- 5 hours ago
Seth and Sean assess which Texan the Wyatt Teller signing puts the most pressure on. Is it CJ Stroud?
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00:00Wyatt Teller, signing with the Texans yesterday.
00:03This is Wyatt Teller's agent.
00:06His name is Andy Ross,
00:08announcing the deal with the Houston Texans on social media.
00:12Well, breaking news.
00:13Wyatt Teller going to the Houston Texans on a two-year deal.
00:17I've been working on this for a whole week now.
00:20So big things for Wyatt and Carly and the rest of the family.
00:24Very excited for them.
00:25Actually at the car dealership waiting for my car to be fixed.
00:31But, yeah, pumped up, man.
00:33Pumped up for Wyatt.
00:35Go to Houston, bolster that O-line, win some games,
00:38and hopefully a Super Bowl.
00:39So congrats to Wyatt.
00:41Yeah, we agree with you.
00:42We hope he wins the Super Bowl as well.
00:43Did you see, I don't know if you saw this, Seth,
00:45but there was a video also of Wyatt Teller sitting out by a swimming pool.
00:51I don't know if it was his backyard or just a resort they were at or something,
00:54but he's sitting at a table, like a poolside table underneath an umbrella,
01:00looking at his phone, staring at his phone, and he's wearing shorts and cowboy boots.
01:06Yeah.
01:06And his wife comes walking out, and this, obviously, he was looking at the news that he had just signed,
01:12and she was giving, you know, she's like, give me a thumbs up, give me,
01:14and he gives the big thumbs up.
01:16But Texan fans really liked it because he was leaning into the whole cowboy boot thing.
01:20It looked a little strange with shorts, but we'll take it.
01:22No, but that's, I like that.
01:24That's way better than, like, the Brock Osweiler H-E-B cosplay of trying to dress up like a full
01:30-blown cowboy.
01:31Like Woody.
01:32I'd be, honestly, I'd be a little nervous if all of a sudden Wyatt Teller was dressed in his best
01:37cowboy duds.
01:39Yes.
01:39And the fact that he was just out wearing athletic shorts, right, it was just like athletic shorts and a
01:45T-shirt and cowboy boots.
01:46That's right.
01:47That's just enough.
01:47That's the right touch.
01:48That's a veteran move right there.
01:49That's it.
01:50You're right in that sweet spot.
01:51I got to tell you, honestly, having been on the Browns and being a good offensive lineman for the Browns
02:01for your entire career,
02:02as so many really good guys on the Browns have been, going back to Joe Thomas,
02:07you still have Joel Batonio, who might be on another team this year.
02:11It's got to be awesome to go off to a competitive football team.
02:14I'm sure he's really excited about just that and that alone.
02:17Absolutely.
02:18Well, and the word was, too, and we'll get to the guys where the most pressure is on them now.
02:22I'm glad you're going to get to this, because I couldn't remember if I had dreamed it or if I
02:26actually read this,
02:27but I think I know where you're going.
02:29About CJ?
02:30Yes.
02:31Aaron Wilson.
02:32I saw a video of Aaron Wilson right before the show this morning, and it must have been a stress
02:39-ins or somebody splicing it out.
02:41It was Texans Jacob.
02:42It was Texans Jacob?
02:43Okay, yeah, pulling it from Aaron's live stream and saying that CJ Stroud actually was part of the recruitment of
02:50Wyatt Teller.
02:51He was hitting up Wyatt Teller quite a bit as the decision-making process was going on.
02:55I like that.
02:56That's the second specific report that we've heard, and there could be more out there, of CJ reaching.
03:04I would imagine CJ reaching out to a bunch of guys, but Brayden Smith also said that.
03:09Brayden Smith said, I got a text from a number that wasn't in my phone right after I signed, and
03:14it was CJ Stroud.
03:14Yeah, that was after he had signed.
03:16With this, it's even better, because according to Aaron, they had talked and messaged prior to free agency,
03:22and now he will be protecting Stroud next season.
03:25Yep.
03:25So, yeah, CJ was part of the recruitment effort.
03:29Absolutely, yeah.
03:30CJ can use his contacts in Ohio to also maybe reach out to any other Browns that just want to
03:36escape.
03:36Yeah.
03:37Maybe they've got three years left on their contract, but I've got to get the hell out of here.
03:42Go look and see if there's any.
03:42CJ can create an underground railroad from Cleveland to Houston.
03:45Are there any worth rescuing still?
03:46I don't know.
03:47I don't know, probably.
03:49Well, on their defense.
03:50Yeah, that's true.
03:50Texans need defensive players all that much right now.
03:55But they've got a hell of a – they had a hell of a defense.
03:57Yeah.
03:57We'll see with the new coordinator how they are.
03:59Yeah, yeah, for sure.
04:01So, I think it's a good segue into what we teased into the segment, which is, look, these big moves
04:07on the offensive line.
04:08They've attacked the offensive line with ferocity this offseason.
04:12Wyatt Teller yesterday, Braden Smith last week bringing back Ed Ingram, which I think at that price,
04:18if you had told me at $13.5 million a year they'd bring back Ed Ingram, based on their behavior
04:23last year,
04:24I would have said no, because that's not the aisle that they'd been shopping in for offensive linemen.
04:29I think they've been shopping in the appropriate aisle for the sense of urgency that they have,
04:32and I think it amps – I think it amps up the pressure on at least two people for sure,
04:38Seth.
04:39CJ Stroud.
04:40Because there's really – there's no excuses now.
04:44You know, you're in year two with your coordinator.
04:46They've gone out and they've gotten some competent offensive linemen.
04:49Some offensive linemen who played good football in the last few years.
04:52Well, and they're veterans.
04:54And they're veterans.
04:54You know, they shouldn't have all of this nonsense mental error stuff and missed assignments.
04:59They had to struggle through at least the first half of this season.
05:02That's right.
05:03So I think the pressure is – I mean, the pressure is always on quarterbacks in the NFL,
05:07and there's not – as if there's not enough pressure on CJ that he's likely playing for a contract next
05:11year.
05:11Yeah.
05:12But this adds one more element of pressure, which is you can't point fingers.
05:16And to CJ's credit, I can only remember one time that it even sounded like CJ pointed fingers.
05:22I don't remember what game it was.
05:23It was the end of his rookie year.
05:24It was like the final – you say he made some mention about having, you know, the pressure in your
05:29lap.
05:29Yes.
05:30Yeah.
05:30And that's it.
05:31That's – in the entire time he's been here, that's the only time that I could ever even remember
05:35even hinting at the pass protection being a cause of some kind of issue.
05:40So, yeah, to his credit, he hasn't – he's never – he's never made that mistake.
05:44That's never been a topic on this show, ever.
05:47Like, so CJ's complaining about the offensive line.
05:49If anything –
05:49If anything, we've been upset that he's complimenting them when they haven't actually played all
05:53that well.
05:53That's just what I was going to say.
05:54All right, CJ.
05:55Yeah.
05:56I've got to be clear, CJ.
05:57This – no, that was not a great performance.
05:59That's not normal.
06:00You want to say so that the offensive line played great, fine.
06:03Good for you supporting your line.
06:05Yeah, I know that's your normal.
06:06You said to buy them presents every year.
06:08I know.
06:08You know, Christmas presents.
06:10Ugh.
06:10And deliver them with a smile.
06:14Well, I think this – this is hopefully a Christmas present worthy offensive line that they put together.
06:18So I think it ups the pressure on CJ Stroud.
06:20I think it definitely amps up the pressure on Cole Popovich to make this thing work.
06:27Yeah.
06:27They shopped for some good groceries for him the last week or so.
06:30I think if you look at last year and the way that they approached free agency and everything
06:36else with the offensive line, you know, whether they planned it this way or this is the way
06:41that it worked out, it's that – I almost feel like last year was a little bit of a tryout
06:47year for Cole Popovich to where they didn't – they wanted to see what Cole Popovich could
06:52do and just exactly how much he could improve a meager collection of talent before they necessarily
07:00sunk heavy resources into it.
07:02And maybe that's just the way it worked out and it wasn't a plan or anything.
07:07But if it does work out ultimately and they end up having a genuinely good offensive line
07:12at some point, I'll give them credit for having the patience to kind of try to work through
07:17this and restructure things and recreate the culture, swap out personnel over a two-year
07:23period if it works out.
07:25Yeah.
07:25If it doesn't work out, I'll say they never knew what they were doing the entire time.
07:27Yeah.
07:29So that part I like.
07:31And then I think the other thing when you're talking about how they're shopping in a different
07:34aisle of the grocery store now in free agency, this feels like when D'Amico got here – and
07:40look, there was no trial period for D'Amico and exactly whether they're going to give him
07:45resources to work with.
07:46He was already a proven defensive coordinator.
07:48I think that they went out and instead of going out and getting free agencies like Christian
07:53Kirksey, the linebacker from the Browns, ironically, they went out and got an Aziz Alshire, who
07:58still wasn't a marquee signing, but he was a definite different tier and a different caliber
08:03of player.
08:04And now Aziz has turned into one of the linchpins of the defense.
08:07He's a pro bowler now.
08:08Yeah.
08:08Yeah, this is kind of moving more into that Aziz Alshire tier of free agents where they're
08:15not a headline-grabbing guy nationally, but it's a much different caliber of football
08:20player.
08:20Well, I love the fact, too, as long as you're bringing up the defense, that they were able
08:24to do all this on the offensive line.
08:26You know, shop for and get three guys, and I know they signed Evan Brown also.
08:31Evan Brown feels more like a depth piece or competition with Jake Andrews, specifically
08:36Teller and Ingram coming back, and Brayden Smith, that they were able to do that and shore
08:44up one of the few weak spots on the defense at a reasonable price, too.
08:48This has been a good free agency go-round, I think, for Nick Casario.
08:54I think Nick's done a nice job.
08:56When you add in, if you count, kind of like counting the Mixon move a couple years ago
09:02in lumping it in with the free agents, I think it's appropriate to do that.
09:05I'll lump David Montgomery in with this.
09:08We'll just call it free agency plus.
09:11I think Nick's had a really good 10 days as a general manager of this team.
09:15And, yeah, I think that's the key is always, all right, if you're going to be a team that
09:21spent super aggressively, it's one of those things that every now and then it might make
09:27sense.
09:27I think it made sense for the Bears last year.
09:29And yet it wasn't, it was something that took the Bears to a different level of competence
09:35or at least the credibility.
09:38If they were to go out and do that three years in a row, that's a stupid way to operate
09:42your
09:43football team.
09:43Um, so you can do it in spells when you think it's appropriate and the Texans were pretty
09:48aggressive a couple of years ago, but this, this feels more like the way that, uh, a team
09:54that's already good, but needs to go into the draft without feeling desperate to draft for
10:00need.
10:01And where can you improve your team without overspending without doing in such a way that
10:07it makes it harder to retain some of your homegrown guys.
10:10This is probably the right balance.
10:12I'm just, as a general philosophy, this is the, this is the, the steady, I'm driving
10:18five miles per hour above the speed limit.
10:20Uh, I'm not putting my family at undue risk.
10:23I mean, I make it a little extra time, but I'm not, I'm not taking huge risks to do it.
10:28And that's, that's the appropriate level of aggression.
10:30There's at least one or two, at least one or two young players who've taken a lot of snaps
10:37for this team on the offensive line.
10:39They aren't going to make this team or they're going to get traded maybe before the draft.
10:42I could see Blake Fisher getting traded before.
10:44They're not a big trader, anything like Blake Fisher in a six for a fifth or a fourth or something
10:49like that.
10:49Cause if you lay it out and they, the team says this all the time, so I'm not saying
10:53anything that's just, you know, something on, they say all the time, you take nine offensive
10:57linemen into the season.
10:59You take eight to game day.
11:00That's how it works.
11:02The, the, the bus is almost full right now.
11:05I mean, right now, if you had to play a game, uh, tomorrow, the starting offensive line is
11:10probably Ariante Urseri, Wyatt Teller.
11:14I'll say Jake Andrews for now.
11:16Uh, Ed Ingram and Braden Smith left to right.
11:20I've, I would predict that to be the offensive line.
11:22They sign Evan Brown and he could very well be the center also.
11:25So that's six Trent Brown is going to be here.
11:28Now this is all assuming everybody's healthy.
11:30Trent Brown is seven.
11:31So now you've got Blake Fisher and Jared Patterson.
11:34You're, you're at nine with them and you haven't gone to the draft yet.
11:37Yeah.
11:37You know, and I, I still think they're going to draft an offensive lineman with one of
11:41their first three picks.
11:43I would say in the first or second round, it would surprise me if they didn't draft either
11:46a tackle or a guard, or maybe even a center.
11:48Maybe that's where you're starting center.
11:50Maybe Connor Lou from Auburn gets picked 59th overall.
11:52I say all that Seth to say that either Blake Fisher and, or Jared Patterson, and maybe
11:58even Jake Andrews, who knows is not on this team when they get to week one next year.
12:02Yeah.
12:03It's going to be a competitive, competitive camp.
12:06Yeah.
12:06And I think that's where like, what happens with Jared Patterson and Blake Fisher and other
12:13guys on that team is yours.
12:14Those two guys, they don't have their young rookie or young, young player protection status
12:21anymore.
12:21Yeah.
12:22They are, there's no more.
12:24All right.
12:24Well, we got to wait.
12:25Let's be patient.
12:26Let's see if he takes a leap forward.
12:28Evan Brown and Jared Patterson are going to be viewed the same in terms of, no, there's
12:33no more.
12:34Hey, let's see how he develops.
12:35That's right.
12:36I mean, six different teams have already let go of Evan Brown at some point in his career.
12:40So he's fighting to make the team.
12:43Jared Patterson's now in that category.
12:45Blake Fisher's now in that category.
12:46Those guys are all on equal footing, but the draft, the draft status, the young player,
12:50any of that, it just doesn't matter anymore.
12:52They're all in competition to make the team.
12:54Yeah.
12:56Blake Fisher's the interesting one to me, cause he probably, he's heading into year three.
13:00He's a second round pick.
13:01So obviously there, there were teams other than the Texans that had good grades on him coming
13:06out to you.
13:07And he did some good things at the end of last year.
13:09You know, the, the trajectory was going up for Blake Fisher.
13:11Not that it could go anywhere, but up based on how he played in training camp last year
13:14when he was getting dominated every single day, I could just, I could see there being
13:18a team out there with that had a good grade on him saying, well, we get him in here.
13:22We've got a good offensive line coach.
13:23Maybe we, and, and they, they duke the Texans a day three pick for him.
13:26I could see that being a solution for all parties involved.
13:29Yeah.
13:30I think I just, I think I'm, um, I, I wasn't as impressed by his work as the sixth offensive
13:35lineman as a lot of people seem to be.
13:37I think there are, people would point out various games where he didn't allow any pressures
13:41like the chargers game.
13:42And I, that like, that's great.
13:44CJ got rid of the ball hyper fast in a few moments there.
13:47Um, and they were giving Blake Fisher a lot of help in that game.
13:50Uh, when he was the six, I mean, in the chiefs game, it was great.
13:54You've got a six offensive lineman.
13:55And so you can help out the interior offensive line, but that makes Blake Fisher your left
14:00tackle.
14:00And he's getting, is a tight, you know, lined up as a tight end and he's getting destroyed
14:05one-on-one.
14:06Yeah.
14:06Um, so yeah, he's, he's very much fighting to make the team right now.
14:10Yep.
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