- 1 day ago
Shockwaves were sent across the NFL as two major trades involving two of the best players in the league landed on June 1. Future Hall of Famer and single season sack king Myles Garrett is on his way to the Rams as the Super Bowl hopefuls reload, while the AFC Champion Patriots add AJ Brown to pair with Drake Maye. Dukes and Bell react to the day's massive news.
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00:00We are Dukes and Bell. We start off every day and every hour by saying, hey, man, big trades define
00:07the NFL.
00:08As a matter of fact, it defines who potentially will be a contender and a pretender.
00:14Today, two huge trades have happened in the NFL, none of them having to do with our Falcons,
00:20but they impact the league in a way, Mike, that everybody goes, oh, this Miles Garrett trade to the Rams,
00:25I think has a lot of people shaking their heads going, man, the Rams doing this again.
00:30They did it a few years ago when they said, blank those picks, and they're doing it again, Mike,
00:35as Miles Garrett is going to the Rams for Jared Verse and three picks, but only one first round pick.
00:40Yeah, a one for 2027, then a second for 2028, then 29 is the third round, right, if I read
00:45it correctly.
00:46But the sweetener was, and again, teams have been calling about Miles Garrett for seemingly the last 18 months,
00:50is they throw in Jared Verse, a pro bowler that they drafted and has been a stud for them,
00:54and a guy that, remember, we talked about, were we going to consider going edge rush that year?
00:57Remember, back in the day, we'd go, no, it was DJ Ullalate.
01:01Remember, we had all the different names we talked about with D-Lad all the time,
01:03but Jared Verse has been a stud, and I'm sure that the Rams would love to keep both those guys,
01:08but you had to give to get, so you get a guy, Miles Garrett is two-time defensive player of
01:12the year,
01:12sack leader, sack record holder, so even as good as Verse is, Miles is even better,
01:16and now Browns fans are taking to social media to say they're going to get rid of their tickets.
01:20Well, look, this is them, in my opinion, tanking and saying we are back in the mix to try to
01:26rebuild our team.
01:28You just trade away your best player, and to Mike's point, your attraction.
01:32I think for the Rams, and this is the interesting thing as we talk about where this is going to
01:36go
01:37and who's the team to beat in the NFC, there are, as we speak, teams that are in the Super
01:44Bowl bubble,
01:45meaning they have the personnel and the quarterback in place to potentially make a run at the Super Bowl.
01:50And then there are teams like the Jets, who are already thinking about next year,
01:54and they've got three first-round picks.
01:56Guys, they're a team.
01:57The Dolphins are complete rebuild mode.
01:58They've traded pretty much all their star power away or let them go.
02:02So, you know, when you start saying, all right, New England was there last year,
02:05they're in the mix, and they just made a huge deal for A.J. Brown, which we'll talk about,
02:09but obviously the Bills with Josh Allen, Mike, the Broncos are in this Super Bowl bubble now, guys.
02:17If Bo Nix is back healthy, that defense is legit.
02:20They have all those weapons on offense.
02:21It just kind of makes you feel like, all right, AFC is one thing, but in the NFC,
02:26Philly, do you believe in the Cowboys?
02:28We'll talk about the commanders because everybody says Jaden Daniels has been working his butt off this offseason.
02:33He's going to be back to 100%.
02:34The Bears, look, what's the deal in our division?
02:37Is it Carolina, is it us, or is it Tampa?
02:40I mean, I think everybody had a good offseason.
02:43I think you look at the Saints draft picks.
02:45I think you look at what Carolina did with draft and free agency,
02:48and I think the same you could be said for Tampa other than losing Mike Evans.
02:51But those are teams, I mean, look, it's a competitive division.
02:54Unfortunately, nine or ten games can win it, so it doesn't get the respect, but it's competitive.
02:58But you just laid out, these are all the teams we've got to battle with,
03:00and that's why I get it.
03:02We have an audience.
03:03It's folks that are glass half empty to glass half full.
03:06Some guys feel we should be in the mix with the Super Bowl.
03:08Guys, it's currently the Jets at 15 and the Falcons at 8, consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance.
03:15So that's where we're living.
03:16This is a year where you're hoping and you're betting on the come,
03:19but they weren't prepared to dig a deeper hole against the cap
03:22because we were still coming out from under the Kirk Cousins stuff
03:25and all the other decisions that unfortunately didn't work out that Fondo made.
03:28So that's why I get it.
03:29So guys, why are we doing this?
03:31We're not there.
03:32Carl just laid it out.
03:33Teams that are here, you're one player away.
03:34Hey, if the Ravens had done something like this, I'd have said, of course.
03:38They've got to get back and get in the playoffs.
03:40They just blew it last year.
03:41But we're a team, we're looking up at, like Carl just said,
03:43we're looking up at six teams right now in the NFC.
03:45Maybe eight.
03:46I didn't even mention the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
03:49Right?
03:49And that's why the Rams did what they did.
03:51And who's the corner they picked up from Kansas City?
03:55Yeah, Trent McDuffie.
03:56They got him because, remember, they couldn't corral Jackson Smith and Jigba.
04:00Sam Darnold, they couldn't get the heat.
04:02So they bring in the best pass rusher, you bring in a big-time corner,
04:05the Rams, all the chips are in.
04:06Because that's how Les Snead plays ball.
04:07Yeah, that division is a beast, man.
04:10Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, you're playing for last place.
04:14Sorry.
04:14But that division with those three teams.
04:16And that's why these trades are interesting.
04:18As far as the A.J. Brown trade, real quick,
04:22this is something that was anticipated by pretty much everybody around the league.
04:27It was just a matter of getting to this June 1st date for the financial ramifications.
04:30But, Mike, that is what everybody's talking about now
04:34and how much better this makes Drake.
04:35Drake May, Patriots trade him or trade for him
04:39and basically give up two draft picks.
04:41This is not a bad deal.
04:42First-round pick.
04:43So if you're saying, look, what's it take to go get an established receiver?
04:46And we saw this with Julio.
04:47We've seen it in the past with other guys.
04:50First-round pick and then a fifth-round pick.
04:52So you're giving up a 2027 fifth-round pick but a 2028 first.
04:57Right.
04:57So it's not next year's first-rounder that they're giving up.
05:00And then you get a productive player, Mike, who turns 29 on June 30th in A.J. Brown,
05:05who I think is still very hungry to get the rock.
05:08He just didn't get it in Philly.
05:10I don't think he's going to be reading a book on the sideline for New England.
05:12I mean, and look, Vrabel knows.
05:14The Vrabel soap opera with Rasenia's side.
05:16Now it's time to talk football.
05:18He's a guy that knows how to run it.
05:19And Josh McDaniels is maybe not a head coach, Carl, but a tremendous offensive coach.
05:24So Diggs is gone.
05:25They've got other guys.
05:26You mentioned Boutte.
05:26They've got other pieces there.
05:27Got good tight ends.
05:29And now you throw in a superstar who's been so underused in Philadelphia
05:32and probably got sideways with Jalen Hurts because Jalen just, for whatever reason,
05:36they couldn't connect like they should have the last three seasons.
05:38A.J. Brown, guys, to put it in perspective,
05:40is one of seven players in NFL history with 8,500 yards and 60 touchdowns.
05:47So you're talking about Tariq Hill who did that between 2016 and 2022, Calvin Johnson,
05:5307-13, Larry Fitzgerald from 04-2010, Randy Moss did it, Marvin Harrison.
05:59Pretty elite company for A.J. Brown in his first seven seasons.
06:03And that's why I still think he's got a lot of production left in him.
06:06But those deals being made today.
06:07And then, Mike, on top of that, as we talk all things NFL,
06:11the signing of Odell Beckham Jr.
06:13I mean, he's going back to the Giants.
06:16Look, guys, this is where he made his career.
06:19But he's 33 years old now, and he's a vet.
06:21I think he brings some leadership qualities.
06:23But he's not going to be the go-to guy.
06:25But it's a nice story for the Giants and OBJ to reunite.
06:28Right.
06:29Now, Jackson Dart having another weapon, like he's going to be, you know,
06:32he's limited as far as what you expect from him.
06:34But, you know, this is a dude that when he's healthy, you know, again, I don't know.
06:38He's kind of like a physical freak.
06:39Remember that year he got injured?
06:41He was injured the year the Rams got him.
06:42He still helped them win a Super Bowl.
06:43Yeah, Malik Neighbors is that dude.
06:45He's coming back from an injury.
06:46But he had to have a second procedure.
06:47They had to do a cleanup on that knee, which is kind of a red flag.
06:50Yeah, I don't know if he's going to be ready for the start of camp,
06:52but they're saying for the start of the regular season still remains unclear.
06:56It was an ACL last year, and then to Mike's point, additional surgery.
06:59And then Darius Slayton is the other wide receiver, but they brought in Juju Smith.
07:03They signed him to a one-year deal, so now they're signing, you know, OBJ to a one-year deal.
07:07And then Braxton Berrios is also a guy they brought in.
07:10Yes, he had a very sexy girlfriend.
07:11Yeah, and a good special team player as well.
07:13I was just looking at A.J. Brown's numbers.
07:15Nearly 1,522, nearly 1,523, and then just barely over 1,000 yards the last two seasons.
07:21Now, he did miss some games the last two seasons, but, you know, that's a guy that I just,
07:25it just didn't pass the eye test.
07:26There were times where the Eagles, and remember, they've had soap operas and team meetings,
07:30and the coach has to explain, they've gone through multiple coordinators,
07:33but there was like no vertical passing game, despite the fact that he wound up with seven touchdowns the last
07:37two years.
07:37I think they became predictable.
07:39They got another offensive coordinator now, a new one, and so we'll see if that helps Jalen Hurts.
07:44Meanwhile, let's talk about a couple of things Falcons-related, guys.
07:47June 1st means the Kirk Cousins deal is behind us, right?
07:51It's post-June 1 designation.
07:53It adds $2.1 million to the cap.
07:55That was already designated.
07:57We knew this was going to happen.
07:58It's just a matter of, okay, the data's happened now.
08:00It's on the books.
08:01Mike, I think the most exciting thing for Falcon fans is this James Pierce Jr. training video that's out there.
08:08If you've not seen it, he's working out, not really talking.
08:12It's just him doing things that, you know, pass rushers do.
08:16But at the end of the day, the video of him working out with his personal trainer,
08:20it gets me optimistic about, and I said this day-to-day today on our pre-show,
08:24that he's going to play, man.
08:26He's training like he's playing.
08:27He's training like he's going to get ready for camp, and that's because he has to.
08:30He needs to do those things.
08:31You can't just sit around, drink beer, and say, all right, I don't know where this thing is going.
08:35He's got to get ready.
08:36But that part of it gets me excited for the fact that I actually think he's going to be out
08:41there this year.
08:41Look, if I'm wrong, so be it.
08:43Even if it's for four games he misses, Mike,
08:45I still think he's going to play a majority of the season for the Falcons this year.
08:48Yeah, we had Josh Kendall on the show last week,
08:50and he was saying that he didn't even think the Falcons know what the NFL is going to do here.
08:54Because, as we said, you can't really look at the Rasheed Rice thing
08:57because that was before he went to court and eventually got to court,
09:00and then they suspended him.
09:01Our guy's been through the legal process to a degree,
09:04but there's a probationary process involved.
09:06So they may – do you let him play?
09:08I think Pierce is in camp.
09:10I'm going to say – I'll go on a limb and say Pierce is in camp at the end of
09:12July.
09:13I agree.
09:14I think he is.
09:15I don't think there's any reason not to.
09:16And then if the NFL – until the NFL says something, roll him out there.
09:19Yeah, well, look, what are they going to say when he's following all the rules legally
09:23that he needs to follow unless they just want to make an example out of him?
09:27And I'll be honest, I don't – I think they're past that.
09:29I don't think – this is not – again, I don't want to –
09:34It was what it was.
09:35It was terrible.
09:36It looked awful.
09:36Yeah, I don't want to dismiss what happened.
09:40But, Mike, nobody got killed.
09:42And at the end of the day, yes, it was all the things,
09:45but a lot of those charges we thought at first have been dismissed or dropped.
09:49You know, the contact with the officer.
09:50Like, I'm not trying to sound like lawyers that are making excuses for a guy who knows.
09:53He does know better, and hopefully now with the treatment he's getting,
09:56he will know better and make better decisions.
09:58The big part of this is Rekia Jackson and her legal team signing off on everything
10:02that allows these mechanisms to take place.
10:04So if he's going to be – okay, so NFL, ball's in your court.
10:08What are we waiting for here?
10:09Let us – I think the team would certainly like to know,
10:11and I would like to think we're going to find out.
10:13But as of right now, we don't know.
10:14And they don't know.
10:15Nope.
10:16And you don't know, and I don't know.
10:17But we do know that Jalen Walker is going to be expected to do some big things this year.
10:22I was reading an article today, Carl, at ESPN.com,
10:24talking about guys who are going to take a huge leap in their sophomore year in the NFL.
10:27Yeah.
10:28And for the Falcons, it's Jalen Walker.
10:30But I agree with that.
10:31Because he missed some time to start the season.
10:33Look, I hope so.
10:34I just – I want to know, and maybe Jeff Ulbricht will clear this up.
10:38I think he kind of has already.
10:40But what are they asking him to do?
10:42This whole thing about asking him to do all the things, I don't know if that's beneficial.
10:47Like, the reason, again, why Pierce was really good last year, Mike,
10:51is because I need you to do this and focus in on this.
10:54I need you to be a great corner.
10:57AV, AJ, that's what I need you to do.
10:59If I got you doing all these – and I'm not saying pass rush,
11:02because you can move them all around with a pass rush.
11:04But one down I'm covering, one down I'm blitzing, one down I'm run defense.
11:08Like, what is your job?
11:09And that's what I'm curious to know.
11:11I know he's a utility knife.
11:12I get that.
11:13But does that benefit the team the most?
11:16We got guys that can battle.
11:17We got a bunch of other guys.
11:18Some of these guys are on one-year deals.
11:19But the future of this team is Jalen Walker.
11:21If Divine – I said Divine Diablo.
11:24Moves over to what Caden was doing, then Jalen Walker does what Divine was doing.
11:27I think we got something.
11:28I think we got something.
11:28I think we got something.
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