00:00As Bobby Belt joins you now here, it's the GBAC Nation, all 105.3 The Fan, and we have breaking
00:05news for the second time today.
00:07Jalen Thompson, the safety from the Cardinals, signing with the Cowboys, three years, $36 million.
00:12And a good afternoon to you, Bobby. How the heck are you?
00:15I'm wonderful. How are y'all?
00:17Doing good, man. You've done a great job covering this free agency, this off-season team-building window for the
00:22Cowboys.
00:23What do you think about this signing 3-12 for Jalen Thompson?
00:27Yeah, I mean, I think it's a really strong deal for them, especially when, you know, Todd Archer just reported
00:34that the base is actually going to be three for 33.
00:37So it's $11 million a year, and then it can be worked up to 12.
00:40So, I mean, being able to get Jalen Thompson right at market value, maybe arguably slightly under market value, I
00:48think it's huge for them because they are big, big fans of his.
00:51And this is somebody that they've had eyes on heading into free agency and somebody who instantly makes them a
00:58better defense.
00:59You know, I don't want people thinking this is like Earl Thomas you got running around back there.
01:02But Jalen Thompson is a very, very solid player who can do a number of different things for you, whether
01:07it's going inside in the slot and playing a little bit of nickel.
01:10He can play some deep middle. He can play up in the box as sort of a strong two.
01:14Like, I just think he is such a really versatile tool and is going to be exciting to see in
01:18Christian Parker's defense.
01:20Was this Ryan Smith influence, the new secondary coach?
01:23Like, how did they zero in on this guy? What did they like about him?
01:26Yeah, I think, I mean, Ryan Smith, obviously the connection helps.
01:30But really, they are just hunting, all right, who are the versatile safeties out there in the free agent market,
01:35given how important being able to have this hybrid safety nickel role is becoming in today's NFL,
01:41and particularly in what Christian Parker wants to do.
01:43And so I think we just scan the free agent list really early, and they have their pro personnel department
01:47kind of do some reports
01:49and analysis of, right, who's available, who's out there, who could we be connected to.
01:53I think Jalen Thompson would have been one of the ones really early on that they would have spotted and
01:58said,
01:58yeah, we want to do an investigation here.
02:00And it has just, it's been sort of building ever since Indy of just this feeling of,
02:05you can tell there's a lot of people who are big fans of him in that building.
02:08And so I think Ryan Smith is part of it.
02:10But I think a big chunk of this, too, is just everybody who was evaluating, you know,
02:16what they wanted to do in free agency felt like Jalen Thompson was a guy who could really help.
02:20So Jalen Thompson was a name that I know you had brought up and talked about a lot.
02:23The other name that we thought they were going to go after was N'Kobe Dean.
02:27Do we maybe overrate that interest level?
02:30So, you know, this is one of those things where we've talked about this before.
02:35If you've got a former coach or a coach-player connection that exists,
02:40that usually means one of two things when you're talking about acquiring players.
02:44It either means they should be high up on the top of the list among NFL teams that would be
02:48interested in that player
02:49or they would be at the very bottom.
02:52Because that pairing means that you definitely have more familiarity than most anybody else would.
02:57So, for instance, when we talk about Jonathan Grenard in Minnesota,
03:01that could either mean that Dallas would be one of the most interested because Marcus Dixon worked with him
03:05or Dallas could look at that and go, hell no.
03:08Marcus Dixon's like, no, he's washed or he's not where he needs to be.
03:10And so, I think there's a natural affinity towards N'Kobe Dean,
03:16but I also think that it would have to be in the right price range for them to be willing
03:22to take on the injury risk that exists with him.
03:24They've already talked about they don't want redshirt players in the draft.
03:26I think, similarly, they want to keep themselves a little bit arm's length away from some of the big injury
03:32risk guys.
03:32I think that's one of the reasons why, even if he had been in a reasonable market price,
03:37I don't know how aggressively they would have been in on Jalen Phillips.
03:40How about Trey Hendrickson?
03:42How much does that number have to come down for them to be interested?
03:45So, the edge market has been, it's fascinating to watch the tampering period
03:49and see which positions are really, you know, kind of trending up relative to market price
03:54and which ones are coming down or which ones are holding steady.
03:57Edge is one that, outside of the Boye-Mafé deal, which I thought was lower than what I had anticipated.
04:02So far, this has been an aggressive jump on the edge market.
04:06Phillips getting $30 million a year,
04:07and the first three years basically being fully guaranteed.
04:10You know, Max Crosby ultimately going for two first-round picks
04:14when a lot of people didn't think that would happen.
04:16Odafe Owe just getting $70 million guaranteed and $25 million a year.
04:19These are big numbers for guys relative to what that production has been.
04:24So, you know, there's been some buzz all the way back in Indy
04:27that Trey Hendrickson was a Florida guy, really wanted to get back to Florida if he could.
04:32So, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, if he could land in one of those spots, he would have interest there.
04:38But I think it's just he's also in such a bizarre sort of purgatory window as an edge rusher
04:45that the league says you're not Miles Garrett or Watt or Bosa.
04:49You're not up here in this level.
04:50But you are clearly above the next salary level, which is Benito and Montez Sweat and guys like that.
04:57And so, there's just this weird, mushy middle where I think people are trying to figure out
05:00how much they want to invest in him with his injury history and his age and everything else.
05:05So, I think they'll be monitoring it and seeing what makes sense.
05:09But I also think that there's a part of them that feels comfortable with,
05:13okay, we've got Gary, we've got Azaraku, we're going to probably sign another edge rusher,
05:18you know, in free agency that's a little bit more on the middle tier.
05:21And then we'll go out and potentially draft one if the board falls the right way.
05:25So, I don't know how over eager they would be necessarily to say,
05:28all right, let's really play at a high end with Trey Hendrickson's price.
05:31Kind of ignoring linebacker on me though, Bob.
05:34They have been so far, but that's the position right now that I think they're actively working on
05:41like this moment.
05:43So, I think they definitely are scanning a couple different free agent options.
05:48I think they are on the phone working potential trade options with linebackers.
05:52So, I think that it's open to possibility that they could go the trade route or the free agent route.
05:58But I definitely think that they are going to find a linebacker of starting quality to be within this defense.
06:04I don't think they're just going to roll it out there with,
06:06all right, we've got over shown and then whatever scraps are left and maybe how the board falls in the
06:10draft.
06:11But I think they still have as a target here one of the –
06:16they want to come out of this away with this with one of the better linebackers available if they can.
06:20So, are we talking about like a B, B-plus level player?
06:23Yeah, give us your name, Robert.
06:26Yeah, I think that they are – I think they're investigating – I'll say this.
06:29I think whatever linebacker they acquire, everybody will know the name.
06:32Fred Moore.
06:32Whatever they – I think they're legitimately evaluating a few different options in free agency and the trade market.
06:40Right now they're trying to decide what direction they want to go with it.
06:42But, no, I think that definitely – I think that you are going to be aware of whoever they end
06:49up with when they settle on it.
06:50Robert, let me do this little game with you then.
06:52The trade prospect better than the guy they're going to sign?
07:02I don't know.
07:03Okay.
07:04It's a difficult question because of just – like I said, I think they've called in a couple different guys.
07:10But I think in particular the one that's kind of – would be the main focus right now.
07:16He's got kind of a dicey reputation of up and down play at times.
07:22Okay.
07:23Good stuff, Bob.
07:24Is there anything else top of mind you want to tell us about before we let you go?
07:27Just that I love you all.
07:28There he goes.
07:29Bobby Trott with you here.
07:30Sean and RJ, weekday morning, 6 to 10 on your Home of the Cowboys, 105.3 The Fan.
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