- 2 days ago
ITL reacts to a center the Texans were eyeing signing elsewhere including Tyler Linderbaun's record breaking deal with the Raiders.
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00:00As the Texans were monitoring him, maybe getting a little bit of an idea,
00:03and he's at a position that we were looking to upgrade.
00:07Center, he has signed.
00:09It's Cade Mays, the center for the Panthers, has signed to the Lions
00:13a three-year, $25 million deal.
00:16So right around that $8 million average annual value
00:19that we were kind of talking about.
00:21But that takes Cade Mays off the board.
00:23And so if you're looking at it, of the, let's say, the top 150 free agents,
00:30there's probably five centers.
00:32Three of them are gone now off the board.
00:34When you look at, obviously, Conor McGovern, Cade Mays,
00:38Tyler Biotis, who ended up being a free agent when he was released from the Commanders,
00:42and then he was immediately all weekend long being flown around and wine and dine.
00:46He signed with the Chargers.
00:48And so all that's left, at least according to my look,
00:51Luke Fortner from the Saints, who he's not good in run blocking,
00:54and Tyler Linderbaum, the bell of the ball
00:58when it comes to offensive line signings in free agency this year.
01:02Good run blocker can be, you know, definitely does a lot of outside zone type stuff.
01:08Athletic, versatile, so on and so forth.
01:10But they're talking about the possibility of him being
01:12around the $20 million average annual value mark.
01:15Mark, is it now that much more imperative that they are in at the top end of this market,
01:21numbers be damned?
01:23Or is it possible that what I've talked about is in play here,
01:28and we need to be looking at who the centers are on day two and day three in the NFL
01:32draft?
01:32Ooh, baby.
01:33Linderbaum or bust is kind of what you're saying at this point.
01:37Really?
01:38If you're free agency, if we're talking free agency, that is where you are.
01:41You are Linderbaum or bust unless you are going into the circumstance
01:44where you're looking at what do we have in, you know, as a rookie in the draft
01:49and that you can maybe possibly have compete and possibly take a job from J.K.
01:52You were just talking about this.
01:53I was just talking about that.
01:55I felt that early on this morning.
01:57I'm just like, man, I know we're thinking about Linderbaum,
02:00thinking about Mays and all that stuff, but in my heart I'm like, man,
02:04I think you're right about the whole teacher-pet thing.
02:09I think they really like Jake Andrews, man.
02:11I just don't know if they're going to get a free agent to immediately replace him like that.
02:17Yeah, I think you're right.
02:18And that's not to say that it can't happen with a, you know, like a, you know,
02:23we talk about Tyler Lockett and stuff at guard and surround him with better players
02:27and see how it plays out.
02:29But, and it may well be Linderbaum, but if it's not,
02:33then you're talking, like you said, a second or third day draft pick.
02:37Yeah, and they probably didn't look at Andrews as the main problem.
02:41But they did talk about wanting to upgrade their interior offensive line,
02:47particularly center was one of those things that came in.
02:49And I'm trying to make all of these things come together because we heard Nick,
02:52or not Nick, Nick Cesario, we heard D'Amico Ryan say in Indianapolis that
02:57we're going to upgrade the offensive line, we're going to upgrade running back, right?
03:01And you can see that they did that at least year to year,
03:03considering that Joe Mixon did not play last year.
03:05They've done that at the running back position.
03:07They could probably afford to add some more depth there,
03:09but they've upgraded there.
03:10As of right now, there has not been an upgrade on the offensive line.
03:14And the two places that it feels like, I mean, barring a big move at tackle,
03:18which maybe, who knows?
03:19Could happen.
03:20Barring that, the places where that is, is left guard and center.
03:24And right now, the only upgrade that you got at center is Tyler Linderbaum.
03:27Yeah, and so there is kind of that, and it may well be the play.
03:31You know, it may well be what...
03:33Well, apparently, no.
03:34Apparently, that's not the case.
03:35Oh, here we go.
03:36Because according to Adam Schefter, 19 seconds ago,
03:39former Ravens free agent Tyler Linderbaum has reached an agreement today
03:43on a record deal with the Raiders for awarding him a three-year $81 million.
03:49Ooh, baby.
03:49Three years.
03:50Three years, $81 million.
03:52Goodness gracious.
03:54$27 million average annual value.
03:56See, I knew it was going to be like a sorry team
03:59that's just going to give that man a boatload of money.
04:03Wow.
04:03So the Texans were never in...
04:05Nick Casario's like, nah, I'm cool.
04:07Well, they might have been in the mix, but this takes them out of it.
04:10We talked about that a little bit earlier as well.
04:12Like, maybe they're, you know, they have a plan,
04:15but all of a sudden it's like, wow.
04:17I would have been out of the mix.
04:18Yes.
04:18If I was Nick Casario, I'd be like, oh, y'all got it.
04:21$60 million guaranteed.
04:23Ooh-wee.
04:24And three years, that is an enormous contract.
04:28It kind of makes me feel a little better, but not.
04:31Right.
04:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:33Because this is, again, this is the thing about free agency.
04:35Yeah.
04:35I wonder if the Raiders are going to be happy with that deal in two years.
04:39With understanding that Tyler Lindenbaum is an incredible offensive lineman at center.
04:44He's still, again, athletic, versatile, powerful in the run game.
04:47Those things show up.
04:5027, that's offensive tackle money.
04:52Yeah.
04:53We're paying to a center right here when we talk about positional value.
04:57And so there is a line to be struck when it comes to free agency to not end up at
05:03a place
05:03where you pace a dude to where he can't even live up to the value that you have there.
05:07However, the way that this is now stacked up, your best answer at possibly getting an upgrade
05:14over Jake Andrews is a draft pick.
05:17And again, their draft picks, we're talking about day two, day three guys that you're hoping
05:21turn into centers that you're hoping are capable.
05:23How does that make you feel?
05:25Not great.
05:26Not great.
05:27You know, but that being said, the reason I paused is because I don't know if I'd have
05:31been in on Linderbaum at that number.
05:34Yeah.
05:34At that number.
05:35Understandable.
05:36Understandable, but doesn't make it.
05:37Especially with more knees, you need more stuff.
05:41Understandable, but doesn't make me feel great about the center position.
05:43I mean, this is a truly two things can be true.
05:46I don't know if I'd have done that, but I don't feel great about what's coming back.
05:49Just for giggles, can I read you from The Athletic, their top 150 free agents tracker,
05:57Tyler Linderbaum's, at least the projection that they had for his contract.
06:01Four years, $78 million.
06:04Oh, yeah?
06:05That's what they thought he would get.
06:07But this is why, I will say, going back to, this is why I feel even stronger about the
06:12deal that you made for David Montgomery and the capability of you re-signing at Ingram.
06:16Because when it gets to free agency, people get desperate.
06:21They want to make sure that they get their guy.
06:23That money can go up.
06:24There's a lot of uncertainty that happens when you end up in the free agent waters, the market
06:29of that, and I do appreciate that Nick Casario tends to operate from a place where, let's
06:35not leave that to chance.
06:36With running back, let's go get our running back.
06:39If it's draft capital, it might be a little bit of an overpay, but we know who we have.
06:43We know what we have on a contract.
06:44If we want to redo a contract with them, it's us negotiating in one-on-one terms instead
06:49of negotiating in a sea full of different organizations.
06:52Because you end up with a place where, I mean, even with you giving David Montgomery, possibly
06:58giving him some level of extension, and maybe there's more money involved, it's not going
07:02to get out of whack.
07:04This is $7 million more than what we were talking about as a, okay, it's starting to get a lot
07:09for Tyler Lindenbaum.
07:10That gets a little dicey.
07:12Now, what this does mean, when we come back to the offensive line of this all, you've got
07:17to, all that money that you cleared, hey buddy, that is all for guard now, right?
07:20Left guard, left guard has to be.
07:23I mean, just imagine, and I don't even want to go there, and it's so early in the process.
07:27I still feel very, very strongly they're going to do something big on the offensive line.
07:31I really do.
07:32But you're kind of, you're kind of like running out of options here in terms of, you know,
07:38are you or are you not going to focus on a position?
07:40No, the position you have to focus on almost has to be left guard and probably tackle as well.
07:46Is there any way in hell that having all this money and seeing all these players go off
07:51the board that you could see the Texans being involved to circle back around on the other
07:56Trent, the other big Trent, Trent Williams?
07:58I mean, yeah.
07:59I, you know, you have to be light on your feet, you know, and I think this may be, this
08:04may
08:05be something that they can do.
08:06You know, Ursary can play right tackle.
08:08Ursary can play right tackle.
08:09They drafted him to be right tackle.
08:11There's Trent Brown still.
08:12You feel pretty good about your tackles and then go play in the pool with the, you know,
08:17at the left guard position.
08:18That would frustrate me though, because the style of play, the style of run that you have,
08:22the gaps run scheme, it's incumbent upon that middle, you know, being able to get these
08:27duo blocks in.
08:28And that is where I really wanted to see upgrades.
08:31And as of right now, that upgrade, the only upgrade that you can really and truly get with
08:35all due respect to what Ed Ingram has brought and the possibility of him to continue to, you
08:39play his wares in a better way is for you to get a veteran left guard and getting better
08:46on the edges would be cool.
08:47It would definitely help when it comes to that, you know, that edge setting.
08:50And obviously it's going to be necessary with who you're looking at across the AFC South.
08:54And of course the AFC North who you're playing, they're all really good at rushing the passer,
08:57but I really need, I mean, I'm now all my hope is on, can you get a Wyatt Teller?
09:03Can you get a David Edwards at left guard?
09:05Because if not, then all of the frustrations, all of the trepidation that we were kind of
09:11like, all right, let's try and keep that at bay.
09:12It comes back to the fore again.
09:14Yeah.
09:14Yeah.
09:14It seemed like it's kind of last year all over again now.
09:18Like, look, it's still early and they could still make some moves.
09:21They could probably make some trades if they wanted to, but it felt like last year when
09:26they gave up their best O-lineman and kind of didn't really replace it like that or immediately.
09:34No, you're, you're, you're right.
09:35And I mean, there's no question.
09:37That's the part I was worried about the whole time.
09:39Yeah.
09:39It's hard because I, again, I feel like I'm just talking through it as we go here.
09:45I'm, I'm glad that they are not doing this because I see it on the text line.
09:48They said this deal reeks of like a, of a, was it, did they say Rendon?
09:52Nope.
09:53Yep.
09:53They said Anthony Rendon deal right in baseball where the, the angels sign Anthony Rendon and
09:57they give him an abundant amount of money.
09:59Artie Moreno and the angels are good for this.
10:01Giving some dude big money to come in as a free agent.
10:04And there's just no way that they can live up to it.
10:06I, that there is no, there's a big part of it.
10:09It actually remind me of the Trent Brown deal when he went to the, uh, to the Raiders that
10:14one year and he wasn't really good.
10:16He, I think he has a big contract at that time and it didn't work out good.
10:20But Fig, Fig, you make a good point.
10:22I mean, you lose Laramie Tunsell and you lose Titus Howard and you can say what you will
10:25about either of those in different ways, but they're still your best player two years in
10:29a row.
10:29Yeah.
10:30You know, your best lineman two years in a row.
10:32Yeah.
10:32And look, I will be, I was totally fine with them moving on from if they found somebody else
10:37to replace that.
10:38Right.
10:38And like, I don't want to do no, you know, no makeshift type of office line to replace
10:44that.
10:44No.
10:45And, and again, we just have to keep reiterating.
10:47This is like, so early, but there are names off the board and now it kind of changes your
10:52focus.
10:53Hell, maybe, maybe a Trent Williams is in play.
10:55I don't know.
10:55Uh, and that would change the entire dynamic on the outside.
10:58As you were talking about Reggie on the inside, I do feel the one thing like you, you know,
11:02you must, and I've said this all along, you have to upgrade, you have to get an offensive
11:07line, especially David Montgomery after he got here.
11:09Like, you know, it's a must.
11:11Well, it's even more of a must right now at the left guard position, or, you know, is
11:16there some moving and shaking in the draft that all of a sudden, you know, happens and
11:19you start moving up and try to snag some of these guys.
11:21All eyes on left guard.
11:22All eyes on left guard for the Texans that, and obviously they probably had a better idea
11:29of some of these things, some of these conversations that were happening, and maybe that was always
11:32the case for them.
11:33But for us on the outside, we were looking at, all right, what are the other ways?
11:36All eyes on left guard, because that's going to need to be important.
11:39Is it, if you even want to make Jake Andrews tenable as still being your starting center,
11:44the guys next to him have to be really strong.
11:46Ed Ingram definitely was strong this past year.
11:48You hope that he continues that.
11:49You need to get someone on the left side when it comes to the guard that is equally
11:53actually probably more strong for that position to help you solidify the interior line.
11:58You're not having pressure up the middle and that you can really go and create gaps for
12:01David Montgomery to hit square and hit flush and be the physical swarmy team that you
12:07want.
12:07Where are they better right now?
12:10Right this moment than they were last year?
12:12Clearly running back.
12:13No, no.
12:13I mean, on the offensive line.
12:14Oh, on the offensive line?
12:15Well, I mean, there's not any different people in this moment.
12:20Right?
12:20Like, there's not any different people.
12:21I was about to say Tay Ersery?
12:23Yeah.
12:23Yeah.
12:24Just off of the nature of year over year, I think Tay Ersery is hopefully a better version
12:28of himself.
12:30We don't even know who's starting at right tackle, but we'd have to slot in Trent Brown
12:33in this moment.
12:34Yeah.
12:34There is something nice in a healthy Trent Brown to start the season forever, however
12:38long that actually holds up.
12:39Yeah.
12:40That is better than how you started the season.
12:42They will get better.
12:43Right?
12:43Right now, you're just sort of hoping and waiting.
12:45Do you feel like they could possibly do what they did last year, try to get another Ed
12:49Ingram type of project?
12:52That would...
12:52Because I feel like Nick Cacera, I can see him feeling good about that pick, but him,
12:57you know, getting the Ed Ingram where nobody else probably wanted him and end up being a
13:02good player.
13:02Do you think...
13:03Do you see him trying to do that again?
13:05Well, you've heard me...
13:06With the left guard?
13:07You've heard me and others say this.
13:08I mean, the time of playing in the margins is over.
13:12Yeah.
13:12Because the windows open and you have a Super Bowl caliber defense and, you know, you have
13:16the new running back now with David Montgomery, the time for those little marginal picks,
13:22the fingers crossed, you know, acquisitions, that's over.
13:26Yeah.
13:26I still think they're going to make a big move.
13:28It's just...
13:29It just makes you think a little bit.
13:30I'm a little worried that he might try...
13:32He might be feeling himself right now saying, look, I hit on the Ed Ingram.
13:36Let me try to get a left guard and try to do the same thing.
13:39I'm a little worried about that.
13:39How about the ones he brought in that were not...
13:40Yeah, I was like, don't do that because that makes me feel like Nick Young, Swaggy P back
13:46in the day where all I need to see is one.
13:47It don't matter how many I miss, we on.
13:49You know what I mean?
13:50Don't look over there.
13:51Don't look at Cam Robinson.
13:52Don't look at Lakin Tomlinson.
13:53I hit on that, dude.
13:54Yeah, I don't think Cam Robinson was a flat-out miss.
13:56I think Ariante Urseri was so good early on that it was just like, okay, we can move on
14:01from this.
14:02But where did he play after that?
14:03I think that was a disappointing sign in right there.
14:05Yes, it was.
14:06Sure.
14:07Yeah.
14:07Man, so if you missed it, Tyler Linderbaum, three years, $81 million, $27 million on average
14:15for the center.
14:16So he's off the table.
14:17Cade Mays goes for three for 25 to the Lions.
14:22Centers, there's not really many in free agency anymore.
14:24In fact, I would pretty much say that there aren't any that are appealing to the Texans.
14:29That is an interesting thing now, an interesting development for the Texans as we're waiting
14:32to see if and when they get involved in the tampering period legally here in Loop on Sports
14:39Radio 6.
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