0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another great day of Inside Training Camp, live portions of ITC at all of these locations.
0:07We will recap the day's events and address some news on this edition of The Insiders, which starts right now.
0:12Hey everybody, welcome to The Insiders. Patrick Claiborne here in the NFL LA Newsroom.
0:16Mike Garofalo just back from Eagles Camp and Judy Battista there at her ITC location with the Giants at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
0:23But we start with what's new today coming into the NFL LA Newsroom and that's Aaron Donald back in Rams equipment at a workout.
0:30He's wearing the Rams equipment which requires the team to report the activity to the NFL.
0:35That's why Aaron Donald's name was listed on a part of a tryout and ignited so much fervor on social media today.
0:41The future Hall of Fame defensive tackle still mulling over a decision of whether or not to return to the NFL.
0:47As for current player, Stefan Diggs, here's a tweet from NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport.
0:51Stefan Diggs joining Jaden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on a one-year deal could be worth up to $12 million.
0:57As it took a little bit of time, but the guy we last saw in the Super Bowl, one of the best
1:03available free agents at wide receiver, Mike, finds a landing spot.
1:07The Maryland native back to the DMV certainly knows the area and he knows Jaden Daniels a little bit as well.
1:13And look, the Commanders, we knew they were going to make an addition at some point at the receiver position.
1:18They were in on guys in the spring, some big free agents that they didn't land.
1:23So this has been a need for them for going on, what, five months at this point.
1:28And the Brandon Aiyuk part of this is obviously a big part of it as well, that they thought a while back
1:34that perhaps that they would land him. But those dominoes haven't started to fall and there's a lot of them that needed
1:40to fall before he would become a Washington commander.
1:43So in the end, if you're Stefan Diggs, you say, we know they need us.
1:47Let's keep holding out till that number gets to a nice number.
1:51And there you see the maximum number on the deal worth 12 million.
1:54So instant upgrade for a guy that still got a lot of juice.
1:58You saw him last year, that game in Buffalo.
2:01He played a fantastic game up there for the New England Patriots.
2:04So and this is coming off an ACL, by the way.
2:07So one more year removed. Yeah, I know he's a year later, but one year removed from an ACL should help him in that regard.
2:15Terry McLaren still going to be the guy. And this is maybe one in one a but they still expect big things from McLaren.
2:21They just know this, Judy. They just got a lot better at the receiver position with this edition.
2:27Yeah, really, the commander's needs is longer than five months, right?
2:30They have needed somebody to complement Terry McLaren longer than that.
2:33And they get a really good one. Somebody who can take a lot of pressure off Terry McLaren, even if he is
2:39not quite as productive as he was last year for the New England Patriots.
2:43But frankly, there's no reason to think he can't be that productive.
2:47This is a big addition for Jaden Daniels. He has had Diggs has had an incredible run of being good with young
2:53quarterbacks and helping young quarterbacks take the next step in their development.
2:56Think of who he's played with. Josh Allen, CJ Stroud, Drake May last year.
3:00You saw the big leap Drake May made in just one season with Diggs there.
3:05Now Jaden Daniels gets the benefit of having a really reliable, experienced target.
3:08And again, it is worth emphasizing Diggs was super productive last season coming off the ACL.
3:13You really would never have known he was coming off an ACL by the time he got to the midpoint of the season.
3:20Big pickup for the Washington commanders. And certainly we can talk at a later point what this means for Brandon Ayuk.
3:26But it is very good news right now for Jaden Daniels.
3:29Yeah, good news for the team in our nation's capital.
3:32Good news for Jaden Daniels and those commanders who were so good in his rookie season.
3:36But they want to get back into contention, especially in that division.
3:40A division, Judy, that also features the team you're covering today, the New York Giants.
3:44This was practice number seven of New York Giants training camp here at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.
3:50They have been really physical. This was a really long one, two and a half hours.
3:54It was really hot. Really, for the most part of training camp, the defense has been getting the best of the offense.
4:00The offense made some plays today, but the defense made more.
4:04After practice, we talked to Kayvon Thibodeau. Omar Ruiz and I talked to Kayvon Thibodeau.
4:08Here he is. Kayvon Thibodeau, New York Giant pass rusher and fill in NFL Network personality.
4:12There we go. The defense has looked really good in training camp.
4:16You looked good today. You just had a sack a few minutes ago.
4:20How do you think the defense is coming along?
4:22I mean, we're playing well. I think we're gelling together.
4:25Things are going well. Coach Denard has really lit a fire under us.
4:29We love the defense and I think we've just been working.
4:32How are you guys measuring success right now? Honestly, it's the effort.
4:35You know, one thing when you watch the tape, the only thing that jumps out is how guys are running and how guys are hitting.
4:43So as long as we run hard and we hit hard, things don't look good.
4:47You were the subject of a lot of trade speculation in the offseason.
4:51You've talked about it and you said it doesn't really provide any extra motivation.
4:55You don't need extra motivation, but sort of how do you process that and move forward when you're in a contract year?
5:01You know, honestly, it's like when you're coming out of high school, you got all these offers.
5:06You know, you can get a million offers, but at the end of the day, you can only go to one school.
5:12You're going to play for one team. And right now I'm with the New York Giants.
5:17So for me, we got to win. I got to play to my best season.
5:21I got to do the best I can to help the team.
5:24And we got to come out victorious. You're a former top five pick Abdul Carter or Val Rees now joins in that department.
5:31How do you guys come together this season? What are you guys saying to each other to hope that in 2026 you guys have your best season yet?
5:39I think, you know, it's being humble using our talents and kind of coming together to cultivate something great.
5:45You know, having a guy like Burns and Tremaine and inside that that are vets that have been doing this even myself.
5:51This is my fifth year. So being able to lean on the vets and have that new fresh talent come in and,
5:57you know, make a make a great pie. You've been a little bit on the inside as well.
6:02How do you how do you like that? How do you how do you like how they're moving your own?
6:08I've been moving around, man. I like it. You know, I think from the beginning when I started playing the sport, I want to be a technician.
6:16And, you know, now I get the rush from all spots.
6:19You know, it's just making me better at my craft.
6:22And, you know, I just feel like I'm adding a lot of tricks to my bag.
6:26We know that in 10 years you want to be coming from our jobs.
6:30You want to work at NFL Network as an analyst.
6:33So we're going to put your analyst hat on.
6:36How would you assess how the offense is coming together?
6:39You know, I think the offense is doing well.
6:41I think they got a lot of a lot of grinding to do.
6:45I think Jackson is maturing. I think, you know, him being able to read the defense, he's going against one of the hardest defenses in the league.
6:53So him being able to dissect this, pick up blitzes, pick up fronts, and then still be able to deliver the ball
6:59where he needs to from his first read to a second read.
7:03I think he's going to continue to develop. But, you know, with the guys that are surrounding him from Odell to neighbors
7:09when he gets back to all the supporting cast, they're going to do real well.
7:13All right. You brought up Odell. So we're going to we have to ask you about Odell.
7:18Of course. How does Odell look to you guys?
7:21I mean, he looks great. He's the OG around here.
7:24For me, it's always funny because back when I was in like, I don't know, I was like 14 or 15.
7:30I had the haircut. I had the hairstyle that Odell had.
7:33So that old literally, but he's been in the league for a while in football years.
7:37You know, he's old. So having him back and still seeing him go hard and train hard and be a leader has been great.
7:44What's it like to hear the crowd still erupt for him whenever he touches the football?
7:49The crowd goes wild to see that now firsthand.
7:51You know, that's influence with great power comes great responsibility.
7:54I think he's handling it well, and I think he's going to continue to work and continue to solidify his spot on the team came on.
8:02Thanks. Continue to have a great training camp. Continue to be great on television and we'll see you in 10 years.
8:08Thanks so much. Thank you. See you soon. That was Kayvon Thibodeau from inside training camp.
8:12Here's my partner Omar Ruiz, who has been with me all day at White Silver Springs.
8:17And there is Mike Garofalo, I think in air conditioning.
8:20So I'm really jealous of you. Omar, I will ask you first, what was your takeaway from Giants practice?
8:25Well, I'll start with how we ended that interview with Kayvon Thibodeau and talk about Odell Beckham Jr., who at least for
8:32the last couple of days has looked fantastic. He's creating separation against the defense.
8:36His hands are as good as they've ever been.
8:38And what certainly hasn't changed is the response from the crowd that he gets whenever he touches the football.
8:44The crowd goes crazy after practice, had a chance to ask him what kind of juice he gets from hearing the crowd
8:50go wild at this point in his career. And he symbolized like his knees were quivering.
8:54He says he still gets a lot of juice from that.
8:58He seems like he's deeply appreciative of this opportunity to come back where he says he became a man and try to
9:04win a championship for the organization, for the city.
9:07And at this point, he just wants to keep stacking days like he has the last couple and keep working towards a
9:13shot to make this team and be a real contributor in 2026.
9:16My other key takeaway is seeing Isaiah likely up close and what a great target he might be for Jackson Dart this season.
9:23We've seen him in spurts, a part of that potent Ravens offense over the last several years with Lamar Jackson and Derrick
9:29Henry and Mark Andrews as a flowers. He has a real chance to emerge this season with the New York Giants.
9:35He's shown that here the last couple of days.
9:38He has a real chance to really be their number two pass catcher behind Malik neighbors, assuming he gets healthy.
9:44My takeaway is it is still up and down for the offense.
9:47We saw some good plays today, especially in the low red zone.
9:50Jackson Dart had some really good plays, but he started off the practice with two interceptions almost back to back.
9:56And that has been a theme. It's not unexpected.
9:59Frankly, he is learning a new offense. He's learning to play under center.
10:02They're all adjusting. They're all learning a new offense.
10:05So the up and down nature of what we're seeing is not surprising.
10:09But still, again, it is practice number seven. And you're wondering when is this going to come more smoothly for them?
10:15He did have some good performances. We've seen him also make some plays with his legs, which is what you would expect.
10:21But again, I think at some point you would like to see a little bit more smoothness from this offense.
10:27John Harbaugh is not concerned. He liked what he saw from Jackson Dart today, especially because he rebounded after the two early
10:33interceptions and performed so well in the low red zone.
10:36We will see when it comes. They don't have to play a preseason game until next week.
10:41And we'll see how they do by then. Mike.
10:44He was making some mistakes last week when we were there.
10:47Close practice one day. We threw an interception to one of their defensive linemen, which was not a great way to end
10:53practice if you were a member of the offense.
10:56And a reason why they were motivated to come back the next day and then strike quickly.
11:00And they did just that in the team portion.
11:03So, yeah, you saw a little bit of that.
11:06Now you're going to see his handshakes. He's got customized handshakes for every player.
11:10Scadaboo headbutt. Does that surprise anybody? Nope. But what they want him to do, because it was about learning the new offense
11:16and the terminology in the spring and then implementing it really once things got live in the summer, realizing that these are
11:22going to be mistakes along the way. Leave him in West Virginia.
11:26Okay. And then there'll be some in East Rutherford too.
11:29I exaggerate a little bit, but make the mistakes now and understand what you can and can't do.
11:34They're fine with him doing that to a certain extent, but it's got to be cleaned up and there's got to be
11:40fewer and fewer as he goes along as they get into the preseason, as they get back up here to Jersey to practice.
11:47So that's what I'll be watching once they come back up here, once they get into some preseason game action.
11:52Yeah, they got a few more practices here. They are here until Saturday.
11:56They leave on Sunday and then they are right back at it in East Rutherford and we will be out there for it.
12:03Patrick. Thank you guys. A former giant, Saquon Barkley and his Eagles adjusting to their new offense.
12:08He gets into the specifics of those changes with Mike G and Brian Baldinger coming up on the insiders.
12:13And after taking the highest paid title from Saquon, we hear from Bajon Robinson for the first time since he signed his deal.
12:20That's coming up next right here on the inside.
12:22We're back on the insiders NFL preseason coverage returns with 30 or more games alive.
12:27Don't miss marquee matchups and rivalries across all three weeks.
12:29Tune in beginning August 13th through the 29th on ESPN NFL network as well.
12:33All games also available in the ESPN app. Not going to be available to anyone other than the Falcons anytime soon.
12:39But John Robinson signed a three year extension that could be worth up to $75 million.
12:44And if that holds up, he'll be the highest paid running back in NFL history.
12:48Got a chance to hear from him after that deal today.
12:51I hope he gets the most out of, you know, what he deserves because he deserves it, deserves it all.
12:57But it's definitely a cool feeling to see two offensive guys, offensive weapon guys that got drafted in the same class.
13:03And now that we're in our going in our fourth year, we're talking about extensions.
13:08And, you know, it's just it's just a testament to what God blessed us with and who we are as people.
13:14So John looking out to his fellow running back, Jameer Gibbs and passing him the baton, Mike, as it's going to be his turn to take this deal.
13:22Well, yeah, I mean, and all running backs are sort of in it together and they all want to get paid because
13:28they feel like they haven't been paid enough. And this will help the case for Jameer Gibbs for Bajon Robinson to lay
13:34down that 22.25 in base value up to 25.
13:37You may be saying I saw 25. 25 is the max value of the deal.
13:41There are some incentives. And as good as he is, look at those shorts right there.
13:46Look at those quads. As good as he is, I'm sure he's going to hit some of those incentives.
13:51So at least Jameer Gibbs and the Lions know where the bar is because previously it was like you're sort of flying
13:57blind because you don't want to come in at, let's say, 21.
14:01And all of a sudden Robinson's at 25 and just blows you out of the water and you look bad as an agent.
14:08I mean, that's what this is all about. And that's what it's about at the cornerback position too, as well with Devin Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez.
14:15So this at least helps. There was some patience and a nice job by the Atlanta front office.
14:20Frankly, this entire off season, I continue to hear how this pretty green front office with Matt Ryan as the head of
14:26football did a phenomenal job in dealing with some complicated situations and some complicated contracts.
14:31Got this one done relatively early in campus. Well, this was all about who was going to go first and who would go last.
14:38And now Jameer Gibbs is going to go last.
14:40So you've got the price that we know he's going to top in some way.
14:45This is obviously very good news for Jameer Gibbs.
14:47Dan Campbell said earlier this off season, this guy is going to be our bell cow now that David Montgomery is gone.
14:53So we knew Jameer Gibbs was going to reset the market.
14:57It was just a question of if Bijan was going to come after him or before him.
15:01Jameer Gibbs will reset the market. We will see what it comes in at, how much he resets the market.
15:07Frankly, I'm not even sure that the market has been appropriately reset yet for what these running backs can do.
15:13These dual threat running backs, they are just as effective in the passing game as they are in the running game.
15:19They deserve all the money they can get. Very curious to see where Gibbs comes in.
15:24Yeah, the workload for those guys in the run and pass game already expansive.
15:28And both teams seem poised to rely on them even more coming up this season.
15:32Get your money's worth. Yeah, right. Everything that they could possibly get the Falcons defensive plan seemed to rely on two young edge defenders coming into the season.
15:40Now big issues for both of them. And that's what's new today.
15:43And MRI did confirm the bad news for Falcons top 10 pick in 2025.
15:47Jalen Walker, he went down yesterday in practice. It will cost him the remainder of his 2026 season with a torn ACL team.
15:54CEO Greg Beatles also said today they expect clarity from the league very soon in the next few days regarding a possible suspension for James Pierce.
16:01Concerns in Denver is newly acquired Broncos wide out.
16:04Jalen Waddell left practice, but his head coach Sean Payton says it's purely muscle tightness.
16:08He expects again the newly acquired star wide receiver to be just fine and great news for the Houston Texans and their wide receiver.
16:15Tank Dell had a brutal knee injury two seasons ago.
16:18He was in pads practicing for the first time since that injury, an injury that really changed things that season for the
16:24Texans offense as well as his quarterback. CJ Stroud who the team acknowledged contract discussions with coming up this offseason.
16:30He's in the final year of his rookie deal.
16:33He sat down for a discussion of football and life with Jane Slater and Kurt Warner.
16:37Here was CJ Stroud and CJ last time I caught up with you.
16:41We were in New England. Walk me through this offseason and what was your mindset heading into this year?
16:46Really, you know, just get better, you know, focus on things I can get better at.
16:51I always go to scripture and it was Philippians three and 13 for me just forget what's in the past, strive for what's ahead.
16:58So that's kind of what I try to do, but learn from it as well.
17:02So that was that was my plan. I think it's fascinating to think about the idea of a good quarterback getting better, especially in the offseason.
17:10So I do want to go back to that New England game because I think a lot of times we can learn
17:16more through some struggles than our successes. Was there something you were able to take from that game that you applied this offseason?
17:23Yeah, I mean, I just think system things, you know, working, you know, with the old line of protections pocket movement throwing
17:29on the run was a big one for that game.
17:32So those are all things I attacked in offseason and, you know, got to get go back to L.A.
17:37with my trainers and really, you know, go hard on it.
17:40And from I really didn't take a take a break.
17:43So right after the game, I probably took like a day off and I flew home and they came and got right back to work.
17:50Talk to me about the mental side. It's such a huge part of playing quarterback is I understand how we can get better physically.
17:57How do you get better mentally in the offseason when you don't get seven on seven?
18:02You don't get bodies out there every day. I think you have to challenge yourself, you know, through through, you know, watching
18:08film and talking to coach, talking with coaches over what you can do better.
18:12So then I think other side of mentally is like how quick can you forget your your your failures and how quick can you forget your successes?
18:20I love that. Now, everybody knows about Nico and that he's the go to guy, but you're going to have to have
18:26some young guys, whether it's tank, obviously, Jaden Jalen coming in.
18:29Can you talk to me about how they complement Nico in this office?
18:33Yeah, I think Nico courses, you know, the one on one guy.
18:37He can do everything. He can get in the slot, go outside, you know, big play ability, big yak ability.
18:42And then, you know, the other guys, I think they're very talented.
18:46You know, some guys who played a lot of college ball, you know, play together in college with Hutch and Higg and J.
18:52Noll. And then you got tank. You got Jay wild coming from a championship mentality with I think he has three rings,
18:59you know, so he has that mentality and that work ethic.
19:02And then also our tight end room. I think we brought in Marlon rookie from, you know, that team up north.
19:08He's doing very well. Then we got Dalton, you know, of course, our ace at tight end Cade Foster running backs doing well.
19:14So we were and then my biggest thing is we're tough up front.
19:18You know, we got some tough guys, so some young guys who are pushing everybody else like Keelan's doing great.
19:24Why from the Browns a lot of experience. I go on and on.
19:28Everybody's doing really well. So I'm very excited for the group we have offensively.
19:32Jane was talking about your mentality earlier and I'm fascinated because obviously you guys have a great defense, but I know you're at your best when you're aggressive.
19:40How do you talk to the coaches about that balance between being you and being aggressive, but also playing conservative when you
19:46need to to feed into what you're doing? How do you think about your defense?
19:50Yeah, it was tough for me at first. You know, I come from a background since I was a kid.
19:56My coaches always tell me you can make every throw on the field.
20:00Don't ever doubt yourself. We're rocking with you no matter what.
20:03So, you know, things kind of change as you get older.
20:06You got to mature and realize you don't always got to be Superman, but make the other guys around you Superman.
20:12And, you know, that's something I'm still learning. And I'm grateful that I have both abilities and I'm learning how to do both.
20:19And I'm just, you know, trying to get better at that.
20:22Not easy. And it helps that they're actually giving you some pieces to the run game this year.
20:27You're getting some receivers back. So you don't have to do everything and you can choose to be aggressive in some spots and not in others.
20:35CJ. So good to see you again. We cheer for you here at the NFL Network and looking forward to a good season.
20:41Thank you guys. God bless you. The crowd is starting to chant MVP.
20:45Help me to get back. Barkley is veering history.
20:47What time is this? Mark Barkley has just broken the 2,000 yard working part.
20:51I'm Saquon when I'm raced on. No one's ever done this.
20:55How do you jump over a guy backwards? I'm the golden one.
20:58Cheat up, teat up, got a hole in one.
21:01I swear. What an incredible first season it was for Saquon Barkley after arriving in Philadelphia.
21:05But the follow up season after the Super Bowl did not go so well.
21:09Fall offs in the pass game and the run game for the Eagles.
21:13But in comes new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and Saquon joining Mike Garofalo and Brian Baldinger talking about their new offense today.
21:19Look, it's a new offense. There's been a lot of talk about that.
21:23Sean Mannion is the other. Let's start there. Let's start with your grade on Sean Mannion.
21:28Maybe what surprised you so far about him? Yeah, I don't think it's fair to, you know, put a grade out on anybody right now.
21:35I don't want to go out there and be like he's just mad genius, even though I truly believe that.
21:41That's not fair to anybody. I think right now we're all coming in.
21:44We're buying into the new system, trying our best to learn it.
21:48Each install getting better and better. I think he's doing a great job of being a leader of the group.
21:53Obviously, it's a system that he's very aware of and he knows a lot of it.
21:58And it's giving us the information that we need and he's doing a great job of calling it up.
22:03We're going against Vic. Vic is known to be one of the best defensive coordinators of all time, one of the best coaches of all time.
22:11So that's a great challenge. And he's doing a really good job for us.
22:15Vic in his press conference today said, you know, defense has won the last couple of days in his own humble, but
22:21also a little bit of a jab type of way.
22:24But is that part of it? It's like, OK, we're going to be seeing Fangio style defenses.
22:29So let's work against it in camp and let's let's find some answers to it.
22:33Oh, yeah, I say I'll say that week one, they got us.
22:37You know, I don't want to make any excuses.
22:39They should. You know, they're they're running a system that they know already.
22:43And we're learning something new right now. I think it's 2-1 second week.
22:47I think it's 2-1. Some people may disagree. I have that conversation with all the guys in defense locker room in the locker room after.
22:54But yeah, you see this kind of this kind of defense all around the league.
22:58And we are defense running at a high level.
23:01I think they're the best in the league. I know that the best in the league.
23:05So the fact that we get to go against them every single day is only going to make us better.
23:11And it's great competition. And we want to be a championship team.
23:15And you need a championship defense and championship offense.
23:17And we're trying to build to that. Tagging in my partner, Brian Bowling is here.
23:22What's up, baby? Saquon, it's a team thing here.
23:24So I wanted to get involved here. What's what's the difference for a back?
23:28I mean, just for the people out there being eight yards deep, the quarterback on the center versus being in shotgun.
23:34And the differences for you making the reads and seeing things develop.
23:38Yeah, the best way I can explain that. A lot of backs that come from college or when I was in college
23:44a little bit different now, you see a little more under center.
23:47But when I was in college, we all were in gun.
23:50I don't think I went under center one time in college.
23:54And you see a lot of guys that come from college and they struggle in NFL when they got to get into
24:00the dot and you got to run outside zone.
24:03You're so used to running duo inside zone. The difference is for me, I feel like it gives me an opportunity to
24:09get down here a little bit quicker. It gives me an opportunity to manipulate the defensive backers, the defensive linebackers a lot better.
24:15And you just got to continue to trust the offensive line because they're coming off the ball.
24:20They're flying off the ball. And you know the type of guys that we have, how they're moving off the ball.
24:26Let them do what they do best. Put yourself in the right gap.
24:30Be patient. And when it's time to strike, make sure you strike.
24:34What you said was interesting though, Saquon, because your eyes are on the linebackers.
24:38Yeah. And you're manipulating them. Some people just think it's all about finding the hole and then getting through it.
24:43And then you do your thing. But you're seeing it from early on when you're getting the handoff.
24:48We're together. We're a unit, right? And there's some runs you'll see that the O-line is doing their job.
24:54But it's up to me to make sure that I get my shoulder square and I get that linebacker to commit to
25:00this gap so I know I can take it to this gap.
25:04PFF grade. You know, you don't get any yards after contact for that.
25:07But that's part of being a running back. We'll take that up with them.
25:11Right. That's part of being a running back. You got to do that.
25:15You got to know the scheme. You got to know what the opposite line, the angles that they're going on and trying
25:21your best to put the linebackers and the safeties where they need to be.
25:25So it can make your life a lot easier.
25:28And when you have guys like I have up front, especially right now, how they've been moving and they're healthy.
25:34It just makes you excited to play running back.
25:36Let's talk about your quarterback because when we talked about this new offense and some of these schemes and under center and
25:43all this stuff, people were saying, well, that's not him.
25:46He's had so many different offenses and coordinators going back to his college career.
25:50How do you see him adapting? What do you see for him so far this summer?
25:54A lot of people that have those opinions can never do what he's able to do.
25:59One thing about Jalen Hurts that I'm a big fan about.
26:02One, he's a competitor and he's going to adapt to anything he needs to do.
26:06And he's going to do whatever it takes to win football game.
26:10He's coming in. He's buying in just like every single body else.
26:13And it's important when your quarterback's buying in because that's the leader of your team and we're all following him.
26:19He's buying into the system. He's doing a really good job of being coachable and he's making plays out here.
26:25Like I said, we're going against Vic. You know, Vic, he's doing something crazy every single day, something new that might pop up later in the season.
26:32And you'd be like, wow, I remember Vic doing that in training camp practice number four.
26:37So it's definitely a challenge, but we're improving and we're getting better every single day.
26:41And it starts with Jalen and he's doing a fantastic job.
26:44Saquon never stops working. What about working towards the future?
26:47That's Saquon Jr., his second child, showing the start stop ability after practice.
26:51Also getting some spin work in with dad, albeit dad doing it a little more dangerous variety.
26:56Once the NFL season starts is a great day out there at Eagles camp, Mike.
27:00Look at the kid. We we asked him about it today.
27:03He's like he said he hurdled them. I don't know where that clip came from.
27:08Maybe it was somebody else that had that clip of him hurdling his son.
27:12One day his son might hurl him or maybe another defender.
27:15And like I told them, wind up on the cover of Madden.
27:18Who knows? An opportunity for us to look back on your day at Eagles camp.
27:23So Saquon decidedly was not going to put a grade on any offensive install.
27:27Did you have any grades from what you saw today?
27:29Yeah, I mean, it's an incomplete right now. And as Saquon said, it's unfair to go against the defense and it was exactly what they're doing.
27:37We're still working through the kinks here. But I think that's also part of the element of surprise that they're banking on.
27:43They're being real tight with some of the wrinkles that we might see here because they want some unscouted looks early in the season.
27:50That would be a good thing for Jalen Hurts because everything we've heard the last couple of years.
27:55Oh boy, it's predictable. That word always seems to come out.
27:58This will not be predictable. Will it be fully effective, Judy?
28:02I don't know, but I can guarantee you through the first couple of weeks of the season, it won't be predictable.
28:08You know, this is an awful lot of new for the Eagles offense, right?
28:12A new offensive coordinator, obviously a new offensive line coach for the first time in like forever.
28:16Obviously, AJ Brown is gone. So there's a lot to adjust to and a lot to work through here.
28:22And I don't know how fast it's all going to come.
28:25Certainly the first few weeks of the season are going to be a surprise to everyone.
28:30I am sure we're going to discuss it exhaustively, especially if it doesn't go well right out of the gate.
28:35But this is what offenses around the league look like at this time of the year, especially offenses that are changing.
28:41The defenses are ahead of them. It's happening here at the Giants, even though this defense is new too, they are ahead
28:48of the offense because they are learning a new offense.
28:51That's what's happening in Philadelphia. I feel like we all need to take a deep breath and I speak for all of us too.
28:57We don't take a deep breath, but we need to take a deep breath and let this evolve.
29:03And we'll see what it looks like, you know, a month into the season.
29:07Yeah. Another question that we've had for the Eagles, Devante Smith didn't practice today.
29:11Who's going to be the number two? Could it be Makai Lemon?
29:14Could it be Dontavian Wicks who's been in this offense before?
29:17Hollywood Brown, who's of the shorter stature, but he can burn right there.
29:21We asked Jalen Hurts with receivers really stepping up in.
29:24How about Darius Cooper from last year? An undrafted guy had nine receptions.
29:28That's the guy that he mentioned and Baldy was with me.
29:31So what did Baldy do? He went right home and did a breakdown of Darius Cooper that you can check out on his social media feeds.
29:38So I think that it's going to be a little bit of a, you know, committee, but that'll be a different approach.
29:45It'd be good for the Eagles to not have to go.
29:48We've got to force the ball here, which they tried to do last year and didn't work.
29:53It's great to have that guy when you need them, but it didn't work that way.
29:57This is going to be, you may not see a number two receiver.
30:01You may see two through four as like this plateau for the Eagles.
30:05Yeah, no defined hard and fast rules. And Mike, we did find it.
30:08We found the clip of Saquon Barkley and America's youth, including his own actual youth as he hurdles his child.
30:14You got some growing to do, Saquon Jr. But hey, good job.
30:18NBC sports Philly keeps the young man off the turf there.
30:21When we come back, we get back to the Texans.
30:24What a dominant defense. How do they follow up the great year they had?
30:28We'll get back to Jane Slater and Kurt Warner in Houston after the break.
30:32We're back on the insiders. A quick recap of the day's news.
30:35Stefan Diggs will be joining Jane Daniels and the commanders.
30:38Sond a one year deal could be worth up to $12 million.
30:41A couple of teams ago, Stefan Diggs could last be seen for his other team with the Houston Texans, who continued their
30:48work in Houston today, a day where Tank Dell made his first return to padded practice since the brutal injury that came late in the 2024 season.
30:55Jane Slater and Kurt Warner report from Texans camp.
30:58All right, Kurt. We have wrapped up day seven of practice down here in Houston.
31:02The third padded practice and then tomorrow they get an off day.
31:06Things that stood out to me today. Tank Dell returning to practice for the first time in pads, doing a lot more than we've seen since that injury.
31:14So that was good. And then CJ Stroud joined us and I was at that game in New England and I saw the confidence wavering a bit.
31:21And the frustration and all the critics talking about has CJ lost it?
31:25Is he seeing ghosts after talking with them? I personally walked away going.
31:29He's done some honest reflection. He's able to put it in the past.
31:33I'm not worried about him. What was your sense?
31:35Yeah, I think that's so important as a quarterback to be realistic when you have struggles, when you have a foreign reception
31:42game to go back and go, OK, what can I do better?
31:45How do I learn from that? But at the same time go.
31:48But that's not me. You know, that's not who I'm going to be.
31:52I know what I'm capable of so I can learn from that.
31:56But then I can push it aside and be confident.
31:59And that to me is what it sounded like CJ was saying is that he spent the offseason learning, figuring out how he can get better.
32:06He knows he hasn't played up to his expectations to what he did as a rookie.
32:11How do you get back to that point? And a big thing that he emphasized to us was second year in the
32:17offensive system and how much more comfortable he feels now.
32:20I don't think anybody at home can fully understand what that means.
32:23You know, they expect you to step, you know, under center or in the huddle every single time and be the same
32:29guy, no matter how many offenses you've been in, no matter what language you're speaking, you're supposed to be that guy.
32:36But there is something to taking 12 months to learn the nuances of a system, to know when a play is called into your huddle.
32:43You can visually see it. You know exactly what everybody's going to do.
32:46You know what your responsibilities are at the line of scrimmage.
32:50And, you know, he kind of insinuated us that he wasn't fully comfortable last year.
32:54As much as he wanted to be, as much as you try to push it, he wasn't in that place.
33:00Coming out this year, talking to Coach Ryan's, everybody saying he's in a different place.
33:04He's in a better place within this offense. He seemed confident.
33:07I'm excited to see, you know, we already know about their defense.
33:11You know, he's got some young weapons there, but can he get back to his rookie form, that top five form that we saw early in his career?
33:19And we know a lot's riding on it with that big contract, kind of sitting out there.
33:23Well, it's got to help them a little bit too, Kurt, that they made such a heavy investment on that offensive line.
33:30Went out and got Wyatt Teller from the Browns.
33:32They got Keelan Rutledge, who is, we talked to D'Amico about him.
33:36They love, he's become the pet cat around here.
33:38And then also the running game. It was an area of deficiency.
33:42They went out and they got David Montgomery to pair with Woody Marks, who was coming along.
33:47So, you know, if this offense can just do a little bit better, you look at all those close games last season
33:53and the season before, we know what we've got from defense in Houston.
33:57They just need that offense to take the next step.
34:00We're hopeful after talking to them. Time for the fantasy headlines as we get you ready for your fantasy football draft.
34:06And we start with Stefan Diggs gets a one year deal, could be worth up to $12 million.
34:11The former Viking and Bill and Texan and Patriot now finds a home with the Washington Commanders, which is also where we
34:17last saw Zach Ertz, who has finished his rehab.
34:20He has been cleared for all football activities after his torn ACL and he looks to find a team.
34:25So let's welcome in part of the fantasy live team.
34:28It is Michael F. Florio and Adam Rank here on the insiders to discuss how this news affects our particular fantasy lineup.
34:34So let's start with you, Mike. How does Diggs to Commanders affect fantasy managers going forward?
34:39I think Diggs is a tremendous value right now.
34:41I think he's been underrated all summer, but it makes sense because he didn't have a team.
34:46But I still think he is going to be a value.
34:50This guy had the fifth most 100 yard games amongst wide receivers last season.
34:54And he's been a wide receiver too fantasy wise every year, but one since his second year in the NFL, his current
35:00ADP on ESPN is wide receiver 60. I have him in my top 40.
35:04I think this is big arrows up for Jaden Daniels, who has been my QB three all summer.
35:09And Terry McLaurin, if his ADP takes a hit here, huge buying opportunity in my opinion.
35:14I love the highlight where Diggs gets cheap shot right there.
35:17And then the guy's like, look, who is it Lionel Messi sitting there being like, oh, he was covering his mouth or whatever.
35:23I don't know. It was rude. I'm glad Jaden Daniels has some help.
35:27Yeah, you get some help there. We get an opportunity for more Stefan Diggs highlights other than him in the Super Bowl.
35:33Let's go to Zach Ertz. Are we stashing Zach Ertz hoping he finds a team?
35:38You know, I think if you're one of those people who likes to make puns in your fantasy football names, you have to have Zach Ertz.
35:45He is the linchpin for so many puns in fantasy football.
35:48But when I look around the league, I don't know if this is the best fit fantasy wise.
35:53But to me, I think a team like the Green Bay Packers make an awful lot of sense for them.
35:59Obviously, Tucker Craft is returning to them and he is expected to be their number one tight end when he does.
36:05But recently, the Packers released a couple of tight ends, brought in a couple of more guys, including McAllen Castles, Drew Biber.
36:12Guys coming in to try to fill that role.
36:14But I think that as the league is moving more towards 12 personnel, we're seeing a lot of 13 personnel as well.
36:20I think Zach Ertz in a LeFleur offense makes a lot of sense.
36:24Yeah, that's probably why he's working so hard to get back as the explosion of 12 personnel kind of infiltrates the entire league.
36:31Let's go over to a bit of a sleeper discussion, which will immediately stop being sleepers as soon as you guys mention this.
36:37So start with a quarterback. Who's your sleeper quarterback right now?
36:41Malik Willis, who right now on ESPN has an ADP of the 24th quarterback off the board.
36:45I think he is top 12 upside because since 2000, there have been 44 quarterbacks who ran at least 100 times in a season.
36:5260% of them average 20 or more fantasy points per game.
36:55All but five average 17 and a half. And that was the criteria to be a top 12 fantasy quarterback last year.
37:02And don't look now, but in the last two years, he leads all qualified quarterbacks and passer rating and amongst other stats.
37:08And I think Miami is going to trail a lot, which not only means having to throw and catch up mode a good amount.
37:15It also means drop backs means more scrambling opportunities for the very athletic Malik Willis.
37:19So I love grabbing him as my QB two in drafts.
37:22Yeah, very odd that the Packers got rid of their best quarterback, but it doesn't matter.
37:27Let's go to the running back position. And I love to Darian Price taking over as possibly the number one running back for the Seattle Seahawks.
37:34Now, obviously, there was a change as Kubiak goes down to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which means
37:41Brian, Brian Flurry, excuse me, is going to be the offensive coordinator after spending some time with the San Francisco 49ers.
37:47But the systems are the same there. There shouldn't be too much of an overhaul there.
37:51And we would expect Price to have a similar workload to what we've seen from Seattle running backs over the last couple of years.
37:58But the most impressive thing for anybody who is watching hard knocks, you saw him catch a pass.
38:03You're like, yep, so we're in. He catches passes.
38:06That's exactly what we want. But I think there's a real good opportunity for him.
38:10And you see right there, the ADP post to 80.
38:13I feel like that's a steal. I love that hard knocks.
38:16You were like, he's pretty fast. Like, yeah, he is a running back.
38:20You know, those guys tend to be pretty fast.
38:23I'm going to go with a wide receiver, though, on a team that rank.
38:27I know you don't love Jaden Reed, who you see the ADP right there.
38:31It's so low. And the thing is, the Packers, they have a less crowded wide receiver room this year.
38:36And the talk out of camp right now is that Jaden Reed could be playing in two wide receiver sets.
38:42And we've seen him flash before. We've seen him play at a very wide receiver one, wide receiver two type level, just not over a full season.
38:50But if the Packers are on a more fast paced offense, they throw the ball more like they're saying they want to.
38:56I think that means great things for Jaden Reed.
38:59And I'm going to go to the tight end position and Kenyon Sadiq, who unfortunately is suffering a little bit of a setback from his herniated disc.
39:06Aaron Glenn still said that he doesn't expect him to have surgery.
39:10They fully expect him to be ready for week one.
39:13One of the things that I do love about him is his speed.
39:16You see right there, he's taking a handoff. He ran a 4-3-9 of the combine.
39:21This is a flyer. This is who I would take instead of somebody like Zach Ertz.
39:25Folks, football, fantasy football is now back. It's available for us.
39:28Thanks to Adam Rank and Michael F. Loro. Our show.
39:31Yeah. Coming back. August 17th. Looking forward to Fantasy Live.
39:34Play the number one fantasy game, the official fantasy game of the NFL on ESPN Fantasy.
39:39New this season. Knockout leagues each week. The lowest scoring team eliminated until only one is left standing.
39:44There can be only one. Sign up to play the number one fantasy game.
39:48How about this? Raiders fans getting their season tickets with a lovely briefcase, a deck of playing cards, some chips as well.
39:54Looking forward to the Raiders. 2026 season. You got the whole poker set there.
39:58Great stuff there. Thanks to Josh Cox for sharing that.
40:01And a special visitor at Rams camp today. Did you guys know Clayton Kershaw and Matthew Stafford were friends back in the day?
40:08Texas, Super Bowl champion, World Series champion. Kersh hanging out at Rams camp today in LA.
40:12I love that those two keep that relationship going.
40:15The Minnesota Vikings hoping they can return to their successful offensive ways to pair with what Brian Flores' unit was able to accomplish on defense in 2025.
40:23They only gave up 4.7 yards per play. Number three in the league.
40:26They just need to pick a quarterback first. Ian Rappaport and Mark Ross on that decision from Egan, Minnesota.
40:32Here at Vikings practice, there's a lot to discuss with this Vikings team.
40:36But Mark, of course, it starts and ends with the quarterback position.
40:39A real and true quarterback competition. There's a couple this year around the NFL.
40:43This is probably the most high profile. You have Kyler Murray, the top free agent on the board, who got his preferred destination being with Kevin O'Connell.
40:51And this Vikings offense certainly has impressed thus far.
40:53And you have J.J. McCarthy, the first rounder, still very talented.
40:56It's really, I would say, fought to find that consistency.
40:59There's a lot of benchmarks as far as when and where and how they're going to make that quarterback decision.
41:05Today's padded practice was one of them. Preseason games are another.
41:08From your standpoint, what's the best option for the Minnesota Vikings?
41:11Yeah, I think it's of course you want both to perform well and then you have a tough choice as opposed to
41:18one playing really well or one average, the other one playing bad.
41:21But to me, Kyler Murray is the guy because he's shown he can be prolific.
41:25You know, we forgot the last couple of years that his early career with being offensive rookie of the year, hooking up
41:32with the Andre Hopkins, having some prolific seasons there in Arizona.
41:35So for him, it's the playmaking has never left him.
41:38It's just in the pocket. You know, his lack of height length still shows up as far as operating there on a consistent level, as opposed to J.J.
41:46Who, as you mentioned, still trying to find his way, still trying to find that pace and the quickness in the pocket
41:52and playmaking that you need for your offense to really hum and compete.
41:56So I think if Kyler Murray is anywhere close to what he looked like, that'll give the Vikings a chance because they
42:02have a ton of talent on offense. Their defense should be nasty once again.
42:06So the quarterback steps in there and says, we don't have to win games, which makes some plays to get enough for us to get in the mix.
42:14If you want to win games for Vikings, one great way to do it, throw it to Justin Jefferson looking as good as ever.
42:21Not out there, suffered a little bit of a sprained thumb.
42:24So it was really the Justin Jefferson show as it's been the last several years with the Vikings.
42:29Before we send it back, one of the big highlights here, Caleb Banks, the first rounder from Florida, absolutely massive.
42:35It certainly stood out early and has the potential to be a major impact player for this Vikings defense.
42:41Thanks to Ian and Mark Ross as well. Back with Judy and Omar Ruiz as guys were almost done with our show,
42:47but we got the hall of fame game tomorrow.
42:49What are you looking forward to most as football returns, Judy?
42:53I am looking forward to watching Carson Beck, fellow Hurricane, go Canes, in his pro debut.
42:57I'm very excited for him because quite frankly, he's, he may have the best chance of all the rookie quarterbacks of getting on the field first this season.
43:05So looking forward to seeing Carson's debut. And I'm looking forward to what offense he's running after hearing Mike LaFleur saying they're
43:12not going to be the 49ers offense, the Rams offense or the Packers offense.
43:16We'll have a better idea on what the actual Cardinals offense looks like after tomorrow night.
43:20Yeah. We get answers because right now everybody's undefeated, but tomorrow night we can no longer say that if somebody will lose,
43:26not necessarily a game that counts, but a game that's going to count to all of us who are rabid about this particular game.
43:33For Judy Batista and Omar Ruiz, Mike Garofalo, I'm Patrick Claiborne.
43:37No show tomorrow, but game day kickoff at 7 Eastern ahead of the Hall of Fame game.
43:41Enjoy everybody. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.