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Now, on with the show. Jack you switch it! The golden goal from the... the United States. This is the Rich Eisen Show.
Duke! Duke gets it done! From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Earlier on the show. ESPN NFL analyst Lewis Riddick.
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Billis. Coming up. ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Hour number three, the Rich Hisen Show is on the air.
844-204 Rich is the number to dial here on ESPN2 or here on Disney Plus or here. On the ESPN app, listening to us on ESPN Radio. We say hello to those out there also on Sirius XM Channel 80, 12 to 3 Eastern every single day. We're heading to Indianapolis as soon as we are done from this hour to finish up this Monday show. We're going to be the show will be coming to you live from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, over the next four days.
We're excited about the guest list that we're cultivating, quite the caper. 844-204-Rich being the number to dial right now. Our phone lines are all lit here on the program. And The uh Writer Ben Solak, who's really taking a great look at the free agent class and the combine class. You should check out his article on ESPN, the app, ESPN.com.
It's a comprehensive article. Article. It took me two sittings to get through it all. And it gets you ready for the next six weeks of what's going on in the National Football League that is very exciting. With your team being on the clock.
Everyone's on the clock. As I mentioned, 844-204H being the number to dial on the program. The competition committee is meeting in Indianapolis. And Rich McKay, who is in charge of the competition committee, one of the top dogs there. He met with the media, by the way, and I love Rich, as he knows.
Whenever he, if you played a drinking game and him says the words with respect to.
Okay. Oh. You'd be drunk by the end of the press conference. And with respect to the Tush push, apparently there's nothing on the table. to reconvene the conversation that damn near banned it last year, and I know why.
I know why. Why last year did it come so close to being banned? And this year, it's not even maybe going to be brought up for discussion. And the reason why? is because the Eagles aren't beating you up with it anymore.
They weren't able to make the Super Bowl with it. They weren't able to make the NFC championship game with it. They were one and done with it. In their arsenal. They weren't as good at it this year.
And then It's amazing. Even with The tush push this year wasn't as effective for the Eagles. 'Cause they didn't win at all. with it. But this year, what we saw out of the tush push is it became more and more impossible to officiate.
Now you got these 4K cameras right down the line of scrimmage, and the number of times you would see the Eagles' offensive line fire out too soon and no flag being fired out on it. You're like, what the hell is everybody looking at? Like I would want the line judge. Down on his or her stomach on a tush push. Right enough.
Like, honestly, like the lowest leveraged human for a tush push should be the official looking right down the line of scrimmage. This year, more than ever, we saw this play become. more difficult to officiate. And yet, it's not being discussed. And the reason why.
is because the Eagles didn't beat people up with it. wasn't the difference maker. wasn't a major difference maker.
So if anybody thinks, oh, Tush Push is now here to stay. It is until the Eagles start beating you up with it again. Tell me I'm wrong. Please, I'll take pushback. Anybody?
Bueller? Is this the reason why it's not being mentioned right now? It's because it didn't. It wasn't part of Seattle's Arsenal. Seattle's the only team in the playoffs to not go for it on fourth down a single.
Time. They have A.J. Barner. To be their tush-push guy, they've used it. But the only team in the playoffs.
To not go for it a single time on fourth down was a Super Bowl winner. That's kind of crazy. Guys. And so Now you can hear crickets. From the competition committee room.
Unless It does get talked about in the next 24-48. It's not like they've broken up. And there's no owners? Complaining about it. I don't know.
I guess keep it as is.
Well, this is why I said on the podcast that we did today that you can get wherever on our YouTube channel. Overreaction Monday. That the the NFL owners and the competition committee, they blew it. They had their chance last year when this was at the forefront of everyone's minds. They blew what?
What the chance to ban it? Why does it need to be banned? As a matter of fact, we saw some plays run off it. It's because it's just ugly. It's not appealing.
I agree with you. It's not football. Yeah. That's debatable, but Just a mosh pit that's football to everyone. You can't say because it's ugly.
You got to do what it is. That is the NFL is a television product, and it is not good television. I would agree. Certainly, when you've got cameras that can catch an off sides and catch a false start, and it's not called because oftentimes. Where is the spot?
You have no idea. It's a mosh pit. Where is the ball? I totally understand. I'm with you.
After a while, I've said last year, I started by saying everybody just calm down, pipe down. Then I moved to the side of like, it's just too much. too much same certainly it reached the height of absurdity. Was it Frankie Louvu? Of Washington?
Oh, yeah. Who kept jumping over the line of scrimmage to stop it to the point where son of Hoculi had to basically say, like a dad on a long road trip, if you make me call this play. This penalty one more time. Just give him a touchdown. We're going to give him a touchdown.
I'm going to pull this car over. I'm pulling this NFC championship game car over, and I swear, if I ever turn to you and tell you to knock it off one more time, it's a touchdown. I remember tweeting, can he do that? He can. Yeah, I mean, hey, he's not a hockey league.
You don't think he knows the rule book down to the nth degree and is willing to explain it to you in quatrain style? Wait, Rich, like you have Mr. Damas. What would have happened if the day that someone actually does just. go, okay, now it's a touchdown.
People are going to lose their blanks. It's in the rule book. Both of them, the tush-push and the ability for a referee to do it. Again, the reason why you're not hearing about it is because the team that won the Super Bowl didn't beat you up with it. And if they start greasing like telephone polls in Philadelphia again through the tush push being a major engine.
For it? And we're going to see it. in three, if not maybe four playoff games with the whole country watching it. Including the Super Bowl? If that happens, then it'll be forefront again in the competition campaign.
But until then. Quiet as a mouse.
Okay. 844-204-Rich, number to dollar. Anthony in Miami, Florida. Let's take his phone call. What's up, Anthony?
Oh. Hey, I was listening to Lewis Riddick earlier talking about how team should be looking at drafting Jeremiah Lowe. And I've been saying since the college football playoff started that The Giants should be drafting him at number five and for this reason. Jackson Dart has been under the concussion protocol four times this past season. And as Harry Douglas says on Freddie and Harry, that comes after you, A quarterback's best ability is availability.
And if You can keep Jackson Dark from running into brick walls, otherwise known as defensive players. to protect his head and stay on the field. then you draft somebody who can run the football. can catch the ball out of this backfield like a Jeremiah love. And Therefore, you could give Dart another weapon to go with Scatteraboo.
where you can even work a play action off of that. Yeah. Free engine pool for wide receivers is pretty good. You have Shaheed from Seattle on it. If Dallas doesn't franchise George Pickens, he's available.
You've got some veterans that are for a one-year contract for fifteen million. That's dual especially since the giants are taking Daniel Jones' cap it off the books this offseason. Anthony, I like all this. Let me just jump in here, if you don't mind me. I have a follow-up question for you.
I'm from Staten Island, and Mike Del Tufo is from New Jersey. I'm going to give voice to what I believe you're thinking, Mike, and I'm thinking right now. You're not from Miami originally, are you, Anthony? No, I'm New York City, born and bred. New York South, baby.
Yeah. Okay. Here's what I will say, Anthony. Or as. Friends of mine back when I was growing up might call you Antony.
Um I will tell you this: great idea. Great idea. Certainly, because again, if you think Scataboo needs to be spelled a little bit, that he might not be your. Bellcow back either that you get a Sonic to go with his knuckles. And you've got, I mean, there's some other really Wandale Robinson, sir.
um proved out Last year, I think. Um This is not a bad idea, and thanks for the call, Anthony. I appreciate it. Here's what I would do if I'm the Giants. I let everybody know.
You love Jeremiah love. I would let everybody sitting there at six, seven, eight, and nine know how much you are in love. With love. That's my man's. You know what I mean?
Like, you love love so much, you're going to create a boat. Shouldn't say where it's going, but listen, but you are, you are, you are a love connection. You're back in two and two.
Okay. You are the Chuck Woolery of this draft. Or Rich Woolery. You are 100% in love with Jeremiah Love. And let everybody know: oh, okay.
You think you want to beat the Saints to the punch? Love that. Oh, you want to beat the Commanders to the punch.
Okay. And then there's the Browns sitting there at six. You want to beat us to the punch. I would let everybody know that. Have him in for a visit.
Oh, we need this love. You know what I mean? Oh, make sure you're seeing. Make sure you're seen out and about. Have Malik neighbors throw the ball around with them.
Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? Go out there in New York City and just make a show of it. Don't let them fly through all the hot airports. We're good.
Put up a building. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Put a billboard up. Put it up right there.
And one of the jug handles right near your old house, Mike. You know what I mean? Right on the corner. Do it. That's what I want.
Focus both. I am the Giants. Dinner at Delilah's. I am open for business there at five. Oh yeah.
Okay. That's what you go to Sparks? That's not a bad idea. I didn't think about that until Anthony just called in. Talking about taking love love at five would be a That would be a splashy pick.
Woof, woof. And one that makes sense if you think the defensive side of the ball is handled. Caleb Downs is out of it right there. I know, Down, but so is Carnell Lake. Yeah.
So is so is Handman. I mean, Colonel Tate, pardon me.
So is Tate. And him him and Malik neighbors would be Really, chef's kiss. Let's not let them get too good. But love with Scataboo.
Now we're talking. I don't love that too much. That's pretty funny. Dart love Scataboo. Neighbors, Robinson.
Settle down just a little bit. Tracy's still nice. Hey, Mr. Penn State over there. Tell me about Theo Johnson, right?
Theo Johnson's nice. DJ Watson. Don't make these guys good. Come on. Over.
But they're going to be better. You know they're going to be better. Yeah, unfortunately. The question is how significantly better. Not a bad idea.
Not a bad idea. Let's go with love. You always go with love. All you need is love. Hey now.
Hey now. Um, let's go. Where else should I go? I'll go. Uh, Jared in San Diego has been waiting for a long time.
What's up? Jerry. Hey, Rich. I'm so happy you're taking my call. Thanks for making it.
I got a couple of games, a couple of questions for you. It's for NFL and movies.
Okay. Before I tell that, though, I did see the Miracle of Ice in 1980 live on TV. I was very, very patriotic and so proud to be there. Good. What else you got?
My question is, I know Seahawks are the They have a 30-second spot. What do you think they're going to do with the first spot? For uh that draft and free agency. And what's your movie question? Oh.
Your counterpart I've never seen the funniest movie of all time. And that is. You and I have seen it. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. You were going way back, Jared.
You were going way back right there on that way back machine.
Well, I'll tell you something. I... Saw it so many times, and I heard you talk to it a couple years ago. And you said, How come you guys have never seen this movie? It's onto the head.
Julian Millis. Jack Finney, Stu Jesus, the biggest of all time. Yeah, yeah. Phil Silver, all of them. Phil Silver's.
Thanks for the call, Jared. Jared in San Diego. I know this is a cop-out when somebody's like, what do you think my team's going to do? With the Seahawks. What do you think they need, right?
What do they need? You just saw them. They just not much, right? Teamrolled everyone. You know what I mean?
Not much. You want to add another receiver? What are we going to do? Sure. Alignment?
Like, I think you just get deeper on either line or. Is there a corner? That you like a lot.
Well, what are you going to do with Kenneth Walker? Is he coming back or not? I don't I I I would think he would. Why wouldn't he? Because someone's going to give him more money than the Seattle's willing to give him.
Boardman gets paid.
So it's like. Is he coming back? No.
Okay, let's say no.
So then what you're m you're not going to draft a running back in the first round. No, but you're going to get some depth in this draft. You're going to get some one or two running backs. I don't know. I just think they just keep amassing more of what they have.
whoever's the best at that spot available. And I know that sounds like a cop-out. But it's accurate for them. By the way, he's referring to a really old film. 1963, I just looked it up.
I watched that over and over and again as a kid. That used to be on Channel 11 or Channel 9 on a rotation, man. Spencer Tracy. Back in the day, Buddy Hackett. Oh, yeah.
Some great, funny, funny, funny people in that group. Milton Burrell, Milton Burrell. Oh, yeah. Good stuff.
Okay. Okay. What's like raising saddles this week? Oh, hadn't seen that. Susie and I are watching the 99-year-old man documentary on Mel Brooks.
Oh, it's amazing. I meant to ask you where one, we just watched the first one. We haven't watched the second one because we have too many kids that just ruin it. What is this on? I think Zan's at home, too.
He's actually. Actually, he and Suz are. are out east right now. What I've seen is deep in the snow. I haven't watched it.
He's looking at schools. I haven't watched the whole thing, but it's. Amazing. But blazing saddles. I mean, yeah.
I hadn't seen blazing saddles probably like two years.
So it was Governor William J. Lepetamy. Hedley Lamar. Help me in with this. Help me in with this.
Okay, I can't finish it. All right. Let's take a break. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial. Ben Solak is going to tell us about free agents available in Combine and so much more coming up.
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Back here on the Rich Eyes and Show, 844-204-Rich. Number to Dow.
So I was up with Zan on a a little camping overnight that he had with his class. You were camping? With a GL in front of it, a little bit. He wasn't in a tent. What's his name?
Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't in the tent. It was a. At any rate, he's hanging out with his friends, and I'm like, what reading can I do? And I came upon.
Uh Article on who's available in free agency. By position, and then who's available in the combine by position, and what teams should be able to think about? Do they want to? Because that's the conversation to be had over the next few weeks. Is building your roster and how best to find your person through the draft, and how best to find them through free agency, which is first, and if you don't get them in free agency, then what do you do in the draft?
And it's a fascinating puzzle. That this is required reading, I think, for all of us here, to be honest with you. Took me two sittings to get through it. Uh but thankfully Zan was having so much fun with his friends at camp Um, I was, I got through it because it was really good. Ben Solak here on The Rich Eisen Show, ESPN National NFL Analyst.
Check out his work. On the ESPN app and ESPN.com. Good to see you, Ben. How are you?
Well, my editor appreciates that two settings comment.
Now I'm going to have to turn in shorter copy movement. No, don't do that. No, no, no. By the way, to heck with that, because I understand this day and age, even the New York Times tells you how long the read is going to be for you to click on it. I don't care.
It's comprehensive. You gave me some terrific information, and it is souped to nuts. Um, and again, like what I just said that that really struck me. is what do you do when you're in a position of need And you look at the combine. And then you look at free agency, and then you're like, do you have a plan for free agency that you then need to back up if you don't get your guy?
Or do you change up midstream? And which is the deepest position, combine and free agency, going into the next few weeks, in your estimation? Edge rusher for sure. There's so many guys, right? And that's before we even get to the Max Crosby trade, like just free agency-wise.
Trey Andrickson is up, and Jalen Phillips are up. Both those guys are big deals. Adafay Owe, who had an enormous year with the Chargers right after the trade from the Ravens. His film, like I was much more impressed watching it back on film, where I was like, oh shoot, like this feels like, you know, 10, 12 sack guy. But then you get deeper, right?
And you start talking about the boy in Mafe who's coming out of Seattle. You know, he's available. Caleb on Chase and Joey Bose is up this year. Like, there's just dudes on dudes at Edge Rusher this year in free agency. And if there's not a particular body type that you're looking for, the draft is great this year for these like bigger, longer, stronger guys, Zion Young out of Missouri, Gabe Jackis out of Illinois.
There's some like denser dudes. If you can't find an edge rusher in this class, man, then you can't find an edge rusher. Like, I don't know what to tell you. There's so many guys this year. Yeah, I think you, Mac as well, is available if you want to go snag him.
So there's some real OGs. And again, I'm just wondering the fact that Tank Lawrence, after a decade in the business, being added to Seattle. where they love just constantly churning one and one defensive lineman fresh off the bench after another, that might not be another reason why you could just sit back and maybe get an OG, get somebody who's been at it for a while. And Lawrence is a really important name to bring up because he was so good on running downs for Seattle. The way Seattle's defense works, they need their defensive ends to play like a gap and a half, right?
Some of that run-stopping, two-gap stuff. Lawrence was the second best edge in the league by run-stop EPA this year. Only Crosby was better. And so, like, he's a third-year-old coming off a foot injury, but he's always been so good on rushdowns.
So, you look at Khalil Mack, who is he beyond his peak as a pass rusher? Absolutely. But the rushing down stuff is crazy. And, like, if you're going to run this Jesse Minter, Mike McDonald defense that's proliferating, you need at least one edge who's like a capital D dude in the running game. Mac fits that mold.
Jadian Clowney's up. He's always been that guy. Kingsley Anni Barry from the Packers is up. Like, if you need your run-stopping defensive end, which now is a little bit of a prototype these days, he's available this year. What about the middle of the defensive line?
What about that group, Ben? It's such a way, such a bad year for defensive tackle. I have no idea why. Like, if it had something to do with the market or how contracts got signed, but Milton Williams last year was like our big free agent surprise, 26 million huge contract. This year, the best free agent defensive tackle is John Franklin.
Myers, who was a rotational guy for the Broncos, still a good player, a little bit older. And then after that, it is. Clais Campbell, if he wants to come back, it's David Onyamata. It's Sheldon Rankins. It's a lot of like the familiar, you know, one-year, six-million-dollar guys that we typically hear about.
It is not a good year for defensive tackle. And then the draft is a lot of unsure dudes: Peter Woods out of Clemson, Caleb Banks out of Florida. We expect both these guys to go round one, but it's more of like a ooh, weird class, you know, bad positional value, less of like, oh my gosh, Dexter Lawrence is in this class. It's not that caliber.
So, defensive tackle this year, I don't think it's going to be the year you see a lot of movement. It might be some weirdly big contracts in free agency, just as guys go like, you know, reaching for the middle tier of options because the top tier isn't there at all. You know, I'm trying to put two and two together here because we had Kyle Van Neu on this show last week, Ben, and he was talking about how. You know, he feels defensive tackle is becoming the elite. Defensive line grouping now because edge rushers sometimes can't get to the quarterback fast enough in this day and age of a quick release, in this day and age of maybe chipping guys along with your left tackles, and that the defensive tackle group.
is more of a of a I guess, Tiffany grouping right now, and you're saying that there's few on the market. Maybe it's just because. You know, teams that won't let them go. Like, they're going to resign these guys. Yeah, these guys are getting re-signed.
And we also, if you look at just the final four teams, Seattle against the Rams, the NFC, Broncos against the Patriots, and AFC, those teams are defined by the defensive tackle play, right? Christian Barmore and Milton Williams going against Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach. You know, what Kobe Turner, Brayden Fisk had been on the interior, Pune Ford there with Seattle. And then we all know with, excuse me, with the Rams, we all know with Seattle, Byron Murphy there and Dexter Lawrence. Like you have to build defenses through the spine.
That's what we're seeing in the modern NFL up the middle, right? Starting defensive tackle and then moving back to linebacker and to safety.
So these guys are getting secured for big contracts now because the market was a little bit depreciated. They weren't getting those big deals.
So once we realize their value, oh, it's easy to sign them and sign them.
Now you're seeing that top of the market expand where Milton Williams is getting that huge money where Jeffrey Simmons and Chris Jones are signing these massive extensions. When guys like Jalen Carter and Kobe Turner start to hit free agency in the next one to two years, that's when you're going to see, okay, this market really takes off. And now maybe we'll see a little bit of a settling down and we'll see some more guys enter free agency. And ESPN NFL Rodder Ben Super. Zolak, fresh off of an article I read over the weekend, a soup to nuts, full primer on who's available free agency in Combine over the next six weeks, right here on the Rich Eisen show.
The deepest offensive grouping then. Where you're happy that you're in the market right now for this position because they're deep at the combine and free agency is what, Ben? Interior offensive line, which there's not a lot of centers as per usual because there's only 32 guys. Like, that's not a spot that we see a ton of movement. But Tyler Linderbaum is in this class, and Linderbaum's probably going to dramatically reset the center market if he gets out of Baltimore, even if he stays in Baltimore.
We're looking at who's going to beat Creed Humphrey and have that biggest deal. And then it's the guard spot where David Edwards has been great from Buffalo. You have Isaac Samala coming out of Pittsburgh. Elijah Vera Tucker, who's an easy guy to forget. He missed the entire season with the torn triceps, but he was looking at being one of the highest paid guards before he started to get hurt.
Interior offensive line is one of those spots that is more modular in the NFL. It is easier to go get a guy from a different system, drop him in, and get immediate success out of that player. I know there's some teams right now, like the Lions, who are telling me, no, no, no, it's not that easy. But in general, it is an easier thing to do. And so you should expect to see a lot of interior offensive live movement in free agency.
And then draft-wise, we've got a good number of bodies this year, right? Center is. Weirdly undersized. There's a lot of smaller zone dudes. If you need a big center, you're kind of in trouble.
But there's multiple, like, you know, Francis Maui-Noah, who's out of Miami, might be a top-five pick who gets moved to guard. Emmanuel Pregnant out of Oregon, Vega Ione out of Penn State. We're expecting, I would say, about four top 50 guards to go in this class. And so it's a good year to need a guard. And, you know, every team needs office of line improvement.
And what about skilled position for all due respect to offensive line? You see, when you say offensive position, my head goes to the guys in the trenches, right? That's where we go. No, no, I got you. I got you.
Because, you know, Ben, this is a fantasy football world we live in. Right. You know, come on. And yeah, running backs, this year for running back free agent class is great, right? You're looking at Brees Hall at the top.
You guys were talking about Kenneth Walker coming out of Seattle before the break, Travis Etienne as well. And then there's like a great mystery box tier. There's the Rico Dowdle coming into free agency again. He had a thousand yards with the Cowboys, didn't get the big deal, had to take the one year with the Panthers, and then had 1,000 yards that season too. And so you have Rico back in here.
Tyler Algier is in this market. He was a thousand-yard rusher for the Falcons before they signed a draft to B. John Robinson. Algier's a guy I'm really excited to see where he goes. Kenneth Gainwell, who obviously showed you: hey, if you have a quarterback who just wants to throw it to the back, I can be a 90-catch player over the course of a full season if you want.
It's a really, really cool rotational group of backs this year. And the class for running back. Is really rough after Jeremiah Love. It is not a good year in the draft for running backs. Why do you say that?
Why do you say that? Not a lot of rotational players, but when we talk about rotational players coming out of the draft, those guys usually take some time to get on the field because you have to learn NFL protections. It's a lot harder to get a rookie out there as your third-down back as opposed to just getting Kenneth Gainwell and plugging and chugging. And so, weak year for running back after Love. The second best back in this class is probably Love's backup at Notre Dame.
Jadarian Price is most likely going to be RB2 off the board.
So, this is going to be a year where I think you see Walker, Brees Hall definitely, and then Travis Etienne as well get more money than you're thinking right now in the open market because nobody wants to draft any of these guys after Jeremiah Love. Ben Solak here on the Rich Eisen show. And I guess maybe that's why Dallas is like, Yeah, let's sign Devontae Williams, Javante Williams, right? Like. Interesting.
So Right. Stays in Seattle, right? I don't know, but that's a pretty deep. You named some really good professional running backs that are going to be hitting free agency unless they get franchise tagged. Yeah.
Before the playoffs, I would have told you Kenneth is staying in Seattle 70% yes, 30% no. Right. After that postseason, I mean, the young man made himself $3 million a year easily, right? I mean, he was highly explosive, three-stroke games of 100 yards from Scrimmich. He showed more as a receiver.
Obviously, he wins the Super Bowl MVP. To me, if I'm Kenneth Walker's agent, anything below the Josh Jacobs deal, which was four years, $48 million, $12 million per year, I'm laughing at, right? Not after we just won a championship, all right? I would like to see my guy get paid. And Seattle's got.
Free agents, right? They have prestigious heat that potentially need to sign. Kobe Bryant starting safety is up this year. Requill and corner is up for them this year. And so they might not want to be even with Walker at that price tag, especially because there are the Tyler Algiers and Kenneth Gainwells available and Rico Dowdle in this class.
And so I would say now, Walker percent chance he stays in Seattle. I'd put it like 45%. I think that it is closest to a coin flip. But if you made me guess, water gun to my head, I think he gets out of Seattle.
Okay. And then the concept of the wide receiver market, how does it look? Fine. Yeah, wide receiver is tricky because there's always guys because we play three of them on every single snap and we have wide receiver four still does stuff for us. Like there's always bodies on bodies on bodies.
So you kind of have to measure it just against past years of wide receiver. You can't measure it against like center where there's only ever one or two dudes available. This year I would not say is a strong wide receiver class. Freasient, there's some good rotational players. Joan Jennings is a great blocker.
Wandale Robinson in the slot. Rashid Shaheed, the speed element. Those guys are there. And then there's a couple of...
Okay, can you be like a real wide receiver one or two for me? That's Alec Pierce out of Indianapolis, who led the league yards per reception, yards per target, air yards per target this year. Explosive downfield player. Can he run some more routes? Can he be a little bit more of a three-level weapon for us?
There's Mike Evans. We have no question that he can be that, but how long in the tooth is he? How healthy is he coming off a little bit of an injury-riddled season? And then Romeo Dobbs, who's really quite the conundrum out of Green Bay. Everybody I talk to, film, everybody likes Romeo Dobbs.
Like there's no question it's good play. Why did he never fully control wide receiver one? Why did he never start demanding targets and consolidating there? He had the exact same target per route share over all four years in Green Bank, like 22%, just like solid, Eddie-steady, wide receiver two, Jacoby Myers play.
So nobody really knows exactly how high that ceiling is. And so a few guys who might be, you know, able to have big impacts on their next team, I think Pierce is going to make somewhere around $24 million per year, the Nico Collins deal, but you're still squinted. You're still trying to see the force through the trees a little bit with Pierce. It's not a knockout year for wide receiver and for agency.
Well, how do you handicap the quarterback? Carousel over the next six weeks, combine and draft. Because again, if the combine, You know, we'll talk. We had Lewis Riddick on hour one. He's talking about Ty Simpson, Nuffsmeier, Beck.
Right after that, you're really beginning to Get further down. one would think uh a a draft list and then free agency Stafford's not in this mix. Rogers, if he's in it, he's only going to one team. How do you see it, Ben? Yeah, it's Lewis's job to hype up the Nussmeiers and the backs of the world.
It's my job to be like, listen. We're trading for Spencer Rattler before we're drafting one of these guys. You know, like it's there's there's certainly you know there's mystery box potential there, there's dart throw in the dark potential there with some of those guys, but I think you're going to see a really active year trading for quarterback twos on the bottom of some of these rosters. If you think about the Colts, if they give Daniel Jones a multi-year deal, I'm calling about Anthony Richardson and I'm seeing if I can, you know, put him next to Jacoby Brissette in a camp battle and see if they can win that out. Spencer Rattler, who I thought really improved year one to year two, but then lost a job to Tyler Shuck.
He's who the new coaching staff had invested in. But the film is pretty good on Spencer Rattler. Tanner McKee, who's there with it with the Eagles. Will Levis with the Tennessee Titans. He lost a job to Cam Ward.
You're going to see these guys get. investigated as trade options because the quarterback class is just so Perilously thin behind Fernando Mendoza. And so the teams that miss out on Kyler and Tua, which I think, you know, about six, seven teams that have a need. There's Kyler Tua and then there's the Malik Willis free agent carousel. After that, you're going to have three or four teams left wanting.
And to me, those teams are going to take the big home run swing. Nobody thinks it's going to connect. It's not sexy. It's not exciting. But if you can get a rookie contract starter out of Spencer Rattler, it kind of saves your job for a couple of years.
So to me, what I'm looking for when I head to Indianapolis and like, you know, the scuttlebutt on some of these young quarterback twos who aren't going to break into quarterback one on their own team, but can I go trade a middle-round pick for them instead of spending it on a Carson Beck? Tell me the teams that are going to do that. And, you know, I mean, because this is a. That's a gamble, man. I understand you're like, you know, hey.
Um, camp battle between Jacoby Brissett and Anthony Richardson, or it doesn't get you fired up, does it? Or camp battle between veteran and Tanner McKee or whatever. I mean, it it could make sense on paper. And it could make sense in a room where you're stacking players on a board or on a grease board, but then you got to sell it to a fan base and then you got to play football with it with a head coach that. Needs to win games more likely than not.
Give me the teams that would take a flyer on your. Methodology, right there, Ben Solak.
So, I think Miami has to take a lot of cap lumps this year in order to get off the Tua deal. And we already know they're moving off from Tyreek Hill. They might be trading more players.
So, I think Miami is going to be a team that tries to be in the Malik Willis sweepstakes. John Eric Sullivan, he's from Green Bay. Yeah, that's one thing. That's one thing. Malik Willis, you had me at hello there.
Honestly, I think he's going to have his choices. And I think he's going to have teams that are like, We want you. And he'll be like, Yeah, the roster's not there. I don't know about the coach. Like, I think he's going to have choices.
Um, this time around 100% agreement. I'm like, which team is going to say, I will instead of drafting a kid. I'd rather take a flyer and see if he's my next one or a bridge quarterback, even. Like, who's going to do that?
So I think the Jets, we know that Aaron Glenn likes mobile quarterbacks. They have Justin Fields there on their veteran deal. I think you can sign Malik Willis for roughly the same deal, probably a little bit more. The Jets, the Browns, to me, are a team where Todd Monkin just worked with Lamar Jackson. That's a very copy and paste offense in terms of stylistically how Willis plays and how Lamar plays.
Arizona is the other team. Monty Austin forward, general manager there, was in Tennessee when Malik Willis was drafted by the Titans.
So I think those three teams are going to be aggressively in on Willis, along with the Dolphins. Like I said, that Packers familiarity. And I just don't think the Dolphins have the cap to last in a bidding war if that's where this gets for Willis. And like, I don't think Willis is going to get insanely overpaid, but it is not a year to walk into the draft of the quarterback need. I can't stress that enough.
And so I think Willis, you know, if I had to go between there's that Justin Fields deal at $20 million per year, and then the next highest deal is Baker at 33 at 30 million, excuse me. There's like a $10 million gap between those two deals. He's going to land somewhere in there. And I wouldn't be surprised if he's closer to the Baker deal. And so those are the teams to me that go in on Willis.
And then if you can't. Get that done, and you're sitting there, you don't have draft capital to move on from because you're a rebuilding team, then you have to be looking at these younger quarterback twos as your bridges into 2027 and a much better quarterback class. Ben, thanks for the time, man. Really appreciate it. And thanks for the great read and great information.
You helped me get set for the next few weeks. Thank you. Thanks, Rich. You take care. You bet.
That's Ben Solak. Everybody, check out his article on ESPN, the app, and ESPN.com if you are more of a And online. Internet type I got some thoughts on all of this stuff. Let's take a break. We'll come back.
We'll hit it. 844-204-RICH. Also, the number dumb. We'll sneak in a call before we head on out to Indianapolis. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
Back here on the Rich Eisen Show.
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Again, everyone should check out the work of our guest that we just. Hung up on from Zoom and Ben Sola. Our colleague. Our colleague. I will push back a little bit here.
I don't think anybody's number twos are available. At quarterback, you mean? Why why would they be? Why would they be? Yeah, it seems like every year we see 60 starting quarterbacks in a season.
There's no reason. The only reason why, like, Richardson might be available is he's getting a little bit more expensive. In his rookie contract? What a Tyner McKee so expensive that they got to, and that he's not going to. Play behind uh Jalen Hurts, that you you need to go get him?
Honestly. Matt Jones, in my estimation, Matt Jones, is the most likely candidate to be the next Sam Darnold of anybody else. Interesting.
Of anybody else. Again. chosen in the middle of the first round. Had a Nice first year doing the gritty at the Pro Bowl. Right?
Second year falls off. Then Whatever the heck happened with him in Belichick? He needed to go to Camp Peterson down in Jacksonville, and now he's in Camp Shanahan. And you saw what he looked like. When you He got the shot for a month.
He took the shot, he got the shot. Got the shot. Right? He's actually in the Shanahan system that everybody credits. For Sam Darnold's reset.
And Brock Purdy. Was not available for some time this year, and Mac Jones kept the Niners so afloat. They almost won the one seat, and by the way. If the Niners had won that one-seed game against the Seattle Seahawks in the final Saturday of the regular season, the Rams would have been third in their division. I mean, that's how crazy that game was a sliding door for the entirety of what followed.
So Why would the Niners make him available? Unless you blow them away with the Godfather offer. I don't think anybody's twos are going to be available because there, but for the grace of the football gods, go you. that you're now down to a new number two that That's not as good as the two that you had. Look at the Minnesota Vikings this year.
They were stuck with the number three quarterback because their number two got hurt and their number one couldn't stay healthy. Why would you Take that safety net out. You're going to.
So even if the Colts give Daniel Jones a long-term deal. Coming off on Achilles, you're going to trade away Anthony Richardson because why? He's too expensive to keep as your backup? Hell no. I shouldn't.
Spencer Rattler? Yes, he's not going to play very much because Tyler Shuck's the guy there now. But why would they trade him? Why would they treat him? There, but for the grace of one snap against, you know.
Anybody They're going to need Spencer Rattler to keep things afloat. You can't just trade your twos anymore. I don't think anybody's going to do it. You have to overpay for them, especially not after the coming after we had. Paul in Syracuse, New York.
What's up, Paul? Oh, Syracuse. Rich Eisen, baby. What's up, guys? What's up?
You know, Brockman said this last year: that the juiciest, best content you put out, Mr. Rich Eisen, is the rumors that you get from the combine. And now that it's picking up a lot of steam, are you worried about people trying to bribe you, get the rumor onto the show, and make it there on the old YouTube and the Rich Eisen show and ESPN and all that?
So I'm curious the process. How do you vet these out? How do you crack the top five?
Now that's picking up a lot of steam.
Well, Paul, if you're. Calling me an influencer? You're right. Oh, yeah. I don't think that's what he was saying.
Is that all he wasn't? Hopefully, he didn't say that. What's Paul pointing out? Maybe he meant that. Paul, if somebody said, if I hear it twice, I need to hear from two different people.
Two sources? Yeah. Got a second. Oh, Mike. What do you mean, two sources?
What are you so surprised about over there? Mr. Seton Hall? I mean, what are you so surprised about? Honestly, I've got to hear it from two different people.
Three, four? Two people have got to say something to me at the very least for me to at least do that. But think about it. Think about it. And, Paul, I just suss it out.
If somebody's coming up and saying, let me feed Rich some information so he could say it in a segment, then, you know, I'm. You know, I I got a B S meter. You know what I mean? Is there an extra level? 'Cause I know we get like a top five on the show.
Is there like a rich eyes and Patreon for the ones that just missed out on the list? You know? No, I don't think so. Top fifteen.
Now we're talking about. I don't know, Paul, but Um, I know, I appreciate it. By the way, I appreciate the process questions right here.
Well done, Paul. Thanks so much. See, buddy. It's Paul and Sergei. How to let him go before he asked me about an OnlyFans page.
Oh, God, Rich. I think we'd clean up, honestly. Oh, no, he would not. OnlyFan. Let's go to where are we going here?
You want to go to Andrew in Newcastle, Pennsylvania? Andrew, Newcastle. What's up, Andrew? Rich, what is going on?
Sonya. Before I start, I just got to say that the show, the daily grind of the Rich Eisen Show is no joke. You guys are all awesome. Thank you. I love the energy and the sports takes you guys give.
So I just gotta ask. What do you think The Pittsburgh Steelers need to do about their franchise quarterback, and do you think he's on the roster right now? I don't know. Will Howard is the only guy that, with all due respect, to Mason Rudolph, who one of Cooper's friends. Hot take saying he's the next Sam Darnold.
Um I don't know. Let's see what Will Howard looks like. He certainly showed he's got some gumption. Or do we take a quarterback in the hometown? The draft is in Pittsburgh this year.
It's going to be a big year. Do we take him this year? I don't think so, buddy. I don't know. I don't know.
Unless Ty Simpson starts showing out and starting next week. And thanks for the call, Andrew, Newcastle, Pennsylvania. In the same way that we sense that. Anthony from Miami was not from Miami. I'm getting the sense that our last caller literally was from Newcastle, Pennsylvania.
Yep.
Sounded like he just came from the set of tasks.
So good. Yeah. Or the pit. Hmm. Um Mm.
Yeah, I I I don't know. I think the Steelers go and get Aaron Rodgers and let's see what he can let's see what he can do. Let's see if they can win and make some real hay in Mike McCarthy's first year. And they can assess what Will Howard is to them. But But they're going to use a first if if Rogers comes back.
You're not using your first-round pick on somebody that's not helping. You're not Rogers, hey, Rogers comes back. It's been a while. Were you going to trade up for him? You're going to trade up for him.
That ain't happening, guys. It's been done before. Yeah. We don't I mean we don't I don't think they want any piece of that. Worked out for the team that did it.
I know that. I don't think that's happening again. You're going to get somebody that can actually help right here, right now, and you'll worry about the quarterback another day. All right. For our radio, we'll chat next in Indianapolis.
We'll finish this show up on ESPN Disney Plus in a sec. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
