PodcastFrom NFL: The Insiders
The Insiders Podcast: Training Camp Updates & Pats WR A.J. Brown and Chargers Edge Khalil Mack Join the Insiders
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
42 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 4, 2026
Published
Tue, August 4, 2026
16
Player insights
12
Players mentioned
Topics
A.J. BrownBijan RobinsonBucky IrvingJahmyr GibbsDe'Von AchaneDeshaun WatsonJonathan TaylorKenny PickettLamar JacksonMike EvansTravis EtienneTravis Hunter
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveUsage15:44
A.J. Brown is showing high-level performance in Patriots camp, including a notable one-handed catch, and is engaging in physical, competitive reps against Christian Gonzalez.
Insight pagePositiveUsage38:57
A.J. Brown is being moved all around the formation in the new offensive scheme, which he describes as being moved around the 'chess board.' He emphasizes a physical, aggressive mentality, aiming to impose his will on defenders in one-on-one matchups.
Insight pageBijan Robinson
NegativeRole0:08
Bijan Robinson is holding in from practice while awaiting a contract deal. He is considered a dual-purpose playmaker who accounted for 2,300 scrimmage yards for the Falcons last year.
Insight pagePositiveProjection61:51
Bijan Robinson is viewed as having massive upside, particularly in the passing game, with the potential to reach 'video game mode' if he secures more touchdown opportunities.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveValue41:00
The source identifies Bucky Irving as a talented player who has previously served as a league winner, placing him in the tier of desired RB2 options.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper67:37
Bucky Irving is noted as having the talent to be a relevant fantasy asset, appearing in the final tier of running back rankings.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
NegativeUsage64:04
De'Von Achane faces concerns regarding his role following the team's move to Malik Willis, who historically throws to running backs at a significantly lower rate than the previous quarterback.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
NegativeRole5:30
Deshaun Watson is currently in a hotly contested quarterback competition with Shador Sanders. While he was the initial favorite, he failed to separate himself during the spring, extending the evaluation period into the preseason.
Insight pageJahmyr Gibbs
NegativeInjury0:08
Jahmyr Gibbs is currently holding in from practice while awaiting a contract deal; he was previously listed with a back issue last week and stated that only time will tell regarding his return.
Insight pagePositiveProjection60:51
Jahmyr Gibbs is ranked as the RB1 by Michael Florio, who cites his league-leading fantasy points per opportunity over the last two years and trust in the Lions' offense.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
PositiveProjection62:28
Jonathan Taylor is highlighted as a reliable high-end RB1 with top-five upside, noting he averaged 23 fantasy points per game with Daniel Jones last year.
Insight pageKenny Pickett
PositiveRole27:10
Kenny Pickett is set to start for the Panthers in the Hall of Fame game as he competes for a roster spot.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
PositiveUsage18:30
Lamar Jackson is taking more snaps from under center in the new Ravens offense, a role in which he has historically been efficient, recording 25 touchdowns and one interception from that alignment.
Insight pageMike Evans
NegativeInjury11:43
Mike Evans is dealing with a quad strain during training camp, which has limited his participation.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
PositiveValue65:31
Travis Etienne is considered a solid RB2 with RB1 upside, with Michael Florio expressing trust in the Liam Cohen offensive system to maximize his production.
Insight pageTravis Hunter
PositiveUsage54:05
Travis Hunter has added 10 pounds of muscle to handle the rigors of playing both ways. He is practicing on both sides of the ball and has expressed a desire to play 100% of snaps in games, though the team views him primarily as a cornerback who will also contribute at wide receiver.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. But we start with somebody who is not currently playing football, who actually has some comments for us.
0:08The most notable hold-in of the season thus far is actually two players, Jameer Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.
0:13Both aren't practicing while awaiting their deals. There's video of Jameer Gibbs just being Jameer Gibbs at camp.
0:18He was listed as having a back-ass shoot last week.
0:22He said only time will tell when he's able to come back.
0:25And so, Judy feels like we got a unique situation, two of the best players in the game, when the pay structure
0:32at the position is kind of held off from this moment for what feels like a decade.
0:37Yeah, I mean, both of these guys are going to reset the running back pay market, right?
0:42Saquon Barkley is at the top right now at $20.6 million in the annual average.
0:47They're going to top that. Somebody is eventually going to have to go first.
0:51Obviously, the person who goes second is going to be at the very top of the market.
0:56The good news is neither of these things seem acrimonious.
0:59Part of the reason it is taking so long, though, is both of these players have tremendous leverage on their teams.
1:05Dan Campbell in Detroit over the summer said of Jameer Gibbs he's going to be our bell cow after David Montgomery left.
1:12And B. Sean Robinson accounted for 2,300 scrimmage yards for the Falcons last year.
1:16So they are in prime position to be negotiating contract extensions.
1:20It's also a little bit difficult to determine exactly what number they should come in at because they are both so multi-talented, so multi-purpose.
1:27They also act really as wide receivers. So that pushes their value up even further.
1:31We got a long way to go until the season openers are upon us.
1:36So certainly you would expect that these would get done when they're going to get done.
1:41We're not quite sure. Only time will tell, as Jameer Gibbs said.
1:44Judy, your last point about value is so important.
1:47Judy, your last point about value is so important.
1:50Because they are not running backs. They are dual playmakers.
1:53And no position more than looking back has the most value and a hold in.
1:57We know how short their their span of their life is.
2:01And you mentioned, your Saquon Barkley's deal, 20.6 million.
2:03I have little doubt that both guys are going to clear that.
2:07So 21 million is the, is the floor. How high is that is the reason why we're still waiting.
2:13You know, you look at the receiver market and the top of the receiver market is 42 million.
2:18You look at where these guys are shooting for 22, 23 million.
2:22That's Christian Watson range. No fist to Christian Watson, but I think a lot of people in the league would prefer Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs over those players.
2:30So they're trying to reset it not only for themselves, but for running backs long into the future.
2:36And they know how valuable they are with these teams.
2:39You don't think that every day they're standing on the sideline that the coach is not kicking the GM saying, Hey man,
2:45throw him an extra million or two, whatever you need.
2:48We got to get Bijan back. We got to get Gibbs back.
2:52Like you said, I expect both deals to get done, but specifically in Atlanta, they have paid a lot of players this off season.
2:59So for Bajon, there's no reason for him to rush unless you show me the money like you did Kyle Pitts and
3:06a lot of other folks this off season. Yeah.
3:09And a pretty obvious line for both of them to take because it's taken the market a long time to adjust to
3:15where it probably should be in terms of these guys getting the ball in their hands 30 to 35 times a game that that value is there.
3:23We'll leave the running back market discussion and go to where you are, Cam Wolf, Ohio, as the Browns continue their work.
3:30Todd Munkin says it's a full roster evaluation, including the quarterbacks, the hotly contested quarterback competition between Shador Sanders and Deshaun Watson.
3:37But after not really hearing much from Dylan Gabriel, since Jared Burst came and promptly took his jersey number, the head coach
3:43says even Dylan Gabriel can earn some more time in this camp as all windows are currently open.
3:49What was your view of the quarterback battle today?
3:52Yeah, Patrick, this is the most exciting battle that I wanted to see in camp, but I know people are going to roll their eyes.
3:59It's the Browns, right? It's quarterbacks who may not have a long-term future, but it's so interesting.
4:04Yin and Yang of the players. Shador is the young player, super popular, had to work on his progression inside the pocket.
4:11Deshaun Watson, the highly paid star who fell and is trying to lift himself back up.
4:16From what I understood, Shador Sanders' strong spring is the reason why this is a competition.
4:21I had a lot of conversations with head coach Todd Munkin throughout the offseason, and he raved about how surprised he was
4:27to see Shador's improvement in the progressions. And that's something that is translated to training camp and today's practice, their first one in pads.
4:35He has been a lot more efficient going through his reads, not holding on to the ball as long.
4:40It's still a work in progress. That's something they're going to continue to work on him with.
4:46It can pop up at times, but that growth is the reason why this is going to go down into the preseason games for this competition.
4:53Remember, Munkin wanted to make a decision this spring that who a starter was, and Watson was the favorite, but it changed.
5:00And Shador is the reason for that change. And so when I watch there at camp tomorrow, I can't wait to see what he looks like.
5:08He will likely play with the starters. They've been switching every other day.
5:12Today was Deshaun. Tomorrow should be Shador. Can he translate that to the pads?
5:16Can he translate that to preseason? And if so, with a really young Browns team, it may make more sense to start
5:23Shador than Deshaun with the timeline the Browns are on.
5:26I keep going back to what you mentioned, Cam, which is that Todd Munkin thought and wanted to have a decision back
5:32in the spring and didn't, which tells us everything we need to know about where the competition is.
5:38Neither one of these guys was able to separate himself from the other.
5:42Certainly, I think going in, it's realistic, and maybe it still is, it's realistic to think that Deshaun Watson would be at least a little bit ahead.
5:50He's obviously played a whole lot more football in the NFL than Shador has, and we have certainly seen him play at
5:57a much higher level, albeit that was quite a few years ago now, and he's had a number of injuries since then.
6:03But you would think that at least you know that Deshaun Watson can reach that level, and so that would have given him an edge.
6:11He was not able to put this to bed, though.
6:14He was not able to take such a lead that he could end the debate in the spring, as Todd Munkin had hoped initially.
6:21And so here we are in the summer. It sounds like we're going to go deeper into preseason before there is decision,
6:28maybe all the way very close to the start of the regular season.
6:32I don't know who's going to prevail, but as you mentioned, Shador Sanders has at least made this a very close fight,
6:39and that is a good thing for the Cleveland Browns.
6:42Part of this will be evaluating the young talent on the roster, like KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, who have made some plays thus far in training camp.
6:50Young players making plays will be the opposite of veterans not doing so, and that's the unfortunate reality of things in Santa Clara right now.
6:57Just a list of the 49ers injuries at just wide receiver.
7:01Those are the ones that missed practice on Monday.
7:03Mike Evans listed as having a quad injury, an unfortunate theme.
7:07One addressed today by our Maurice Jones-Drew and former number one overall pick, Alex Smith.
7:11Here with my guy, Alex Smith from Niners camp here in Santa Clara, and the injuries.
7:16Receiving core just got banged up. A little story of the day, right?
7:20Like, again, we talked about it. I was anxious to see Mike Evans, what he looked like in a Niner jersey.
7:26Obviously, he walks out here in shorts and a shirt.
7:29They're saying, I think, a quad strain. Who knows if it's just a vet day?
7:34Obviously, he's going into year 13. The rookie, Stribbling.
7:37Yes. Out for the second day with his hamstring.
7:39We also got Christian Kirk didn't go today. So, you kind of combine that with the Ricky Pearsall news.
7:45And, again, this receiver room, obviously the injury bug at this point.
7:49You don't want to make too much of it, right?
7:52We had John Lynch on. He didn't seem overly concerned.
7:55But an opportunity. Opportunity for some of these younger guys, right?
7:58Debo comes back, back in a Niner uniform. But Demarcus Robinson, some of these other guys, a chance to step up.
8:05But if you're a Niner fan, certainly you're worried, right?
8:08Well, you are a Niner fan. So, are you worried?
8:11I mean, again, we've talked about this multiple times.
8:13When the Niners are healthy, it seems like they go to the Super Bowl.
8:18Yes. And the only thing that can stop them are injuries.
8:21And so, is that the case this year, right?
8:24A lot of these guys back in uniforms. Great to see Fred Warner running around.
8:28Nick Bosa. We saw Kittle earlier this morning doing his rehab.
8:31He looks fantastic. So, obviously, if these guys can come back and they can stay healthy, the Niners have an unbelievable opportunity in a ridiculous division.
8:39However, again, if these injuries seem to hamper them, right?
8:42Like, was this nothing? Yeah. These guys that, again, maybe was it a rest day or was it something more?
8:48We'll see. We'll certainly have to keep an eye on it.
8:52I know all Niners fans will be. Yeah. And I tell you what, for me, I think this team is ready and ready to go.
8:59Can your coach come back healthy? Can your receivers get healthy?
9:03That's going to be the biggest question here from Niners camp.
9:06Speaking of going on to the Super Bowl in Foxborough, the Patriots camp continues as they look to get back where they
9:13were, representing the AFC in the big game. Mike Garofalo there to chronicle all the talent they were able to add after that loss.
9:20Thank you, Patrick. A rare indoor practice for the Patriots here in Foxborough.
9:24They rarely use this indoor facility over the time that Bill Belichick was a head coach.
9:29Same for Mike Rabel, but it was dumping outside, so they moved everything inside.
9:33That doesn't mean that they lightened up by any stretch.
9:36It was a full pads practice, plenty of contact, plenty of energy, plenty of noise as well, and all of that can be applied to A.J.
9:44Brown versus Christian Gonzalez, the new wide receiver for the Patriots, and the quarterback that has yet to be paid for the
9:50Patriots going up against each other and plenty of one-on-one matchups.
9:54Both guys won. A.J. Brown had a one-handed catch early in practice.
9:57Gonzalez had a couple of passes defensed, and there was some jawing back and forth.
10:02Jeff Brown told us you could see him jawing, but you could say that Gonzalez was giving it back to him.
10:08These guys really working on their game, both physical guys.
10:11Gonzalez trying to bring that further along in his game, so working on that with Brown every single day in practice.
10:18This is a deep team, period, with all the additions that they added in the offseason.
10:23Elijah Vera Tucker, one of the big additions to the offensive line, along with Brown, Kevin Bayard on the back end.
10:29And just two seasons ago, they were thin at starter.
10:32Now they've got so many guys, you wonder who they're going to wind up cutting when they get down to 53.
10:38So it's rare to say that a team coming back from a Super Bowl can be that much better, but that could be the case with New England.
10:47So far in training camp, a lot of these additions shining, including Brown, who we'll hear from a little bit later in the Insiders.
10:54Nothing signals a new season like hearing PL official on NFL Network.
10:58We're back on the Insiders, Lamar and the Ravens at work.
11:01Declan Doyle is running this offense. Steve Weiss and Ian Rappaport report from Ravens camp.
11:06All right, Ian, first day in pads for the Ravens here in training camp.
11:10Not an overly physical practice, but we did see some things that we've heard about, namely seeing quarterback Lamar Jackson under a center a good amount.
11:18Yeah, there's going to be a lot of new things here with the Baltimore Ravens for new coach Jesse Minter, certainly a
11:24much younger staff, a little renewed energy, a little more buy-in from players.
11:28And yes, Lamar Jackson under center, which we have heard about and now have seen.
11:33Certainly the hope is you're going to run the ball more effectively, more demonstrably than you did last year.
11:39Maybe get Lamar Jackson a little more comfortable and feeling better.
11:42The one thing for me, Steve, that stands out is the buy-in from Lamar is real.
11:47Buy-in from guys like Derrick Henry is real. And that's what you need when you have a new coaching staff, is getting
11:53some of the key guys to know that it is meaningful for them and they want to do it.
11:59And that certainly around this roster, you can feel with this new staff.
12:03Yeah, and for clarity, I mean, it wasn't like there wasn't buy-in before.
12:07It's just that for a new coach, you've got to buy-in.
12:10Let's also go to some of the targets that Lamar has to throw to.
12:15We saw some of the young wide receivers come out.
12:18Jacoby Lane really had some good plays. Zay Flowers.
12:20But that wide receiver group, that's going to be a question mark through training camp.
12:25Yeah, it certainly is. And this organization drafted a couple receivers and a couple tight ends in the draft.
12:31And, you know, I think what you'd like to see is one of those guys emerge.
12:36Is it Jacoby Lane? That would be great. Big target kind of gives them Isaiah Likely vibes.
12:41They've been looking for kind of like another playmaker for some time.
12:44If it comes out of this draft, considering Vega is already an absolute stud at guard, young pass rusher in the second
12:51round, really good Zion, this could end up being a really good Ravens draft class.
12:56All right, good stuff. Plenty more of a Ravens throughout training camp.
12:59Lamar Jackson, 25 touchdowns, one interception from under center into his career.
13:03Very efficient at it. Former Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, has his new team at work at the Greenbrier in West Virginia,
13:09where the Giants have this portion of training camp, a portion that saw a few turnovers by second-year quarterback Jackson Dart, as
13:16we're back with Judy Batista and Campbell. Judy, sometimes the training camp interceptions, it's either, oh, the offense is struggling, or the
13:23defense is great, and we have to figure out which one it actually is.
13:27It's actually both in this case, but let's look at the offense.
13:31Speaking of quarterbacks going under center, that is what the New York Giants want Jackson Dart to do, and that's what he's been working on.
13:38When he was inserted into the starting lineup last year, they basically were running sort of a college-style offense for him, what he had done in college.
13:46He was in shotgun almost all of the time.
13:49That's not how they want to play at the New York Giants this year.
13:53They want him under center, a run heavy, a more traditional kind of offense.
13:58So he's been learning to do that, and that takes a lot of work, right?
14:02It involves different footwork. He's turning his back to the defense.
14:05He has to do more reading at the line of scrimmage.
14:09So it's taking a little time. There have been some bumpy moments, and as I mentioned, the defense, the pass rush is also really, really good.
14:17And so they have taken advantage of that mismatch occasionally as Jackson Dart gets up to speed.
14:22It's very early. It's nothing to worry about. This was entirely expected for this offense at this point in the summer.
14:28Judy, I'm hearing you talk about those bumpy roads for the offense, and I'm wondering why.
14:33And I'm hearing the defense say, say my name, say my name.
14:37The defense has been a little reason for encouragement for the New York Giants.
14:41A new defensive coordinator, Gennard Wilson. And from what I understand, Arbel Reese, their rookie fifth overall pick, has had an incredible
14:48start to camp, including today where he popped Cam Scadaboo and also got a sack on Jackson Dart.
14:53I know there's a lot of pre-draft questions of how ready he would be.
14:57We all knew he was an athlete. It's translating early, and it should be reason for Giants fans to be excited on
15:04what their rookie could do and add to that pass rush they desperately need.
15:08The second thing for me is watching their safety, Javon Holland.
15:11He was a really highly paid free agent last year.
15:15Maybe he didn't have the year he wanted. From what I understand in this new scheme, he's going to be able to attack, go forward.
15:22He gets to play next to the same safety he played with last year for the first time in his career.
15:28And maybe he could be a playmaker that helps transform this Giants defense.
15:32And one final thing, their defense coordinator, Wilson, he's got a cool thing he's doing.
15:37Ten push-ups every time there's a penalty on the defense.
15:40It's those type of cool camp stories that get your defense, your team motivated at this stage of camp.
15:46Yeah, the Giants defense will not accuse us of acting shady.
15:49We will represent and say your name whenever we have a chance.
15:53Peter Batista and Cam Wolf checking in on those Giants.
15:56Harbaugh on 11-5 is first season of Baltimore. We'll see how things go.
16:00When we come back, we catch you up on some news and Daniel Jeremiah with a report on that Dallas Cowboys defense.
16:06How much can they improve? We'll find out when we come back.
16:10Back here on The Insiders, here's what came into the NFL LA newsroom new today.
16:14Start with the bad news for new Bears safety, Kobe Bryant.
16:18Super Bowl champion injured his left knee during practice, described as a hyperextension, which also includes a bone bruise.
16:24ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting, the Bears believe he'll be out 8 to 10 weeks, so optimistically returning around week 4.
16:30And Kenny Pickett will be going to Canton as the Panthers starting quarterback for the Hall of Fame game.
16:35Dave Canales says Kenny Pickett, a few other guys hoping to earn spots excited for that opportunity.
16:41In Oxnard, California, the Cowboys continuing their work to improve that defense, which was frankly a statistical anomaly a year ago.
16:47But since then, they've added a lot of talent, talent that we get to see evaluated by our talent evaluator, Daniel Jeremiah.
16:54It was a very spirited practice out here for the Dallas Cowboys as they put the pads on for the first day.
17:00It was beautiful weather, and there was outstanding competition.
17:03You knew this offense was going to be elite.
17:06They were elite last year. They bring everybody back.
17:08There's a lot of buzz and excitement about that group.
17:11But my eyes were on the defense today. And the first day in pads, they performed quite well.
17:17When you look and see these body types out here, you see Quentin Williams, and you see Kenny Clark and Rashawn Gary.
17:24It's an impressive group. You look at the second level, Overshown, DeMarvian Overshown, a huge hit down here in a goal line red zone period.
17:31Just blew up the fullback. Got everybody's juices flowing with that one.
17:35And then Kobe Durant, a new addition at the corner position with what might have been a 100-yard pick six off of Dak Prescott in that same period.
17:43So Christian Parker, the new defensive coordinator who's come over from the Philadelphia Eagles, he has this group inspired and excited to
17:50improve on what was one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
17:53One plot line out of New England at the start of training camp was A.J.
17:58Brown and Drake May got to get on the same page.
18:01A common conversation with any pass catcher, but the attention is relative to the talent, which is why we got both Mike
18:08Garofalo and Brian Baldinger talking to A.J. Brown in Foxborough today.
18:11Joining us here on Inside Training Camp. What's up?
18:14How you been? It's been a minute. Yeah, it's been a minute.
18:18What have I missed? You smiling. How happy are you to be here and everything that's happening so far here in Foxborough?
18:24Yeah, I'm truly blessed. It's been so much fun.
18:27Each and every day we've been coming to work with our hard head on.
18:31And, you know, each and every day, you know, it's a blessing.
18:35You know, A.J., Mike said, Mike Vrabel said way back when, he said, as long as I'm the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, A.J.
18:43Brown's going to be on my team. Now, things, you know, things changed.
18:46All right? You had a nice run there in Philadelphia.
18:50Right. But how is it being reunited with Mike?
18:52And what is it about him that he loves you and you love playing for him?
18:57You know, it's been great, honestly. I go back to, like, the first day I attempted a one-hand catch on the sideline
19:04and we got in a meeting and he chewed me up, you know, and he expected me to make that play.
19:10And that example alone, it's like, obviously, I know I can make that play.
19:14He knows I can make that play. But it's like, he's like, do it.
19:19Don't have do it. Do it. You know, if you're going to do it, don't do it.
19:24Right? So, I'm like, all right, Brave is about to make me turn up, like make me go to another place.
19:30You know, obviously, I want to be great and I want to push myself.
19:34But it's just like when you have a support system from somebody that you respect so much, he'll give you a little
19:41extra push because we always have more in the team, you know.
19:45So, that's what it is. That's what it's been like ever since he started coaching me from day one and I've been loving it.
19:52That's an old Belichick trick. Absolutely. Chew out Tom Brady in the meeting.
19:56And if he can get after Brady, the 53rd guy in the roster is like, man, I better be on my P's and Q's.
20:03You're going up against Christian Gonzalez here. What a matchup that was today.
20:07Right? Physical, a little bit of chirping back and forth.
20:10I don't know if he's chirping back. I know you're getting after him.
20:14Oh, he is. Okay. He's got the visor on.
20:17I can't tell. How much has that helped you?
20:19You know, the iron sharpens iron at that time of year.
20:23How much has that helped for both? I mean, obviously, the talking is what it is.
20:28But, you know, we know we have to come out and play.
20:31You know, and the margin for error is so small.
20:34And me and Drake got to be on the same page because he's an excellent corner.
20:39Maybe one of the best in the game. Maybe the best in the game.
20:43And so I got to be on my P's and Q's.
20:47And he's giving me good work and I'm giving him good work.
20:50And it's back and forth. I had you down for three touchdowns in this end zone today.
20:55Did I miss one? I think it was three.
20:58Three. I think it was three. That's not a bad day.
21:02I mean, it's so physical out there. You had your thumb dislocated against Gonzalez here.
21:06And then you just went and taped it up, put the glove back on, went out and did your thing.
21:12Yeah. It was tough. I tried to get back into that flow state zone really quickly because, obviously, you know, you're going
21:19through a little quick, some pain, you know, because, obviously, the game is what it is.
21:24And you're going to get bumps and bruises. And you got to keep going.
21:28I know it's practice, but I'm not coming out of practice if I, like, thumb out of place.
21:33You keep going. You keep going. You're going like this one.
21:37No, no, no, no, no. You're saying, thumb out of place.
21:40No big. Like, that's a big thing. But you popped it right back in.
21:44Have you had that happen to you before? Yeah.
21:47I dislocated the same thumb, actually, in college. I played the rest of the season.
21:52I did it probably, like, week four against Arkansas.
21:54And I played the rest of the season. And I came out that year.
21:58So you just pop it right back in. You finished.
22:01Do you have to now go get treatment or anything?
22:05Yeah, I'm going to do a little treatment on it.
22:08But, you know, obviously, you know, stem and ice.
22:10That's what they say. AJ, there is different types of receivers in this league.
22:15And I've always said this about you. That the enjoyment of the game comes from dominating a great player.
22:20Absolutely. You love that physical altercation, that intensity. Yeah.
22:23We saw that in practice today. Absolutely. But that's...
22:26I don't know if people understand that mentality from wide receivers.
22:29Yeah. They hear about guys not getting the ball.
22:32And that's... Your thing is, whether it's blocking. Yeah.
22:35Whether it's, you know, winning the game, putting your hand.
22:38Like, you want the ball to physically beat the other guy.
22:41Absolutely. I physically want to impose my will. You know, obviously, I'm going up against a guy like Gunzo today.
22:47And my one-on-one matchup. And I won my rep.
22:50That dopamine high that I got, it was through the roof.
22:53It was through the roof. And obviously, I let them know it.
22:57But, yeah, I physically want to impose my will each and every play.
23:01And it's not for everybody to understand. You know?
23:03No. And when I'm out here, I go into a whole nother zone, a whole nother state.
23:08You know? It's me versus you. So, I like to use the reference of we're in a boxing mask.
23:14Because I'm most of the time on this island.
23:17Yeah. There's nobody going to help you. There's nobody going to help me.
23:21So, let's go. You know? And so, that's the mindset I got to have when I'm out here.
23:26And, you know, and honestly, you know, I could care less if I'm misunderstood.
23:31Dopamine highs. Let's go get the dopamine highs. Absolutely.
23:33Yeah. You could care less if you misunderstood. It wouldn't be the first time.
23:37We talked about your head coach. How about your offensive coordinator?
23:41Yeah. How you fit within the scheme and how you've been vibing with him?
23:45Man, he's been doing a tremendous job, man. Moving me around all around the chess board.
23:50And I think that's all I can say. Don't get in trouble.
23:54Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah. I'm going to leave it at that.
23:57But he's been a great job. He's a phenomenal teacher.
24:00He's very detailed. He's disciplined. You know? And not just for me.
24:04Just for every single one. What's the timing been like with Drake to this point so far?
24:09Yeah, man. And it started off a little slow, obviously, because I'm going against Gunzo.
24:13You know? And obviously, he's getting to know me more and more.
24:17But as he's practice has been going, man, me and him have been, you know, picking up very good momentum.
24:23And we've been just keep going and keep working now.
24:26I'm trying to talk to him as much as I can to see what he's thinking.
24:31He's talking to me. And, you know, we're just trying to keep that internal dialogue going.
24:36Is the Patriots rug up here? Did you move it up here?
24:39I mean, it fits perfectly, right? Yeah. The room is built around the rug.
24:44Last one for you. I'm going to ask myself or ask you a question I probably never asked myself and probably never will again.
24:51Have you allowed yourself to start thinking about what's going to happen in just over two weeks?
24:56Not a game. Full Iverson. Not a game. Yeah.
24:59Practice. Yeah. When the Eagles come up here. I mean, probably going to be a lot of mixed emotions, some great emotion.
25:05Have you thought about that yet? No. It's not a game.
25:09It's practice. You know, and I'm out here crafting, you know, and I'm just going to leave it at that.
25:15It's just practice. You know, I'm not harping on if I catch a touchdown.
25:19I'm not harping on if someone knocked the ball down.
25:22Like, it's practice. I'm crafting. And I'm just trying to – the only thing that speaks to me is the craft, you
25:29know, and what I need to do better with.
25:31Anything else is irrelevant. You know, obviously, you all excited.
25:34It's not – it's no revenge. Like, we won a Super Bowl, you know.
25:39It's no revenge on my part. You know, it's nothing but love.
25:42But that's practice. And first, I have to get through these practices before I even get to the Eagles.
25:48Then I got into the Colts before. So, I'm not even looking ahead.
25:52Like, these practices aren't tough. I don't have time to look ahead.
25:56So, yeah. Well, continue those battles with Christian Gonzalez.
25:58And listen, I know you're still loved down in that building.
26:02I still hear from folks down there. It's not about bad blood or anything like that.
26:06So, we're looking forward to when that happens. And we're looking forward to seeing you out there in a Patriots uniform in Gillette Stadium and elsewhere.
26:14Smile on your face, man. Absolutely. New beginnings, brother.
26:17New beginnings. Thank you. That's it, man. Great stuff there.
26:20And what a first year for Liam Cohen and the Jags.
26:23The plan from Duvall on how they follow up with that and how much Travis Hunter is involved.
26:29That's a discussion we'll have when we come back on The Insiders.
26:33We're back on The Insiders. Free season football back on ESPN and the NFL Network.
26:3719 live games on NFL Network. ESPN has 12 additional matchups on the ESPN app.
26:42All available for you August 13th through the 29th on ESPN and the NFL Network.
26:46The Chargers camp continues from El Segundo. Chargers able to keep Khalil Mack this offseason, meaning they got to keep his adorable children in the fold as well.
26:55In fact, when Daniel Jeremiah, Mena Kimes, got to talk with him, the interview had a special guest.
27:00Well, Mena, I got to tell you, I'm excited about having our next guest.
27:04It's Deuce Mack. And then some other guy sitting behind him back there.
27:08Deuce, how are you doing, man? You ready for some football season?
27:12Yeah. You look like he's ready for some football season.
27:15How about your dad, Khalil Mack? You think he's ready for football season?
27:19Yeah. Well, it's all right if we ask him some questions.
27:22Yeah? All right, all right. Khalil, one of the things that we've been talking about is new defensive coordinator, Chris O'Leary.
27:29Obviously, you're with Coach Minter for a minute now.
27:31Yeah. Tell us about him. Things can be a little bit different.
27:35Obviously, he has familiarity with you guys. But will there be any tweaks to the defense?
27:40Oh, man. I can't really say it'll be tweaks.
27:42But I know, dang, I don't want to give away too much.
27:46Kha's defense was very aggressive. A lot of blitzing.
27:49Yeah, right. But he's just going to let us be us.
27:52He's going to let us be us. I know he's going to put us in the perfect positions to make plays.
27:59Whether that's blitzing, whether that's full-man rush and let everybody cover on the back end.
28:03Who knows? But yeah, he's just going to let us be us and play to our strengths.
28:08How's your body feeling right now? Oh, I'm amazing, man.
28:11Amazing. Amazing. What, day four? Day four in camp, training camp, camp 13.
28:15It's amazing. I feel amazing. When you were back last season, that four-man rush really came alive down the stretch.
28:21One of my favorite things was when they would line up Tule inside, have you opposite O.A.
28:26O.A.'s gone now. But we got a rookie in place, King Mesidor.
28:30Might we see some of those looks with him?
28:33And what are you seeing in the young player?
28:35Man, amazing, amazing, amazing. I see the intangibles with the hands and the quick first step.
28:40Yeah, he's going to surprise a lot of people.
28:43Well, I won't even say surprise a lot of people.
28:46First drop it. But you've seen what he did in college.
28:49And so, yeah, I just can't wait for him to put it all together.
28:54But all in all, like you said, just the group that we have, man, it's going to be fun.
28:59It's going to be fun to get out there.
29:02What have you seen from these two offensive tackles, getting them back healthy?
29:06And what type of a difference, for those that don't know, do those two guys make?
29:11Oh, man. Joe and Rashawn, man. Rashawn, I know I talked to Taylor LeJuan the other day.
29:16And he asked me who's some of the tougher tackles I went against.
29:20But I forgot to say Rashawn is one of the best tackles I've ever gone against.
29:25I said Lane and I said Joe Thomas. But I got to put Rashawn Slater high on that list as well, man.
29:31When you talk about the ring game, we talk about the strong hands and the quick feet and just all the intangibles
29:38you want at that left tackle position. One-on-one, he doesn't get a lot of help.
29:43Like a lot of these other guys. Rashawn, he just makes us that much more of a better team.
29:48And when you throw Joe in there as well, it's going to be a difference.
29:53Speaking of what you have to go up against in practice, one of my favorite parts of your game is how good you are against the run.
30:01Yeah. That run game with Mike Pidano, I want you to speak from your veteran perspective.
30:06All the stuff he gives you to look at and the confusion and the mistrust.
30:11What is it like being on the opposite side of that?
30:14It's fun. It's fun, especially during practice. In the game, it's not as fun.
30:18Right, you went up against Miami back when they were doing that too on the other side.
30:23You had two with the left hand and you didn't know if he was throwing it or keeping it or what the case may be.
30:31Just knowing that he's going to play to the strengths of who we have on the offense.
30:36And having that run game with Amarion and Joe Ward and Rashawn and those new guards and new center in the middle, it's challenging.
30:43And so you've got to be ready. And those guys are firing off the ball.
30:48He got them firing off the ball. And you can tell the difference he's made in that run game.
30:54And it's fun to go against. I love that.
30:56I've got two final questions, but they're not for you.
30:59They're for Deuce. Deuce, you ready here? We've got two questions for you.
31:03Yes. All right. How many sacks is Dad going to get this year?
31:07What do you think? How many sacks? How many?
31:10You tell him what to say. Say 26. Wow.
31:1326 sacks. Wow. Watch out, Miles Garrett. That was my first question.
31:16My second question. If Dad scores a touchdown this year, can you show us what dance you'd like him to do?
31:23What do you think he should do to celebrate?
31:25Do you have an idea for what he should do to celebrate?
31:29You're going to show us what dance? You're going to show us a dance?
31:33Show us a good move? You're going to show us a dance?
31:37Let me see. Let me see. If Dad scores a touchdown, what are we doing?
31:41Let me see. Let me see. I like that.
31:44I like that. All right. All right. All right.
31:47Okay. Yeah, that's good, too. Turn that way. Yeah, show the camera.
31:50Show the camera. That's the move. Yep. Oh, that's another nice one.
31:54I like that. And then that's going to be that.
31:57Oh, okay. All right. How does that sound to you, Dad?
32:00I like it. I like it. You got to deliver, Khalil.
32:04Those simple moves and I can do those. Yeah.
32:07He's got to get you 26 sacks and then do those dances.
32:10And I'm going to do the wiggle. What was that?
32:13The wiggle? Yeah, that was the wiggle. That was the wiggle.
32:17I'll do the wiggle. There you go. He'll do the wiggle.
32:20Appreciate you, man. No doubt, man. Appreciate your time, man.
32:23Let's wiggle to the Atlantic Coast where it's year two for Trevor Lawrence and Liam Cohen's offense, but year one in his
32:30career without his college teammate, Travis Echen, as Bachel Tootin is expected to fill that void on offense.
32:35As we are back with Judy Batista and Cam Wolfe.
32:38Judy, you had the chance over the weekend to chat with another one of those offensive and defensive weapons in Travis Hunter.
32:45Yes. First of all, he sat down next to me to do the interview and it is impossible to not notice how much bigger he is.
32:53We've all heard he put on 10 pounds of muscle while he was rehabbing the knee injury.
32:58It really shows he is much bigger. He is much stronger.
33:01He said he did that very much on purpose, not just because he needed there's the side by side.
33:07It's incredible. Not just because he needed to get stronger, but obviously it will also help him hold up during the rigors
33:13of the season and he is going to get a lot of work.
33:17If the practice we watched yesterday is any indication, he is feeling great.
33:21His knee is in great shape. You see him wearing the sleeve.
33:25He was practicing on both sides of the ball and it's incredible to just watch him go from snap to snap.
33:31He would do one snap on defense and then there would be a pinny that he was wearing, a white pinny when
33:38he is playing defense and they would take that off and then he would go play offense and then they would put
33:45the pinny back on and it went back and forth.
33:48The entire practice, he happened to have a great practice yesterday.
33:51He caught two very long passes from Trevor Lawrence, including one over the shoulder with a defender right on his heels.
33:57Another one where he got a step on the defender.
34:00He also had an interception that would have been a return for a touchdown.
34:05So really he had a touchdown on offense and a touchdown on defense.
34:09When we talked to him, I asked him, how many snaps really do you want to play during a game?
34:15Because we know that the organization thinks he's probably going to primarily be a cornerback and then he will play some wide receiver.
34:22And he said he wants to play all of the snaps, 100% of the snaps during a game.
34:27Cam. Judy, I'm just looking at the picture of him next to you and I got to get the workout plan for those biceps.
34:34You, he transformed in one off season and I got to figure it out.
34:39Look, Travis Hunter is going to explode this year.
34:41That's the talk I've got from everybody in Duval.
34:44And I'm jealous that you got to see Travis Hunter day, Judy, because there's been so much talk about which position is he going to play?
34:52You mentioned it. He's going to be primarily a defense first player, but that doesn't mean he's still not going to make a huge impact on offense.
35:00They think he can be a top five cornerback in football.
35:03They think he can be still an excellent playmaker at receiver.
35:07There's so much potential for this player that I think the world has only seen a percentage of that, but there are
35:13so much more about this Jacksonville Jaguars team. Remember they went 13 and four last year.
35:18Two quick positional battles I'm watching is the running back room.
35:22Basial Tutin is one of the best performers so far in training camp from people I talked to in Jacksonville.
35:28He is the lead candidate to replace Travis HN who left to go to new Orleans and his 1400 yards.
35:34Chris Rodriguez is the power back. He'll form a duo with him.
35:37That running back room will be fun to watch.
35:40And then the linebacker room, we will see Ventrell Miller versus Branson Combs.
35:44Two really impactful physical linebackers get to learn under their defensive coordinator, Anthony Campanelli.
35:48I can't wait to get to preseason mode to see which of these battles define themselves.
35:53Don't sleep on the Jaguars. That's a really good football team down in Duval.
35:57Yeah. Leo Cohen likes to discuss how people don't necessarily always discuss the Jacksonville Jaguars.
36:02That's not how we go about things here. Talking Jags with Judy Batista and Cam Wolf.
36:07Thank you both for doing offense and defense over the course of this edition of the Insiders.
36:12We're back on Fantasy Live with a new animation.
36:15Florio's Fantasy Tears because going through your draft and not necessarily knowing who you want to pick, Michael Florio's made it easy for it.
36:22He's got them all baked into tears. So the selections are easy.
36:25Mike, I'm looking forward to this. Yeah, it's the best way to do fantasy because you kind of, you know how to get through your rankings then.
36:34Just a little cheat sheet. So let's get started with the first couple tiers.
36:38Tier one is the two best players in football, or at least in fantasy football, I would say.
36:43It's two running backs that came into the league together that have dominated fantasy together and are now going to reset the running back market together.
36:51But look, they're going to be the top two picks in basically every fantasy draft.
36:56They both had the running back who was vulturing touchdowns away from them in past years, change teams.
37:01And look, Gibbs has led the running backs in fantasy points for opportunity each of the last two years.
37:07And I trust the Lions offense more, which is why he's my RB1.
37:11But Bijan only seems to have more receiving production last year's and he could go video game mode if the touchdowns go his way.
37:18And then tier two would be all the running backs that would be tier one, if not for those two, right?
37:24Ashton Jensie, Jonathan Taylor, all of these guys are extremely reliable, high-end RB1s who all have top five upside and all will
37:31be gone by the end of round two. So if you want one of them, you got to be ready to strike early.
37:38You see Jensie on screen here. I think he is the most elite volume share in the league.
37:44He's in a much better situation with Clint Kubiak running the offense, a better O-line.
37:48Jonathan Taylor averaged 23 fantasy points per game with Daniel Jones last year.
37:52CMC has injury concerns, but the ceiling is still the best player in fantasy.
37:56James Cook was the RB6 and he gets better every, every year.
38:00And Omari and Hampton, huge breakout pick for me this year.
38:03And then Chase Brown, Saquon. Look, we know those guys can be top five.
38:07We've seen them do it before. Yeah. It's just the difference in the tiers is that these guys, a lot of them get their production on the ground.
38:16Chris McCaffrey gets it through the air. But with Jameer Gibbs and John Robinson.
38:20Do it all. Yeah. You know, the production is going to come through the run game and the pass game.
38:26So those tiers make total sense. Let's get into these next couple of sets.
38:30Cause really right there is where people have to make those decisions.
38:34Yeah. Tier three to me, five names in it.
38:37I do like to kind of widow my tiers down this tier are, they're still all RB ones, but they come with some concerns, right?
38:44Like HM was the RB five last year, but my concern is he lost to a who threw to running backs at
38:51the second highest rate the last two years and moved to Malik Willis who does throw into running backs in that span, the lowest rate in football.
38:59And then we know Walker is top five upside, but he's never really been in that role.
39:04Derek Henry is the best running back of a generation arguably, but he is 32 with a lot of wear and tear on there.
39:12And then Kyron Williams has Blake Corham to worry about.
39:15But then here are my tier four. These are rock solid RB twos that I would argue have RB one upside, right?
39:21Like Josh Jacobs, we've seen do it. He's been top 10 in points per game at the running back position.
39:27The last two years, they shall too. And I will fully admit I am projecting on here, but I trust the Liam Cohen system.
39:35If you watch the insiders, you know, this ETN has been an RB one in two of the last three years.
39:41Javante is tied to a great offense. We all know how talented Brees hall is.
39:46So in this tier, I'll be honest. I don't want them as my RB one, but I would love any of them as my RB two.
39:53Yeah, you get that chance for that upside, which is what you're looking for in a fantasy draft where you can kind
40:00of differ yourself from other people and have those home run hitters, which I think those guys are in not to besmirch
40:07anybody, but we got to have a final tier.
40:10Who goes into tier five? Tier five to me.
40:12These are all players that I would still feel really good having as my running back to like Monty is rock solid
40:19week to week on a Texans team that I think want to run the ball a lot this year.
40:25He is the ability to volume finish his way to an RB one finish Henderson.
40:29We know the upside is there over 20 fantasy points per game and games where he had at least 15 touches.
40:36And I am expecting a big year to jump in the passing game for him.
40:40Scadaboo is one of the most elite volume shares in the league.
40:44He dominates groundwork. He gets goal line. He's using the passing game.
40:47Judkins is extremely talented on a Browns team with a much better O-line.
40:51There's talks. He could be a three down back price was a first round pick on the team that ran the ball more than anyone last year.
40:59Swift has done it before a Bucky Irving. We know has the talent.
41:03So this tier, I want them as my RB twos, but this is the final tier where I want to get my RB two from.
41:11There's a lot of running backs still on the board after that.
41:15I would feel good with as my RB three, but not so much as my every week started running, running back to
41:21a lot of talent in their group, including Bucky Irving, who was a league winner, not too long ago talent on this desk.
41:28Michael F. Florio here. You can play the number one game in fantasy, the ESPN fantasy game, the official fantasy game of the NFL.
41:36Inside training camp. Live is back tomorrow, 10 a.m.
41:38Eastern, where you get a chance to see a whole bunch of fun stuff like this.
41:43We should work on a little handshake right here.
41:46Can we go down low and then come up high?
41:49I have something with the pinky down low and then two times.
41:52Look, let's go down low and then like a little pinky thing.
41:56Yeah, man, that's good stuff. That's gritty ball, man.
41:59That's great. That's trench warfare. Workshop and greetings with Brian Baldinger.
42:02Just a part of what we have coming up.
42:05Multiple camps covered right here on NFL network tomorrow for that edition of inside training camp.
42:10Of course, those of us here on the insiders will be back to wrap up the day.
42:15Once that's all over at seven o'clock Eastern right here.
42:18I'm Patrick Claiborne on behalf of Judy Batista, Cam Wolf, Michael F.
42:22Floro and everybody here. We'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy ITC.
42:25This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.
