care about what the headlines are on offense unless there's a big injury I kind of know what I'm getting there. It's all about I would rather see the offense struggle and have Dak Prescott coming out saying yep Those guys this year man there, and there was some of this in the spring already But you take it with a grain of salt. You really want to see him training camp when it's competitive those guys winning their fair share of battles So we're on the same page with the Cowboys. We come back. We got some more headlines We're looking for during training camp All right, we're back on the ringer NFL show. All right Dianne Tag got one for you. Desha Vu colon Caleb Williams shreds Bears defense Once again, this is the one you want to read two three weeks in where he really want to happen your favorite bears writer is Basically tired of writing the same thing every day that Caleb Williams is on fire that the balls not touching the ground that he Just has such a feel for what Ben Johnson wants to do now that he's in his second season Because the bears are a tricky team to project for 2026 for Caleb Williams was so exciting last year They had a top 10 offense the highs were so so high Yet, I think it's fair to say there were so there were inconsistencies there were times you watch them and go all right You know, he's got to clean that up. Oh, he missed that throw accuracy all those things. So if I'm a bears fan I just want to read about how Caleb Williams has taken yet another step because His ceiling like there's like best key scenario this year or Caleb Williams is in the MVP conversation And if you can get some little inklings of that in August, I think that with bears fans They're already over the moon, but I think they would be even more so even more hyped for this coming season I mean he was on my list of you know headlines you will want to hear I think the mind was more so like Caleb Williams Is consistently meeting that 70% completion rate that we've heard out of Chicago since Ben Johnson was hired, right? And that's I think that for him his big thing is like this is even in consideration of Throwaways maybe you know broken play stuff like that where you might adjust the completion percentage Ben Johnson still expects for you to hit that 70% mark just on every throw you're making and if we get any type of inkling The Caleb Williams as we approach you know as we proceed in the training camp, you know Next week or so that he is dicing defenses up in that type of way dicing the bears you fence up in that kind of way on a consistent basis I think that the energy around Chicago will definitely swell especially in a NFC North aware We have a lot of teams that are confident or better, but none that really look that clearly look like they should be taking a step forward Even with green based talent, you know you think about Tucker craft and Michael Parsons being out for at least the first month of the season being on the The players unable to perform list There's an opportunity if Caleb Williams is hot to start this year that Chicago can you know clearly identify itself as a team That you have to take seriously on a year-to-year basis now because of their head coach quarterback combination So I think my my eyes and bears eyes and I think anybody in the NFC's eyes will be trained on what the bears offense is going to look like as we approach this year Yeah, the division's tough to project the team is tough to project because they really If you look at some of the turnover numbers I was looking at they had basically they benefit from turnovers More so than every team but one in the last 10 years like it was some of the bayonet the turnover EPA was some of the biggest We've seen in recent memories they say all right. That's not something that generally carries over year-to-year You mentioned the actually supposed to run rate. That's another thing That's not always sticky year-to-year and they were one of the leagues best Yeah, so a lot of their success. I think I will be found in metrics that are very hard for you to guarantee will be the same from one year to the next And yet like you mentioned you're like Ben Johnson Caleb Williams kind of feel good about that You know good about that For the future here. So you mentioned the accuracy. I was looking at pff. They do the adjusted completion percentage where I think they take away the throwaways and the spikes and Caleb Lynch was 35th out of 35 for them now he attempts high degree of difficulty throws There's no doubt about any makes some high degree of difficulty throws that no one else is making and he's so good at avoiding sacks And he's so good with his legs. Well, I'm not saying this isn't me saying oh man. I don't buy it But that just feels like an area where man if he gets better at that Now you add that in that consistency with all the other stuff now you get to that point where you're really talking about him In another classic quarterbacks. All right That was the Chicago Bears. All right, Deontay. Do you have do you have any more for us any other headlines? You want to see? I'll start with the defendant champion Seattle Seahawks I think that a headline I'd be looking for is a Mike McDonald says Brian Flurry might bring a brand new look to this offense Run game still looks strong I think that that's that's really what Seattle is banking on right Like you think about Kenneth Walker being on the way out you think about Clint Kubiak being on the way out And truthfully the explosive plays were what buoyed this offense especially early in the year right and I think that as they sputter You saw less explosive plays and their turnover looks start to go in the opposite direction on the offensive side of the ball I'm not of the opinion that the only way you can win with Sam Darnell is to win in spite of Sam Darnell We've seen I think him at his best especially you think of the NFC championship game Yeah, we had to win that game for you know, I think that his lows will still remind you of New York Jets Carolina Panther Sam Darnell But I think that his his baseline now is at a place where as long as you have Something in the run game to support him He can probably get you over the finish line And I think that that was really probably the impetus in bringing in an office of coordinator like Brian Flurry who comes from the Shanahan tree Which right me Donald has been kicking the crap out of since he's been an NFL play caller on the defense side of the ball So clearly he sees something in Flurry's approach to maybe generating explosive plays that makes him feel good So I think if we leave training camp with news out of Seattle that they're able to mash the ball on the ground They're moving the ball against what might be the best front seven and football in Seattle And that that's got Mike McDonald feeling excited about the future of this offense. I think that would be really really good news I feel like Seahawks fans are loving this Deonte because Normally when you win the Super Bowl in such dominating fashion You are automatically the it team for the next year. I was just like all right That's the team to be but the Rams say you know they're making their steal in the headlines Miles Garrett and oh my gosh, they'll wait they're gonna be the team to be and the Seahawks fans and the organs they get to just All right, sit back. Oh with winning the Super Bowl, you know wasn't enough guys everybody's still picking the Rams to be whether it's true or not You know, and I think it is partially it is partially true It's not one of those totally made up things like there is some truth to it I got to feel like this is great for a coach to like all right. I don't think I'm gonna have that much trouble motivating my guys You know given some of the conversation happening around the NFL I mean, I would add to that by saying that not only have we spent so much time talking about the Rams I think that there's also been a lot of conversation where people presume that San Francisco will be more stable from last year to this year Sometimes in the conversations that we have about whether or not Seattle can continue to contend or be at the top of the NFC This year the way that they were last season. So yeah, if you're Mike McDonald Who doesn't seem as much to be a ra ra guy But if you were ever looking to try to you know access that that style of coaching We are certainly providing all of the quote-a-quote bullies-in-board material that an NFL head coach would like to um, you know motivate his guys with you know You just leave the leave the TV on the SBA and the cafeteria turn the volume up for first take and get up You know, maybe you print out a little article and put above the urinal. You know, these are listening. I'm guilty You want to take my you know end of offseason power rankings where I had their pants Prints you know like those are definitely out there. I think guilty of it just like everyone else What an honor to you I tell you would be if you know something you wrote made its way to the Seahawks practice facility above the urinal. I mean, that's what we do this for right? I would love nothing more than a player or a coach to pull me to the side and be like hey, man You guys pissed us off enough you specifically pissed us off enough to be able to drive us to get to what we wanted to achieve Hey, I wouldn't take that as an insult at all Yeah, Brian slurry just one of the like I don't know that if you walk if you knocked on my door right now I would know if it was him or you know the Amazon guy and this guy's just gonna be directly offence for the defending Superbowl champ. So yeah, I am curious to see what the reports are with that offense this summer. All right. I got one for you Deonte Mendoza's progress has Raider's rethinking Quarterback plan How about if you're Raider's fan? You don't want to be watching Kirk cousins on Sundays, you know But it feels like the Raiders have just been telling anyone who will ask and this goes back to the draft remember Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis had the back and forth like they have been very explicit that Kirk cousins is starting the season and we're not throwing Mendoza out there until we're totally sure He's ready and maybe that's a fine plan. No issues with it. You don't have great wide receivers I don't know about the offensive line. We'll see it might not be the best environment So maybe you do that and maybe that's the best for Mendoza's long-term development But also it would be fun if you're Raider's fan if Mendoza's just like nope. I got this. I'm picking this up I'm making checks at the line um point now what the defense is doing on having extra sessions with the wide receivers at six eight They are before practice even starts and they're just like he's improving too much. He's progressed too much for us to keep him off the field and we're actually not worried about him developing bad habits because he's so coachable and so into this. So I think if you're a Raiders fan, even though you know, I think we feel pretty strongly that Cousins will be the starter to begin the season. The quicker you can move to the Mendoza era without his progress being impeded or him developing bad habits, the better because that's what you're most excited about. 100% and I think the most foolish thing you can do and football is to speak about your quarterback situation with any certainty, right? Like, especially in the position that Vegas is in, right? Like I liked what Kurt Cousins looked like in the first two months of the season. I didn't think he was going to be, you know, a playoff quality quarterback, but I thought that his 2025 look encouraging if we were judging it up against what it was toward, you know, throughout the 2024 season, but this is still a 37 year old who was a kill. He's not that long ago and I think has clearly shown some regression in terms of his reaction to pressure, right? I think that was a big reason why, you know, it was clear that Atlanta needed to move on, right? Is that he just doesn't react very well to pressure very similar to what it was early in his, early in his career. Some of those bad habits are starting to rear their heads again. This is a guy that's not mobile. So now you're talking about trying to operate an offense with a guy that doesn't have the strongest arm, isn't a, you know, play extender like that. And is it mobile enough for you to kind of draw up some, you know, creative play action game around either? I think that they might not have much of a choice in the matter on how things ultimately play out in Vegas and they might have to go to Fernando Mendoza at some point. Yeah. You're absolutely right about that. It will be a good exercise to go back to like the last, you know, 10, 20 years and be like, all right, this is what team said about their quarterbacks in April, May, June, July, August, when it was an uncertain situation, would actually play it out during the regular season. So we'll see what their plan is for the Raiders. But yeah, I think we're on the same page that you want to see, uh, Mendoza out there sooner rather than later if you're a Raiders fan. All right. Yeah. I got, I got, then they give you one more, um, and then I know you've got some quick hitters that we can finish on. But I got one in Denver. How about this one? The chemistry between Nixon Waddle highlights big day for Broncos offense. You're smiling. This was I knew me and you right here. I think I was like, I think my was a little more dramatic, right? I was like, Davis Webb and Bonix are combining our efforts to shut Sean Payton out of taking the, taking the wheels back on this offense. Um, but I think we're on the same page from a chemistry offense and perspective. Yeah. Because the Broncos are another tricky team, you know, offense was good last year. Not great. Wasn't the engine that kind of drove the team to its success. Um, but I was looking at this. I believe that they're bringing back all 15 players on offense who logged at least 300 snaps last season, which is just like, uh, basically unprecedented continuity. And not only that, they're adding jail in Waddle, so I'm like, oh, is there offense going to be a lot better? Well, then you have the other side of that, Sean Payton's giving a play calling duties to Davis Webb, Bonix is coming off of multiple ankle surgeries. Uh, man, Waddle's numbers last year with that quarterback situation were really impressive. I was just looking at yards per out run 12 out of 117 wide receivers last year. And he's only 27 years old like this. He really could be kind of a swing player in the AFC playoff race. Yeah. I think to me, like there's a, there's a short list of receivers that I trust in this league, perspective of quarterback that you could say, we can feed you 100 and 120 targets. You're still going to be one of the most efficient guys. We can still build, you know, the most explosive parts of our offense around you as a featured player. And I think the jail in Waddle is on that list of guys, right? Like, not a perfect receiver, but somebody that you can definitely take the top off of a defense with somebody who gives you the threat of yak ability. We saw that in Miami. And I think that if you are a Denver optimist, and I think I've been over the last two years in spider, you know, what questions I have on their quarterback, you've got to look at the potential of adding jail in Waddle as a manufactured touch piece in this offense. As maybe that last, you know, kind of ingredient to really turn this team into a true super bowl contender. Yeah. Broncos always interesting with Sean Payton, you know, it's easy to, I was making fun of them all last summer for his propaganda tour, and then they had an amazing team. So the team's usually good. You're not sure how good or how they're going to get there, but yeah, jail in Waddle is one of those where if you're like, if you don't really follow the NFL off season two closely, and you sign back on as you get ready for your fantasy draft or whatever, you're like, oh, that's pretty interesting, jail in Waddle is now with a team that won a lot of games last year. All right, Deont, I think you have a quick hitter or two to finish finish off with. What do you got? Yeah, well, we'll wrap up with this one. I think this headline will be let cam cook fans, fans go crazy as cam wore dices up defense. You know, I think that for me, like, this is a subplot maybe for the 2026 season because obviously Tennessee is not in the playoff conversation and not a team that we're thinking about really making any kind of noise in 2026. In spite of, you know, changing their staff, they've added a little bit more talent. I think that a lot of people who are just interested in like what rookie receiver Karnel Tate ultimately looks like can he be a wide receiver one that was a big conversation for him coming into the league. But everything for this team, I think is just about setting the table for 2027 and beyond for cam wore as this teams franchise quarterback. I mean, you just think about it for the people who do go back and watch like the all 22. I think you think about your first impressions of those games. If you're watching them on a broadcast angle and cam word, let's kind of messy in the pocket. And you know, his arm angle is changing all the time and he's whipping throws sometimes that are laying right in the press basket. Sometimes it seems like, you know, they were, you know, a defender was one stried away from a pick six, you know, like there was just a lot of violence across his body. That was became a factor to see the season roll to the right and then throw it through the other side lines. Exactly. He loved those roll out. Now I'm rolling out some of my right that I'm whipping out and I'm rolling back to my left and then I'm just flinging a ball 40 yards down the field, right? Like there was 100 percent, you know, I kind of reckless, what are we looking at here? Kind of aspect to his game that I don't necessarily think is endemic to the way that he plays. I do think he will take chances, but it doesn't always have to be as wild or away from structure, totally away from structure as we saw in 2025. And I think that there's just going to be a question of can Brian Dable step into this building and strike the right balance of cutting word loose in a way that makes him feel confident that he can make whatever decision he wants to make from the pocket. I'll also giving him enough legitimate options within structure to where guys are open. It's tied to the way that word plays where his eyes need to be that there's enough of a foundation in terms of past protection where he can just do something more sustainable than we saw. Because I don't know if we ever really got more than a string of like ten or so dropbacks in a row last season where we could legitimately evaluate and say, okay, what are we actually seeing from cam wore it as a rookie quarterback? I think that this training camp is going to be a major step in either direction for us to be able to get an inkling of what word is going to look like as he, you know, kind of gets towards, you know, the middle of his rookie deal when we would typically expect to see these young quarterbacks tend to take a step forward. Yeah, you saw some highlights, you're right, but it wasn't like, oh, here's a full game or two full games that back back where hey, we could even get a half. No, it was a roller coaster, it really was an adventure where you could see the talent. You can see kind of the physical attributes, but it was messy. And sometimes it's really messy for a rookie quarterback and then they come back the next year and you're like, all right, playing quarterback in the NFL is hard. It's hard under those specific circumstances, but he has something to him. But a lot of times I'm with you after year two, you know, if you don't, if it's still messy after year two, now you're starting to have some of those very difficult conversations. And if you're a Titans fan, you're like, shoot, man, this isn't what it was supposed to be when we drafted this guy high. So yes, the Titans are not the most talked about team, but they are interesting this year because you want to see what cam word looks like there in the AFC South. All right. The only other one I had was neighbors increases workload, optimistic about week one return. And yeah, it's not really that fun of a one to talk about. It's just like he's not on the PUP list. And this is one of the biggest injuries to monitor in the NFL with the Giants, Tiantay because they need Malik neighbors because if neighbors is your one. And now you're saying, all right, as they likely, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slay. Now it's like, all right, I can talk myself into it. If you take neighbors out of that and it's just those other guys, now I don't love this situation. I mean, I would say even with the healthy neighbors, I'm probably looking at this water sea record as a below average woman just because he's not really surrounded by very much. I think, while I think while I am as much of a believer in Isaiah, likely as you are, you just can't guarantee what he's going to look like as a high value, excuse me, high volume number one. It's a projection. Yeah. And then, you know, it's not neighbors this fault. It is really not anybody's fault. I think this is just a timing thing, but that cluster of Braxton burials, you do smiths here. And I would know, Beckham Jr. all being brought onto this roster, basically within the same day, within hours of each other, I think, like, I just remember just reading that string of tweets. And I'm like, what the hell is a wide receiver, made up of these cast of character you're supposed to look like in 2026. And that's, you know, not even talking about Calvin Austin, and I think they have Darnell Mooney on the scene. just like these duplicities. I'm not exactly sure what a Matt Nagy offense looks like separate from my homes because it's been a while since we saw that in the end of his time in Chicago with Mitsubesky was not the most inspiring either. So there's just so much that we don't know and so much of this offense that I think is really leaning on, neighbors being available, being explosive and being the lead character for this offense. I just don't think that you can string together a functional style of a modern offense without having a guy's dynamic as neighbors as your receiver in New York. Yeah. It's one. Now they did get good news. Like I said, he's not on the PUP list. So that tells you it's not like, oh, they're sure he's going to miss the first four weeks of the season or anything like that. So now he can practice a little bit. They can kind of ease him in and you see what he looks like. But if you're a Giants fan, you want positive reports with Malik neighbors after having those multiple procedures. Again, he tore his ACL in week four and then according to the athletic had another surgery in the spring to remove scar tissue. So the Giants need him if they're going to be a relevant offense in 2026. All right. Those are the headlines. We're looking to read. There's going to be practice observation. There's going to be depth chart notes. Unfortunately, there's going to be injuries. Are there going to be hold ins, hold outs, trade reports, all those things coming our way in the next month. It's going to be fun as these teams all get back to their facilities to practice in preparation of the 2026 season. His name is Deontay Leade. Deontay. Thank you for joining me. Thank you to everyone for listening. Thank you to Christopher Sutton for producing Stefano Sanchez on video and additional production supervision by Conor Nevans and our Juno Rongo Paul. I'm Shilka Padde. We'll talk to you next time on The Ringer NFL Show. 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas star casino or 18 plus and present in DC Kentucky or Wyoming gambling problem called 1-800 gambler or 1-800 my reset call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-32750 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8 hope and why or text hope and why in New York for Louisiana called 1-877-770-7867.