- 36 minutes ago
The K&C Masterpiece began their NFL Free Agency Focus, breaking down potential additions for the Cowboys’ defense. They discussed Nakobe Dean and Jalen Thompson, analyzing their playstyles, athleticism, tackling ability, fit within Dallas’ defensive scheme, and more.
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00:00Y'all have done a great job breaking down the draft prospects, but for at least a little bit, we're
00:07shifting perspective to free agency, same basic layout and everything, and today, Jalen Thompson and N'Kobe Dean, I know,
00:18are taking center stage, and obviously, N'Kobe Dean, whether you believe the legitimacy to it or not, has already
00:26been mentioned a ton with the Cowboys.
00:29The official NFL free agency period is Wednesday, March 11th at 4 p.m. The legal tampering is the 9th,
00:37so we're a week out from this. It's time to go ahead and start focusing on that.
00:42Man, what a busy, sorry, Corey, what a busy time. So, NHL trade deadline, Friday, World Baseball Classic starts late
00:51Wednesday night, the USA plays on Friday, then legal tampering opens on Monday for the NFL.
00:56Yeah, and Lucy has dance at, like, 10.45.
00:59That is true.
01:01And then I have a birthday party for my niece on Saturday as well, so, like, there's a lot. It
01:06is a busy time.
01:06You're right, man.
01:07You're right, man.
01:07You're right, man.
01:07You're right, man.
01:10The, oh my gosh, we had a friend text us yesterday a very nice compliment about our show, and I
01:15really appreciate it, but it is silly how our friendship, your and mine's friendship over these years, has turned into
01:22what it is.
01:22It's a lot of fun, and I enjoy it on a daily basis.
01:25Would you describe it as guy love between two guys?
01:27Between two guys, yeah.
01:28You get that reference text in right now.
01:31So, one of the things about that is, last night, Kevin, I'm perusing Facebook, and Mike Leslie is like, Adam
01:37Schatz is reporting that Devin Lloyd is a favorite to be a cowboy, and I was like, hold on.
01:43Is this, I went and looked, and I was like, Kevin talked about this last week, and this was the
01:49same report, and basically he says, why not take a chance on this guy?
01:52He didn't report that he's a favorite for it, he said, why not take a chance, and I was like,
01:57that seems irresponsible, and there are other people I saw post the same thing, and I was like, that's not
02:03the same as, what he said is not the same as, the Cowboys are the favorite to get him.
02:08But you appreciate people listening to the show and trying to make it happen, right?
02:12And, you know, Devin Lloyd is, absolutely, if I could put him on this team, I'd do it immediately, and
02:18then try to figure out how to get all these other bodies together on this.
02:23But, one of the favorite names that popped up over the weekend, and I do believe there was some whispers
02:30that there was agent talking to Stephen Jones, maybe, about this.
02:35Right.
02:35And that's N'Kobe Dean.
02:36N'Kobe Dean is a guy, Kevin, you brought up last week, and we kind of discussed him a little
02:40bit, but I wanted to go a little further in it, because I have a question.
02:42And, Alec, please help me out with this also.
02:46Am I making too big of a deal out of N'Kobe Dean's injury?
02:55When it comes to a contract with him, almost all the Eagles fans and writers seem to say they like
03:01him, and they'd love to have him back on, like, a one-year deal so he can, like, prove he
03:05can stay healthy.
03:06That's where they all stand.
03:08They're like, dude, he's a legitimately extremely talented player.
03:12They're in that place where they're like, we're a little higher than everybody else, so just kind of show us
03:17that you can stay healthy.
03:19Where other teams are like, we'd love to have you on a three-year deal, no matter what your health
03:22is.
03:23But we could sign this guy to a significant amount of money for a significant amount of years,
03:29and is he just now hitting his peak mentally in the game, and he might be able to help lead
03:34a defense that he knows and understands in Christian Parker's defense?
03:38That's my kind of first question about that.
03:40But to both of you guys, am I making too big of a deal about his injury history or no?
03:46Alec, I'll just say my short answer is I don't think you are making too big of a deal out
03:52of it.
03:52Now I will cede the rest of my time to Mr. Medford.
03:56It really just depends how much stock you put into injury-prone and any of those tags that you want
04:03to put on him.
04:04I think there's a very real reason that he slid as far as he did in the draft,
04:09because there are legit concerns that have proven to be true throughout the early part of his career.
04:15So it's kind of like with the Rangers throwing a bag at Jacob deGrom a few years ago.
04:20You have to accept that this might be a reality.
04:24This could backfire on you.
04:26This could be one of those deals that you're like, when he is on the field, he is awesome.
04:31When he's not on the field, you're like, why did we do this?
04:33So I don't think you are, but at the same time, I kind of do like the idea of maybe
04:40he's finally found his footing.
04:41He's got some confidence within himself and his own ability, and maybe part of that is just he needed to
04:47find a stroke of consistency on the field
04:50and maybe change his play style a little bit, and maybe he is going to be healthy for a while.
04:55So I don't mind running the risk.
04:57You just have to know that it is a risk.
04:59Okay.
05:00I think I completely agree on that, that I know it's a risk.
05:06And just spending that amount of money on a guy that could miss a half a season.
05:13You know, like we've seen that happen before, and we're already looking at Overshown.
05:16We're already frustrated sometimes when he's not on the field because we know the talent's there.
05:22Now, when it comes to the player, Kevin, go ahead and put the green dot on that dude.
05:26Let him be the guy that's running that defense for you,
05:29and let him be behind players like Quentin Williams and Kenny Clark.
05:33Because if that's the case, you have a dude that can attack on blitz and can get there in a
05:39hurry.
05:40This dude also hits with violence.
05:42Like this is, he is the exact thing you want when healthy.
05:46He is everything you want as a linebacker.
05:50Speed, power, knows where to be, understands the game,
05:54and he shortens the field so quickly because a running back thinks he has space, and now he doesn't.
06:00And so this is the kind of dude that, like, we've been looking for.
06:04He knows how to shed blocks.
06:05He knows how to do all the things that he needs to do that we didn't see from our linebackers
06:10last year.
06:10And I think he's also that guy that can get everybody else across the linebacking group
06:15and the defensive front, that front seven.
06:17He can get them all in order.
06:18And so if you can get a guy that has that front seven taken care of
06:21and then get some comfort on your back end,
06:25then I think you're starting to feel a lot more like this defense can grow into something.
06:29So N'Kobe Dean, as an addition for this, Kevin, would be my first choice right now.
06:34Okay, and obviously...
06:35Obviously Devin Lloyd's my first choice, then him.
06:38But your questions of him as a player are limited to almost nonexistent.
06:43It strictly comes down to the health factor.
06:45Yep, that's it.
06:46When it comes to what I know he can do on the field, I'm like, yeah, all of that.
06:51It's just the question of are you comfortable with that, the possibility that he might get injured.
06:57All right, so then, Alec, what do you think N'Kobe Dean can do on the field?
07:03He can do a lot.
07:04You know, I'm right there with Corey where availability is the only question mark I have
07:09because you look at the tape, but you look at some of the numbers, too,
07:12that he can do pretty much anything that's asked of him in a Vic Fangio style of defense,
07:18which you could kind of expect from Christian Parker, a disciple of Fangio.
07:22One thing that a lot of people don't talk about with him is his blitzing ability
07:27because he didn't do it too much.
07:29I think it was just 35 pass rush snaps in this past season.
07:33He had double-digit pressures in just 35 rush attempts.
07:37Like, he is very electric going towards the football.
07:42His closing speed, outstanding.
07:44Like Corey said, his IQ, you do put the green dot on him because he will get everybody lined up.
07:50He understands where he needs to be.
07:52And for all the injury talk, his production has been great post-injury.
07:56So, he's proven that he can bounce back from these things.
08:01So, I'm not afraid of what he can be as a player whatsoever.
08:05I think that he's going to excel wherever he goes.
08:08And I think that if he were to come here to Dallas in a place that would be running a
08:12similar scheme
08:13to what he's used to, he's probably going to look just as good, if not better, if he stays on
08:18the field.
08:19Yeah, Kevin, I think he had a 10-game stretch.
08:24And we've got to verify that I'm human real quick.
08:28Sometimes they make you do that.
08:30In 10 games, 8 where he started, he had 4 sacks, 55 tackles, 7 tackles for loss.
08:39And a forced fumble and a pass deflection.
08:42Or 2 forced fumbles and a pass deflection.
08:43That's in 10 games.
08:44The production in a 10-game stretch, as Alec just pointed out, it's there.
08:49It's just whether or not he's going to always be there.
08:51But, again, I am willing to make that concession right now because I'm also in my...
08:58Here's what I'm doing if I'm playing GM.
09:00I'm adding safety guards to my defense to make sure that if something happens, I'm okay.
09:06And it's not like, oh, my God, it's the end of the world.
09:08We lost one of the guys we signed.
09:09But I think the Cowboys sometimes do that.
09:11They're like, we just went and spent money and then we got injured.
09:13This is why we don't spend money.
09:15We'll never do this again because we paid for a guy and then got injured.
09:19Just like you guys wanted.
09:20Y'all wanted us to pay for him and then got injured.
09:22What are we supposed to do?
09:22And you're like, sign guys that are healthy.
09:24But if this dude is healthy, he's going to be a baller for you.
09:27Spotrak says 4 for 32.
09:29It's a good number.
09:30It's a really good number.
09:31That work for you?
09:32I would like 3 for less.
09:353 for 24, just like Javante.
09:36But if 4 is what gets him here, you have to fix your defense.
09:41And I'd love to hear if Christian Parker loves the player.
09:45Because if Christian Parker loves the player and because he watched him, he knows how he prepares, that's the most
09:50important thing to me.
09:51I feel like Christian Parker doesn't slack on preparation.
09:54And I don't think he's going to accept guys or want guys that slack on preparation.
09:59By the way, when I went and looked at this draft where that N'Kobe Dean was taking in, Kevin,
10:04I was like, all right, what was this draft?
10:06Tyler Schmidt at 24, Devin Lloyd at 27.
10:09Oh.
10:10And I was like, dang, that would have been nice to have him.
10:13So I was just kind of scrolling around, George Pickens at 52.
10:16And so could that be three Cowboys in the top 52?
10:21If you've got a Devin Lloyd, then there's Trey McBride.
10:24Cowboys went with Sam Williams.
10:26And then N'Kobe Dean, Benito, went at 64.
10:30This is a stacked draft, dude.
10:31And I just want to point something out.
10:33I know all of those players didn't immediately become who they are.
10:38But, like, just think about it.
10:39If you made one trade down, you would be in position to have those kind of picks.
10:44And what if I told you you came away from this draft with the next Tyler Smith, the next Devin
10:50Lloyd, and the next George Pickens?
10:52Yeah.
10:52Like, you'd be like, hell yeah.
10:53Well, again, I realize it didn't happen immediately for them, but just something to take a look at.
10:58All right.
10:58But N'Kobe Dean is just stop number one.
11:01Who is the next free agency target that we're going to break down?
11:05All right.
11:05So Jalen Thompson was a name that I saw.
11:07By the way, I'm sorry.
11:08The Cuban World Baseball Classic team has arrived, in case you want to, if the good people wanted to know
11:15that, back at home.
11:16I need to go look at their roster so that I can key in on a few of the dudes
11:20that are going to be out here.
11:22Because this is one of those things, Kevin, where it's kind of special to see some of the best players
11:27all together at one time.
11:29All-Star game, I think, should be a lot more fun because you have the best players all on the
11:35field at the same time.
11:36We talked about what we saw with hockey and the U.S. and Canadian teams and how good that hockey
11:40was.
11:41And sometimes when the World Baseball Classic has two teams that are stacked full of MLB players that are like
11:48the cream of the crop in the major leagues and also, you know, some young and up-and-comers, it
11:53turns into, man, we're watching really good baseball.
11:55And there's a difference between, like, sloppy, you know, amateurs and real professionals in what they do.
12:03Jalen Thompson was a name, Kevin, that we kind of saw floated around over the weekend, I believe, as a
12:10person of interest.
12:11If you will, for the Cowboys, he turned into a legitimate, important starter for the Arizona Cardinals.
12:18And it looks like he is going to be in that free agency world.
12:25If healthy, if healthy, he's likely to be one of the most sought-after free agent safeties out there.
12:34So that's one of those things is, okay, that tells you if he's sought-after and if healthy,
12:39then he has the talent to go along with this.
12:42And at safety right now, you just don't have it.
12:44And you need to make sure you have at least one piece of talent there before you go into this
12:50draft because that could change things.
12:52If you have a dude that can play that nickel spot, then you might be more comfortable going with a
12:57Thineman and having him play center field.
12:59Or maybe you are in a place where you're like, Thineman actually would be a great nickel kind of guy
13:03for me with that 4-3 speed,
13:05that catch-up speed and his ability to turn.
13:08But a Jalen Thompson puts you in a really good position.
13:11He's had a hamstring injury at the end of the year that kind of bugged him a little bit.
13:15But he's one of those guys that has very good value, utilizing time packages, all three safety spots.
13:21He can pretty much do anything.
13:22And he did play in that Jonathan Gannon defense, which is very similar to what you have with Fangio and
13:28Christian Parker.
13:29So the expected average value, and again, you never know if you get into a bidding war with specific agents
13:36or other teams,
13:36is $9.5 million on him.
13:39Alec, what is your player breakdown here?
13:43This is one of those guys that unfortunately he played in Arizona, so people don't really know about him.
13:49There you go.
13:50He's one of the better safeties in football.
13:53If you look at the numbers, if you watch some of the tape, playing next to Buda Baker for a
13:58long time will make you look good as well.
14:00So I do want to throw that in there as well.
14:02But he averaged over 100 tackles per season the past five years, 14 tackles for loss and eight interceptions over
14:10those past five seasons as well.
14:13The Cardinals had him on a really good deal at just about $12 million per season,
14:18and he's probably going to get north of that now because, again, if he played anywhere other than Arizona,
14:24he would be talked about a lot more as one of the better free agents just in general in this
14:29class.
14:30But a really good player.
14:32I really do enjoy watching him play because he's just technically sound, a wrap-up tackler that is going to
14:38give you pretty much the same performance every single week,
14:41which is something I have been dying for here in Dallas because Donovan Wilson has not given me that for
14:48very long stretches of time.
14:50So, yeah, if you just want a really technically sound player that is going to live up to the price
14:55tag
14:55and is going to make some plays for you here and there, there's your guy right there.
14:59I think he's going to be one of the best value free agents out there.
15:02You taking him over Dean?
15:05I would.
15:06If I said you could only have one.
15:07I would, honestly, just because I think that you could address linebacker in other ways in free agency in the
15:16draft.
15:16I think safety, you could get wiped out really quick if you don't make a move like this.
15:20That's an interesting perspective because I hated our linebacking so much last year.
15:26And maybe that's an overcorrect on my part.
15:28Alec has a really good point on what could happen in this free agency and the draft specifically.
15:34I would probably go with Dean over Thompson, but Thompson's that good of a player that you should invest in
15:41him.
15:41But that's a really good perspective there.
15:45Again, this is my own personal, I was so frustrated by that that I've decided.
15:50It's kind of like in fantasy football when you draft a guy and you're like,
15:53I'll never draft him again after this season.
15:55And then you never do because of something dumb and he has a great year.
15:58I mean, honestly, don't you kind of feel like that's the Cowboys philosophy for their entire defense?
16:04Like, hey, Jeremiah Love could be sitting right there, but everyone's like,
16:08this defense sucks so bad, we have to take defense no matter what.
16:11And Alec, I am going to beg to disagree with you about bad news that he played in Arizona.
16:19Sounds like it's great news that he played in Arizona and people don't know how good he is.
16:22And hopefully we can get him for cheaper than we should.
16:24I like it.
16:25It's good news for us.
16:26For sure.
16:27There you go.
16:27Not for him.
16:27It's good news.
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