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00:00Robert Mays from the Athletic Football Show is going to join us at 1120.
00:05He couldn't wait to get with us.
00:07We couldn't wait to get him on the air, so he's joining us right now
00:10on the Make It Right Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:13Robert, good to have you with us again.
00:15Hey, Robert.
00:16Good to be here, guys. Thanks for having me.
00:17We appreciate it very much.
00:18You can follow Robert on X, by the way, at Robert Mays, M-A-Y-S,
00:23for the last name, at Robert Mays.
00:26Free agency, Browns, they have big holes at wide receiver.
00:29Couldn't wait to get into free agency so they could fill some of those, Robert.
00:32Oh, wait a minute.
00:34What are they thinking at wide receiver, Robert?
00:38It's a good question.
00:39The problem is that wasn't the only hole, right?
00:42When your entire offensive line is hitting free agency in a single offseason,
00:45that also becomes a little bit of a priority.
00:48And so at least they have playable guys at receiver.
00:51At least they have guys we've seen be NFL players,
00:54even if Cedric Tillman's been banged up a little bit.
00:56So the idea that the line took precedence is maybe not surprising.
01:00And thankfully they have two first-round picks to fill some of these.
01:02If they'd find maybe a tackle with one of those,
01:05if they'd find a receiver with one of those,
01:07the offseason's not over.
01:08So I'm not necessarily surprised to see them go the direction that they did
01:12considering the state of the roster before we really got into this.
01:14Robert, is the offensive line better now than it was before?
01:17And what does it say about a general manager that walks himself into a position
01:21where he needs at least four new offensive linemen?
01:25Even a year ago, I remember looking at that situation
01:28and just feeling like, what are they going to do with this?
01:31I mean, you talk about the contracts, the money that's now going to hit
01:35with some of the void years and everything else.
01:37Are they going to restructure some of these?
01:38Are they going to sign these guys to extensions to avoid some of that?
01:41And so the fact that the clock just kind of ran out on all of them,
01:44it was surprising to watch it unfold like that.
01:47Whether the line is better, it's hard to say simply because injury
01:52is such a factor in this.
01:54In the best-case scenario, a line with Wyatt Teller and with Jack Conklin,
01:59it may be better than what they have right now,
02:01but it's been so long since those guys were consistently available.
02:05And a guy like Titus Howard, he's a nice, flexible piece
02:09where he can play multiple positions.
02:11Zion Johnson is a youngish player who's potentially ascending.
02:15And just based on availability, you can make an argument
02:17that maybe the group is a little bit better.
02:19Unfortunately, you can't really say the same thing about Allen Jenkins.
02:22He's obviously had his injury issues over the years.
02:23But I think right now what I would say is this is an acceptable outcome
02:29when you also consider the draft capital that they have
02:32compared to where they were two weeks ago.
02:34So what's left?
02:35You're looking for a left tackle.
02:37Is there a left tackle that you think is worthy of being picked as high as six?
02:42Are there two or three?
02:44Because one or two might go off the board before the Browns actually pick at six.
02:48I'll tell you right now that I'm the wrong person to ask about the NFL draft right now.
02:53It's the last thing I come to, and so I'm very open about the fact that
02:57when it comes to the draft, I'm very far away from being an expert.
03:00Based on what I've seen, it seems like there is potentially going to be a tackle
03:04or receiver available for them to draft there,
03:06and they could find a receiver later in the first round.
03:08So everything I have read so far that is not really based on my personal opinion
03:13is that a tackle at six could be an option for them.
03:17All right, I'll ask you the fun one.
03:18What do you think of the quarterback situation here?
03:20Because we're trying to figure out that if they're happy with going with Deshaun Watson
03:26and Shador Sanders having a battle and cap, that's kind of what it feels like right now.
03:31I think that is kind of what it feels like.
03:33I think they were probably interested in some of the other potential options on the market this year,
03:38like a Malik Willis, but the price probably got a little bit too rich
03:42when you consider what sort of team you're looking at this year
03:45and whether they're going to be in a position to draft a quarterback next year.
03:48It kind of reminds me a little bit of Miami's decision-making,
03:51where Miami was in a spot where they're probably not going to be very good this year,
03:55but they thought that they had a pathway to a future starter in Willis.
03:59And so even if you're tearing it down around him, is it worth taking a swing on a guy like
04:04that?
04:04The Browns are in a position where they're probably saying,
04:07if we think we're going to be in a position where we might want to draft a quarterback in 2027
04:10anyway,
04:11why would we eat into this year and next year's cap to pay for a quarterback
04:16that may not even be part of our plans?
04:18And so I think too many teams that have uncertainty at the position
04:22and probably understand they're not going to be competitive
04:25over leverage themselves to find a quarterback where it's like,
04:28ah, we just need somebody.
04:29It's like, you've got guys on the roster.
04:31Like, you can live with Shadour and Deshaun Watson for a year
04:34to understand that you're probably going to find your actual solution in 2027.
04:38And so if that's what they end up going with,
04:40I don't think that's the worst thing in the world.
04:42I think it's a totally fine way to approach the position in the short term.
04:46Shadour's in the last year of his contract coming up here,
04:48and then it's over.
04:50Browns can, without, obviously there'll be some financial ramifications,
04:54but they can move on if they want.
04:55What should people expect from Deshaun Watson in the final year of this deal
05:00and with a new head coach and a new system?
05:03I think they should expect nothing.
05:05Your expectations should be underneath the ground.
05:09Like, it doesn't matter.
05:10I think that's where I sit with this.
05:12Like, this ship has sailed so far.
05:15Like, it doesn't matter what Deshaun Watson is in 2026 for the Browns.
05:18I think it's just a matter of, are you at a place where the offense is,
05:23I'm not going to say competitive,
05:24where the offense can be functional with whoever's playing quarterback?
05:27Like, walking into this season hoping that you're going to get anything out of Deshaun Watson
05:31after the way that this entire thing has gone, I think would be misguided.
05:35Like, we're way, way, way past that point.
05:38I think this is about playing out the string and this team going into 2027
05:43with a relatively clean slate and a fresh start,
05:46and you figure out what everything looks like moving forward.
05:50I'm just, what are your thoughts on Todd Munkin taking this thing over?
05:53Because, again, you're talking about the clean slate,
05:55you talk about those things, but, you know,
05:57you lose your defensive coordinator who they wanted to stay
06:01but came in second place for the head coach's job.
06:03And now, you know, the defense is relatively coming back intact
06:08with the exception of, you know, Quincy Williams coming in to play linebacker.
06:12Or, I don't know, what is, what do you think the Munkin effect is going to be?
06:16I guess that's probably the best way to put it.
06:18I think Todd is a really good offensive football coach.
06:21I think he's been a really good offensive football coach for a long time.
06:24I think there are two different ways that this could potentially go
06:27as I think about the archetype of coach that Todd is
06:30and how this season might play out.
06:33The best case scenario, and I've made this comparison since he got hired,
06:37like, I think if you're a Browns fan, the best way that this can work out
06:40is that this is like Bruce Arian's 2.0,
06:42where you have a guy that is a long-time assistant,
06:47waited for his chance, and surprises some people
06:50in terms of how good of a head coach he ends up being in his 60s.
06:53The downside of this, and I think the worst case scenario is,
06:56is this one of those kind of interstitial hires for a bad team
07:02where you're hiring Todd Munkin as a step to hiring your head coach
07:06that's going to be here as you really kind of pull yourself out of the muck.
07:09And I don't know which one of it.
07:11I don't know which one of those it is.
07:12If you told me that this is a one-year thing
07:15and they're looking for a head coach again next year,
07:17just based on the current state of the roster,
07:19the level of quarterback play they're going to get,
07:21that wouldn't surprise me at all.
07:22But I have enough respect for Todd Munkin
07:24where I absolutely can see the other path working out,
07:28where the offense is a little bit better than we expected,
07:30you're maximizing the players on that side of the ball,
07:33and you can talk yourself into the idea of,
07:35okay, when we get a quarterback in here,
07:38we do think this is the right guy to oversee that process.
07:41Robert Mays joining us from the Athletic Football Show.
07:44Expect nothing out of Deshaun Watson.
07:47What should we expect out of Shidore Sanders?
07:51I think the hope should be that he's a little bit better
07:53than he was last year.
07:55You saw some flashes, but overall,
07:57the quality of quarterback play was pretty poor
08:00for most of the season.
08:01And some of that is the state of the offensive line.
08:03Some of that is the state of the offense overall.
08:05But again, I think if I were a Browns fan heading into this season,
08:10I would not hold out any sort of hope
08:13that either of the guys that are going to make up
08:16the quarterback room this year are going to be answers for you
08:19moving into 2027.
08:20It hurts to hear that heading into a year
08:23where there's really nothing to attach yourself to
08:27other than just plugging your nose and making it to the end.
08:30But it kind of feels like that's where we are.
08:32It was always going to be a messy end
08:34when the Deshaun Watson thing didn't work out.
08:37And we're working through that messy end right now.
08:39And so I don't think any sort of realistic
08:42or hopeful expectations for the quarterback room
08:44are in your best interest
08:46if you want to be like a satisfied Browns fan
08:48by the end of this season.
08:49I think you've got to keep your eye on the prize.
08:51And that is the 2027 offseason
08:53and everything that may come after that.
08:55If you're Todd Munkin
08:57and you've seen what Andrew Barry has done
08:58so far this offseason
09:00and you see some new offensive linemen in
09:03but not a whole lot else on offense,
09:05what do you think?
09:07I think you know it's going to be a challenge,
09:08but you always knew it was going to be a challenge.
09:10You know, I don't think this team was going to spend
09:13outside of their like drastic needs.
09:17You know, like this is a
09:18we're just trying to keep the lights on
09:20sort of offseason.
09:21Like you're trying to find offensive linemen
09:23to get you to a playable point as an offense
09:25because you had none.
09:26I don't think they really have the flexibility
09:29or the appetite
09:30to be spending on a lot of positions
09:32where you need upgrades.
09:33I think you just need guys.
09:35Like that was the,
09:35that's how the offensive line looked
09:37heading into this thing.
09:38So is it a good offensive roster?
09:40Absolutely not.
09:41Would I be concerned
09:42if I was an offensive coach?
09:43Absolutely.
09:44But Todd Monken knew that coming in.
09:46Like I don't think anything that's happened
09:48over the last two months
09:49should be surprising to you
09:51if you were taking this job.
09:54All right.
09:55So what should Browns fans expect for next year?
09:57I like, I look at it.
09:59I'm like, the defense is going to be good
10:00and I have no idea
10:01what's going to happen with the offense.
10:03What do you think?
10:03I think that's right.
10:04I think that's right.
10:05I think this is always the last two years, right?
10:08I mean, and this,
10:09sometimes it's hard to have like really realistic
10:14and modest expectations for your team.
10:17But I think often that can be the best thing
10:19you can have.
10:20Like last year,
10:21the entire outlook for the 2025 Cleveland Browns,
10:25in my opinion, was how did the young guys look, right?
10:28For the first time in forever,
10:30you have gotten to draft a lot of players.
10:32How do those guys look?
10:35How many, when you, when we finish the season,
10:37how many of those guys feel like realistic building blocks
10:41for your team moving forward?
10:42And the answer was a lot.
10:44The answer was most of them.
10:46You know, if you look at what Quinshaw Junkins was last year,
10:48what Mason Graham was last year,
10:50what Sweessinger was, Harold Fannin,
10:52I mean, they got four to five real contributors
10:54from that draft class.
10:56And that's kind of where this team is.
10:58You're starting from square one enough
11:01where those are the little wins
11:03that you have to start taking.
11:04And I don't think this year is that much different.
11:07You know, look at the young pieces you have on the roster.
11:09Look at all of the young pieces
11:11you're going to have coming out of this draft
11:12with those two first round picks.
11:14And by the end of the 2026 season,
11:17are you in a spot where you're thinking,
11:18all right, we've got like eight to 10 young players
11:22that we feel really good about.
11:24Our team wasn't very good.
11:26You know, we won five, six games this year,
11:28but we're picking in the top five again.
11:30We're going to have a pathway to draft a new quarterback.
11:33And we have a young collection of guys
11:35that we just didn't have a couple of years ago
11:37because we weren't making any picks.
11:39If that's what you're saying about the Browns
11:41by the end of the year,
11:42and either you feel good about Todd Monken
11:44being the guy who's going to oversee that,
11:46or there's enough light at the end of the tunnel
11:49where you can coax like a very promising
11:51head coaching candidate into your building.
11:53If all of those things come together,
11:55that's success for the Browns.
11:57I don't think it's going to be a painless journey
12:00as you move toward the end of that season,
12:02but I think that's an okay place to land at the end of it.
12:05Robert, thank you very much.
12:06We appreciate your time.
12:07Thanks, Robert.
12:08Of course, guys.
12:09Robert Mays, The Athletic Football Show.
12:12And you can follow him on X,
12:14at Robert Mays.
12:15It's Robert M-A-Y-S.
12:18He said, expect nothing from Deshaun Watson.
12:22Doesn't matter what Deshaun Watson does next year.
12:25He said, if you put the thing on the right path
12:28and get a different coach in here the following year,
12:32if you're looking for 2026 to be anything for the Browns,
12:37you're going to have to convince Robert.
12:39It certainly sounds like.
12:40He made me feel like it's more of the same from last year.
12:42doesn't matter?
12:42Therefore, as we say,
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