00:00Dexter Lawrence is so much better than any player they could have possibly acquired at 10
00:07for this coming season. And Cincinnati is, to me, as much about this coming season
00:16as Buffalo and Baltimore. We just let them off the hook a little bit, if you will,
00:22because they're struggling to make the postseason. But this is a team loaded up,
00:28right, to try and win right now. And if this goes wrong, I think there's an escape valve.
00:34I'll talk about that. But I like this for Cincinnati because I think it is go, go, go, go, go.
00:41And that is exactly what they are doing by making this trade here for Dexter Lawrence.
00:46Yeah. Think about this. Their defense doesn't have to be elite, Kevin. They just can't be
00:5332nd overall like they've been, you know, in back-to-back seasons, right? As long as Joe
01:00Burrow is healthy, look at the offense. They can hum at any point. The problem is, can you get the
01:07defense to at least, I don't know, 18th? If you can get the defense to number 18 overall,
01:14now you're cooking with fire. You should be at least a 10 or an 11-win football team.
01:20That has been the problem. They can outscore anybody, but the defense obviously falls apart.
01:27It fell apart last year. Two years ago, they got out to a slow start. This past year,
01:34they start 2-0 and fall off a cliff. So, you know, you need to change that defensive philosophy.
01:41And it starts with veterans like Dexter Lawrence. And all you need is guys that can stay healthy
01:46and limit a team to potentially, what, 20, 21 points a game. If they could do that, they're in
01:54every game that they have on their schedule because of how good the offense is. Yeah, I agree.
02:02I completely agree. And when I say they have an escape valve, they're going to have to trade a
02:08receiver. If it doesn't work out, they're going to have to trade a receiver. It's what it is.
02:15It already feels a little silly that this team has Joe Burrow, a consensus top five quarterback,
02:22Jamar Chase, the consensus best wide receiver in football, no worse than top three,
02:29and T. Higgins, another top 15 or so wide receiver in this league to go as well.
02:35Again, compare this around the league. Is T. Higgins better than Zay Flowers? I think many would say
02:40yes. Is T. Higgins better than DJ Morjo? Yes. And that's Joe Burrow's number two. Is T. Higgins
02:48better than Rasheed Rice? Yes. Okay. Again, these are the contemporaries. Now, look, the LA Rams last
02:58year had moments. They look juggernaut-esque. And you've got Stafford, Puka, Devontae. This team
03:04might draft wide receiver. They were calling on A.J. Brown. I'm not saying you're not allowed to
03:08have a lot going on. But for Cincinnati, this is a group who have made another push it move. I
03:17like
03:17that. And if it ends with a AFC championship game, a division win, a super, whatever, right? Great.
03:27If not, you will have to, I think, though, reassess the way that they have spent offensively, Joe,
03:35and potentially recoup assets through trades down the road.
03:40And it'll cost Zach Taylor his job. That's the other factor as well. This team doesn't make a
03:46playoff run, Kevin. He's gone. I mean, he's basically there because of what the offense
03:52possesses. But if they can't put it together this year to make a strong run at a divisional
03:58or more importantly, AFC championship, he's got to be gone. And they have to strip it down
04:04to your point. You keep Burrow and you keep one wide receiver, whether it be Chase or Higgins,
04:09and you move on from that point. It's unfortunate, but their window is closing right now.
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