It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinit Sports Network. Man, we're deep into NFL training camps. We got preseason games. I know we got certain players who are just like, I want to get paid. We got other players who are Sick of training.
They want the regular season to start. We got guys who are hurt. It's the NFL, and we haven't even gotten so weak. Number One Right now, joining us to talk all things NFL is someone who works with the NFL, covers all things NFL, NFL.com, NFL Media. It is Eric at home.
Eric, thank you for the time. What's up, man? Good to hear your voice again.
Well, thank you so much. Likewise, I think first out of the break, Shador Sanders, two steps forward and another step back. Is he going to be able to play with this oblique? Can he get a shot? Is he going to be gone for a couple of weeks?
Is he going to be okay? What are your thoughts so far on what's going on? Yeah, I don't know the severity of the injury. Obviously, we just kind of got details of that today, but it seems unlikely he played this weekend and. You know, if you kind of listen to what they were kind of saying the plan was, I mean, if Kevin sounded like he wanted to give one game to Shaddur.
One game to Dylan Gabriel. and then kind of figure it out for the third one and You know, that's still possible, right? I mean, Gabriel's still been banged up too, so he's got he's got to be able to play in this one. Pickett's been banged up. You didn't think Joe Flacco would play in the preseason, so I don't know how much of a look you really need to give Tyler Huntley at this point, but.
Yeah, I mean it's it's like you said, After that game the other day, it kind of felt like wow, the ball may be in his court a little bit. You know, he may be making a move. Joe's probably still the week one starter, but. that number two spot Is you know one step closer to starting, so we'll see. It's still up in the air.
The uh you know the the soap opera continues Yeah, we got a. It's going to be a season-long soap opera with the Browns in their quarterback situation. We know that Shador is now dealing with this oblique. To what extent we don't know. Out West, we do know that Matthew Stafford got an epidural last week.
He threw the football over the weekend. Couldn't practice following that on Monday. What's the latest with him? Is it time to start going, hey, the guy's 37. He's had a history of back issues.
Is there room for concern here? But, you know, it's not the first time, too, where the Rams have said. Stafford's going to do something, and then it doesn't end up happening. Remember, last year was the contract. You know, they kind of went to.
Beyond the 11th hour. It was like the 13th hour that they actually got it done. That was a minor speed bump, but there have been some setbacks along the way, health and otherwise, with him. And at this stage of his career, where everyone kind of feels like he might be on the 18th T of his career, this could be the final season. It sort of feels like.
Sean McVay has at least been prepping for the possibility of life after Stafford. And so. You know, what's next? I don't know. You know, it's hard to say, but.
You know, they said Jimmy Garoppolo would not play in the preseason. Stetson Bennett, I guess, is going to get the vast majority of snaps. Do you have to keep three quarterbacks? Is Stafford a question for week one? Is this the kind of thing where you sort of manage it week by week and see where he's at?
It's hard to say. They're being, you know, a little cagey about it, but we do have a little time here. Wow, we got time to figure out how things work out. But meanwhile, we got a guy who's moving into his second year on the other end of things. If we take a look.
and go towards the NFC North. We see what's going on with the Chicago Bears. They got a new head coach in Ben Johnson. And slowly but surely, we're getting more and more word. About whether or not Caleb Williams is mastering the offense.
Of course, he's a second-year player. What are your thoughts on what the Bears are capable of in a crowded NFC North? Yeah, they're I mean, look, it's a division of fascinating teams, right? I mean, the the Lions after losing two coordinators, playoff, you know, shocking loss and, you know, kind of what their next move is. The Vikings with a new quarterback and a and a loaded roster.
And You know, the Bears, I think, rank right up there, if not above, everybody else, including the Packers, in terms of just. What could this season be? It could be.
Something far, far better than we saw a year ago, or could be way eerily similar to what we saw a year ago with inefficient coaching and Williams at times trying to do too much. He did some good things as a rookie, but you almost have to throw everything he did out last year. I know a lot of people obviously have been kind of down on him for not always looking pretty when he plays. And Maybe getting fortunate in some cases, earning some sacks on his own name as well, but. What we've heard from campus is that The precision, the efficiency, the little Granular details of the game that the great quarterbacks can master or at least overcome in some cases.
Uh those are the things where he's still kind of picking up the nuances of. And camp's going to be hard. I mean, he played well in camp last year and got some rave reviews, and then you saw how the season unfolded. It's not a harbinger of things to come necessarily. No, this is going to be tough.
Eric at home is here with us from NFL Media.
Well, just even to think about the NFC North. We got Green Bay, where you got Jordan Love, who just needed surgery on his non-throwing hand. You got Detroit still has an amazing offense, but it seems like they're kind of running in place, still trying to stay at the top of the NFC. And then Minnesota has to throw out. J.J.
McCarthy, is this not one of the more compelling divisions in the entire NFL, or is there another one? I think that's the one. And look, all four teams, you could make a case for each of them winning the division.
Now, some stronger than others, obviously. I think Detroit has earned enough credibility the last two and a half seasons to at least give them a puncher's chance here, even with the brutal schedule they face and even with losing Ben and Aaron Glenn. Those are tough hills to climb, but. What they've shown they can do it. Minnesota, I mean, the more I looked at their roster this offseason, the more I thought.
If if JJ's just serviceable, solid, you know, I mean Make a pop play here and there. Show some guts. Avoid the turnovers en masse. You know, that could be enough to get this team. Maybe not back to 14 wins, but really darn good.
And Green Bay sort of sitting there lurking in the weeds. I mean, if. If this love thing is minor, we've been hearing great things from Matthew Golden, he seems like almost like the new number one receiver there.
So Yeah, this division is fascinating, top to bottom, and very talented, too.
Well, Eric, you mentioned Detroit having a little bit of a leg up with the other teams there. I feel like the past couple of seasons from the NFC, you could take a look at Detroit, the San Francisco 49ers. Obviously, the Eagles have bounced here. We're not getting a lot from San Francisco. There's no contractual beasts with a Debo or an IUC.
We know Debo is gone, IUC is hurt. They're expecting guys like Ricky Pearsall to step up, Christian McCaffrey to be healthy, Brock Purdy has been paid. What are your thoughts? Are the 49ers still in that competitive space or have they gotten younger? It's going to take them some time.
Yeah, you really make a great point, which is that there hasn't been that much drama. I guess the drama was in March and April when they were, you know, taking some personnel hits and trying to patch them with free agents with what they could spend and then use the draft. I think they had what, 10, 11 picks. And I think they used them rather well. At least the early returns seem pretty positive in a lot of respects.
And, you know, they have a schedule I think they can manage pretty well. I think it's a division while competitive, top to bottom, maybe not quite as good as the North, but. still winnable i still think they can win that division and people I've sort of moved on from a little bit. And I like you said, for all the tough spots they put themselves in or had to be put in, you know, trading Debo away and Ayuk's injury and everything else. And, you know, I still think they can bounce back.
So it all depends on what that defense can can provide them. You know, there's some pretty big personnel hits on that side, and a lot of young guys got to play. Oh yeah, they had some named brands that they're now hoping turn into named brands to help the Forty Nineers win. Eric Erholm is here with us on the JR Sport Brief Show. Covers all things NFL for NFL.com.
When you take a look at the AFC, Obviously we have Cincinnati, they're trying to get things together. Trey Hendrickson still doesn't have a deal. The AFC North seems to be almost just as competitive outside of Cleveland. Is Cincinnati going to be able to turn things around? Yeah, right.
Same sort of story, right? It all depends on what is going to happen with Trey Hendrickson. Is he going to report? Is he going to pull a. Chris Jones and sit out the first game, and the Bengals realize it was a mistake, like the Chiefs did.
You know, that could. That's a possibility. I don't have insider information on that. Specifically, but you have to brace for like the worst-case scenario, and they were bad with him defensively last year. He's a phenomenal player, so Al Golden's got a lot on his plate, but.
If Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, and all those guys perform at Keyk level. You know, they can win a lot of 38, 35 games still.
So we'll see. I'm fascinated. They're the wild card, no doubt, and a. Like you said, a th a three team division right now with the Browns in in fourth.
Well, Eric, we learned earlier today that James Cook, he got his deal four years, $48 million with the Bills. Trey Hendrickson is still looking for a deal. We learned Cam Hayward is looking for a contract now. There's still a couple of guys. Terry McLaurin still wants his money.
Do you do Michael Parsons with the Cowboys? Do you think any of these guys are really going to miss time to start the season? Do you all think they'll get a contract? Yeah, and then I'll even throw one more spicy question on top. Are any of them traded?
I don't think so, but. The closer we get to kind of D-Day, at least the percentage would figure to go up. Theoretically, anyway, I don't know. We'll see. I mean, there's just so many big names that you rattled off, and we just sort of came up with right now that makes me think there wouldn't be.
It wouldn't be shocking to see an August or early September surprise. Remember, we had Khalil Mack a few years back, and that really kind of rattled the cages a little bit before a game was played.
So, you know, it wouldn't be totally shocking to see one of those situations boil over. But um yeah, I would say the Micah situation There hasn't Really, been much clarity the last few days, and Hendrickson feels like the same status quo, same with McLaurin. No real updates, no sense. I think McLaurin and Washington can get something done. I still feel like.
There's plenty of goodwill built up there and that when it comes down to it, They'll find some some common ground. But the others. Who knows? Yeah, Eric, you talk about surprises. Is there is there any surprise to you that Well, I I guess you can't predict a surprise.
Is there anything that you think might take place that isn't getting a lot of attention for this upcoming season? Hmm. Yeah, good question. I guess big picture. I mean, well, what if the Sam Darnold thing doesn't work out in Seattle, right?
I mean, their offseason was really interesting to me. I mean, uh, They were a very streaky team in Mike McDonald's first year. You know, Gino had some real high highs, and I thought it carried that team at some points. It surprised me a little bit that they moved on for him.
Now, I understand the appeal of Darnold, but. No, he's switching offenses again, and you're expecting him to replicate what he did with one of the best receivers in football, not for the whole season, but. You know, he was there, Justin Jefferson, one of the best offensive minds in Kevin O'Connell. Can you replicate that in Seattle? Yes, Cooper Cup's there, but.
Does he have the same kind of support staff offensively? And does that system fit what he does? They want to run the football. Just a little bit of a curious approach and and I wonder if If things don't go well, you know, that certainly could be a one-year situation out there. Yeah, I think he hit his.
Had his career year last year. I know Sam Donald hoping that's not the case, but that may be the reality. You mentioned Gino. Is he babysitting this team along with Pete Carroll? Like, eventually, Tom Brady's going to say thanks, guys, and give him the boot, right?
I'm mildly encouraged. Yeah, you know, I think there's at least some short-term potential for fireworks. Like, you know, I don't think the Raiders are overtaking the Chiefs or the Broncos or, you know, but, you know, p challenging the Chargers for third in division or just being in the pack until late in the season wouldn't totally shock me. I mean, If if Ashton and Genty Settles into his role. I think he'll run into some walls at first.
I think you're going to see him get bottled up. They're going to have to find ways to unlock him a little, but he'll get rolling. And you got Bowers and. You know, Geno's a pro. Pete's going to get the defense fired up.
I don't know. I have like a sneaky feeling they're going to at least be a fun, competitive, plucky team this year. All right, that's. I'm looking forward to seeing what a lot of these rookies do this upcoming season. We got to wait on Travis, and obviously, whether or not Shador is going to play.
There's a lot of question marks. It is. It is. And then you people, Cam Ward not getting a lot of attention. And I guess that's a good thing, I guess, right?
I think he's going to have a good year. I think we're going to look back and say, why didn't we give him more time? Why didn't we, you know, talk about him on draft weekend the way we did Shador?
Now, granted, that was at a once at a. you know, that was a Halley's comic kind of story.
So I get that happened, but Am can do some, he's not the runner that Jaden is, but he can have that kind of effect that Jaden Daniels did on the commanders last year. A get on my back kind of guy. And His arm is real. I've we've seen it now in the preseason, and I think he's going to have some moments this year. Yeah, let's see if he can garner more attention in the regular season.
Eric, thank you so much for the time. Where can people follow you and all of your work with the NFL? NFL.com. We're firing up the power rankings coming up this season. We'll have our weekly podcast with Mike Yam on YouTube and looking forward to another year.
Hey, Eric, thank you so much. We'll catch you soon, okay? All right, buddy. Appreciate it. No doubt about it.
