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AutoTrader. Jordan, thank you for taking the time to join us. JR, my man, what's going on? Thanks for having me on the show this evening. No problem.
Not a problem at all. Right before we went to break, as I just discussed, we got into the Houston Texans. Took a look at all the weapons that they have, everyone that they brought in. You now have someone like Stephon Diggs. What do you expect from them in year two? Is there going to be a little bit of a regression? Are they going to be battling it out with Jacksonville?
What say you? Yeah, you know, I think that the Houston Texans probably should be the favorites to win the AFC South. And I don't know if I want to put them in that realm of being legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
They're going to have to prove that to me. But I would argue that they are one of the most improved teams this offseason. I mean, this offseason, the Texans became the first team in NFL history to add a player coming off a season with 100 receptions, a player coming off 1,000 rushing yards, and two players coming off of 10-plus sack seasons in the same offseason.
But it doesn't stop just there, right? I mean, I thought they added great depth pieces with the tackling monster, linebacker Aziz Al-Sha'ir. They got some more depth on the defensive line with Foley Fatukasi, Tim Settle. They re-signed the former first-round pick of the Eagles, Derek Barnett, as well. They're stacking talent. They got deeper this offseason.
And they got better in the secondary as well. So I think that the Texans have all they need now to repeat as AFC South champions. But let me tell you, the AFC South, to me, is one of the most intriguing divisions. I think any of these four teams could end up winning it.
I think all of them got a fighter's chance at the top. But anytime you land that franchise quarterback with C.J. Stroud, that the Texans did, that opens up your window for contending. So I'm excited to see what this young guy can do in year two.
Jordan Dejani is here with us from CBS Sports. You said you feel strongly about all four teams in the AFC South. When you see Will Levis, what gets you going about him and what the Titans can do?
Yeah, there's a couple different things. I mean, first of all, with the player itself, you know, what stood out to me the first time I saw him throw the football is his arm talent. I mean, there's not a lot of people in the world that have the kind of zip that he does when he throws catch with his teammates before practice.
It's pretty wild to see. But on top of that, I think this new regime really invested into Will Levis. They're putting pressure on him to prove this season, his first full season as a starter in the NFL, that he can be a franchise quarterback. Not only did they hire an offensive minded head coach who has worked with other quarterbacks during different stages of their careers, whether that be Peyton Manning, Derek Carr, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford. But the new general manager also invested in talent on the offensive line. They brought in Calvin Ridley. They brought in Tyler Boyd. They brought in Tony Pollard, who's a pass catching weapon out of the backfield as well.
So all of a sudden, Will Levis has a nice arsenal of weapons around him to prove that he's that guy. So he's going to have a legitimate chance to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback. And again, he really does have that leadership now in Tennessee, an offensive minded head coach who knows how to develop these quarterbacks and looking at the kind of prospect he was coming out of Kentucky.
I do think he possesses some of the tools necessary to be that guy. So the Tennessee Titans really are an intriguing team to watch. Jordan, typically people think about a competitive division. They think about the AFC North. All those teams up in the mid-Atlantic and Pennsylvania beat the hell out of each other.
Ohio. You know, what are your thoughts on the Ravens still trying to get over the hump? People are bigging up Deshaun Watson. They haven't even gotten into camp. Pittsburgh has two quarterbacks now. Cincinnati hopefully has a healthy Burrow. What do you think happens in the North?
Well, I'll tell you this. I'm expecting much of the same. I'm sure all those AFC North teams are going to beat up each other every single year and that nothing's going to be different here in 2024. I mean with the Baltimore Ravens, I think that they would probably be the preseason favorites. You know, Lamar Jackson really seemingly took a step forward in terms of his progression as a downfield passer in 2023.
But now there's this narrative around Tim Kenney winning the playoffs and that's something he's going to have to try to defeat in the playoffs next year. The Cleveland Browns, I mean this seems like it could be a legitimate Super Bowl roster if they get good or dare I say consistent play from the quarterback position. Deshaun Watson is going to be the headlines all through training camp to see if this guy can not only stay healthy but play good football because Joe Flacco was more of a formidable threat at the quarterback position last year for Cleveland. With the Cincinnati, I mean Joe Burrow in my opinion is a top two quarterback in the NFL. If he remains healthy then Cincinnati of course is going to be a contender. And then there's the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I don't feel so strongly about them. I feel like they kind of created a bit of a quarterback controversy for themselves bringing in Russell Wilson who is coming off of his own Denver disaster. If he's someone who is still a legitimate starter in this league that remains to be seen and now we have to deal with this athletic former first round pick behind him on the depth chart with Justin Fields. Is this a guy who is going to be hungry and make this a legitimate quarterback competition through training camp?
I think that's one of the more intriguing questions to look when we're talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordan Dejani is joining us courtesy of CBS Sports, covers all things NFL. How long and in what type of way are we going to see Justin Fields and gimmicks out there? Is that what we can look forward to?
Red zone and gimmicks? I think so. I think that's what Arthur Smith is going to do with him. He's going to get a couple snaps a game maybe as a decoy out wide, maybe taking a couple of handoffs because we know how electric he is with the ball in his hands. One of the best running quarterbacks in the league in my opinion. But in terms of him overtaking Russell Wilson, I think one of the more interesting things to debate or try to figure out is, is Russell Wilson going to be bad enough in this Pittsburgh scheme with Arthur Smith to warrant himself getting benched? I think it's very likely that he's not quote unquote good, but is he going to be bad enough for Mike Tomlin to pull the trigger to go to Justin Fields?
So that's a different kind of question. But yeah, I would imagine that Justin Fields does get a couple of snaps just as a decoy trick play artist if you will. That's what I imagine happening. Jordan, we open up this conversation by talking about CJ Stroud and what he was able to do with the Texans. If you take a look at things on the NFC side, you don't got to go far to look at Jordan Love. I mean, he's already looking at what his next contract is going to look like because he had to spend those first years right behind Aaron Rodgers. What do you expect in the NFC North?
They should be competitive too. I guess maybe the worst team will be Minnesota? Yeah, the NFC North is going to be fascinating to see what happens there. I mean, it was really fun to see what Jordan Love did with the Green Bay Packers last year because, you know, there were peaks and valleys with their performances through the early portions of the regular season. People thought that Jordan Love really didn't have the makings of a franchise quarterback, but then the second half of the season, he really took off. And what I really like about this Packers roster in general is not just the quarterback, but they seemingly have young talent all around him. I mean, we're talking about one of the youngest wide receiving corps in the National Football League. We're talking about a very young defense as well with a really intriguing line backing corps as well. So they got a new defensive coordinator, a new leader on that side of the ball. The Packers are certainly going to be an interesting team to watch, but I don't want to sleep on the Minnesota Vikings either.
I mean, people want to talk about Caleb Williams, you know, landing in a really nice landing spot with Chicago. But at the same time, I'd like to be a quarterback playing under Kevin O'Connell throwing the football to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockinson as well. So Ryan Flores, you know, enters another year with this scheme. I think he added some playmakers that might help what he wants to accomplish in terms of the arsenal of pass rushers he has at his disposal. So the NFC North is another really interesting division to watch this year. As we move closer to all of the teams showing up for training camp, what are some other teams that you're paying close attention to?
What are some other big stories now that we're moving into camp time? Yeah, I'm going to direct your attention quickly to the AFC East. You know, we're talking about the Bills and Patriots wide receiver order, right? I mean, who is the new Stefan Diggs in Buffalo? Is Keon Coleman going to hit the ground running? Is he not going to live up to expectations early on?
If he doesn't, who's the number one there? I mean, they have a ton of new faces with Curtis Samuel. I think they got Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins, Khalil Shakir is still there.
He was a pretty intriguing weapon as well. I'm really interested to see who is going to step up to be Josh Allen's best new friend out wide. But for the Patriots, I mean, who in the world is going to be their leading pass catcher?
I mean, Kendrick Bourne is coming off a torn ACL. Jalen Polk and Javon Baker are intriguing rookies. And then you, of course, are hosting a quarterback battle there as well with Drake May. He's a top five pick, so I imagine he's going to end up starting week one, but he's going to have to prove it for sure. Yeah, well, you think about the Patriots.
I expect them to be in the toilet for quite some time. Sticking to the AFC East, the New York Jets are there. They got a 40-year-old quarterback. Everybody's ass is on the line if they don't work out this season. Jordan, what do you think is the most likeliest of outcomes with the Jets? Yeah, how about those New York Jets? You know, it doesn't seem like we're talking about them as much as we did last offseason, right? Aaron Rodgers goes down with that torn Achilles, and it seems like we haven't really talked about them a ton ever since then. But yes, Aaron Rodgers is definitely a bit older, and he's going to be probably a little bit more limited with that injury he's coming off of.
But you know, no matter how you feel about this guy, one thing I've noticed over the past few years is that he possesses this superpower of rising up and just proving the doubters wrong. So if Aaron Rodgers can just provide consistent quarterback play for New York, I expect that offense to be a lot better. I mean, he's got plenty of playmakers to rely on with Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson. Don't forget that the front office also revamped the offensive line entirely to hopefully keep Aaron Rodgers upright. But the secret ingredient for the Jets' success, other than Aaron Rodgers staying healthy, is that top-five defense they have on that other side of the ball.
I mean, this unit is loaded with talent at all three levels. I think they truly do have the potential to serve as that backbone for what could be a contender. So I'm leaning towards the Jets making the playoffs as a wildcard, but again, it all hinges on Aaron Rodgers staying healthy. Jordan Dejani is here with us from CBS Sports. I want to give some hope to some of our listeners who had to watch some bad football. Are we going to see anything different from the Panthers? Is Bryce Young, is this who he is? They got him some help, but is he going to suffer again even under Canales?
No, no, no. I think it's crazy to be out on Bryce Young after just one year. I think it's impossible just to write him off as a bust and say he's not going to improve. Especially considering the head coach that Carolina hired with Dave Canales. I mean, this guy is a legitimate quarterback whisperer dating back to his days with Seattle. After Russell Wilson left, he turns Geno Smith into the comeback player of the year. He takes his services over to Tampa Bay and all of a sudden Baker Mayfield is a quarterback worth a multi-year lucrative extension. So there should be cautious optimism for what he can do with Bryce Young. And I think Carolina's front office has been hard at work trying to add talent, not only in the offensive line, but defense wide receiving core as well. So I don't think the Carolina Panthers really could be a playoff team.
I'm not going to take it that far. But if Bryce Young can step up, improve, have composure, go through his progression, make the throws he needs to make, show that true improvement that he's on track to, show that he can be a franchise quarterback, that would be a win in my book. Well, Jordan, as we wrap up this interview and as they get ready to start camp, are there any players that you feel that we could see move? Is it a quarterback?
Is it someone like Ayuk? I think he'll stay. But is there any player that will make a move between now and September?
You know, it's a good question. And there's no one that really jumps off the page to me. I mean, Brandon Ayuk, I'm sure, has taken up the majority of headlines for a couple of weeks now, but he's a guy I think that is probably going to have to play out that contract in San Francisco. I don't see him being moved.
But in terms of other players being traded, I mean, I look at Miles Sanders for Carolina. He's a running back on a contract that the front office there probably regrets. But at the same time, is there going to be a team out there that would trade for his services?
My guess is no. So I'm kind of looking at some surprise cuts as well. I mean, how about wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster? Is he someone who could be on the move? Titans wide receiver Tralen Burks has been in the headlines a lot as well.
All of a sudden, that wide receiving court in Nashville is pretty revamped. Is he going to be someone who could potentially be on the trade block? So, you know, it happens every single offseason. Players we don't expect to be moved are moved, and that's just what goes into the thrill of training camp.
Last question for you. Is Tua getting a contract between now and the start of the season, or is Tua getting a contract at the end of the year? Man, I got to tell you, I think we knew that that next quarterback extension to come after the Jared Goff one was going to potentially be a massive deal, right?
And I'm not talking about dollars and cents. I'm talking about ramifications around the league. So Trevor Lawrence was that guy. To be honest with you, I thought it was going to be Tua.
So Chris Breer is sitting there having conversations. Hey, is Tua a $50 million player? Well, they didn't get the job done, and now they have to ask themselves, is Tua a $55 million quarterback?
So I really don't know. I wish I had a better answer for you, but this last extension with Trevor Lawrence really changed the landscape. But hey, if you're sold on Tua, then I would encourage that front office to absolutely get a deal done. Because we have no idea what this landscape is going to look like in a few months next year with the looming contracts for Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, guys like that. Yeah, man, they're going to pay Tua. They're going to have to pay him 60 next year.
I don't see that happen. Hey, Jordan, where can people follow you and all your work at CBS Sports? You can throw my name in the old Google machine.
Jordan Dajani, D-A-J-A-N-I. I'm part of a great team over at CBSSports.com. We are always pumping out great material. We have never heard the thing as an off-season. There's no off-season with us. So definitely give us a follow.
Give us a look over at CBSSports.com. Hey, Jordan, great conversation. We'll catch you on down the line, okay? Anytime.
Appreciate you, my man. Look around. What do you see? Cars. Lots of them. And guess what? They're probably on AutoTrader.
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