00:00Our next guest joins us every week, has since pretty much the inception of the show and
00:04station about 15 years ago, and has been hinting and maybe dropping some breadcrumbs here for
00:12everybody, talking about the Miles Garrett trade possibility.
00:15So to take his victory lap of the MMQB, the very, very nice, the very plugged in, the
00:22very wonderful.
00:23Albert Breer, what's up, buddy?
00:26Hey, shout out to the Fox and the Ball from right back in the day.
00:29Yeah, I've been with you guys a long time in this time slot.
00:33Yeah, I mean, I guess a blind squirrel finds a nut, right?
00:37I think it's a little more than that.
00:39See, you are being very humble.
00:40We wonder, would he take a full victory lap?
00:42I knew he'd be humble about it.
00:44You don't know how to take a victory lap, do you?
00:45But we know a blind squirrel finding a nut is just happenstance.
00:49We know this wasn't happenstance for you.
00:52Yeah, I mean, it's like sort of, you know, I view it as my job to have an idea of
00:58what's
00:58going on and how things are coming together.
01:01And hopefully I gave everyone listening an idea of how and why this might happen over
01:08the last couple of weeks.
01:10You know, this has really been, I think, you know, kind of a couple months long process
01:17of the Browns and the Rams getting there.
01:21And, you know, it was a sensitive topic for both teams, you know, obviously for the Browns
01:26with Miles Garrett.
01:27The Browns insisting on having Jared Burst involved.
01:30I mean, I think every Browns fan out there should know the Rams tried to move heaven and
01:36earth not to have Jared Burst part of that being as part of the deal, you know?
01:39So I think that should tell you what sort of player you're getting.
01:43You know, they view them as a young Terrell Sucks.
01:46And so, you know, that's part of it.
01:50I heard the sound there from AB coming into the segment, like, you know, you talk about
01:56the short and long-term benefit, that's Jared Burst to a team.
01:59He's going to help you now, and he should be good for a long time.
02:03Albert, you are so well-connected as evidence in nailing the idea of this trade.
02:08I believe it was two weeks ago you even gave us the Rams as a potential option there for
02:14this deal.
02:14What has been, of the people you've talked to around the NFL, what's the reaction to
02:19the trade and to what the Browns got for Miles Garrett?
02:24I, you know, I think with any trade like this one, there has to be mutual benefit, you know?
02:31And, you know, I think there's a little bit of like a, like a little bit of like a shock
02:37back when the Browns actually went through with it.
02:39And I think at the same time, a little bit of like a, oh, wow, they gave up Jared Burst
02:46as part of the deal, you know?
02:47So, you know, I think any good deal is going to hurt for both sides.
02:52Any big deal of this magnitude, if you're trading bit pieces, whatever, slow around draft picks,
02:57that's not the same.
02:58But any blockbuster deal, you know, there's going to be some pain involved for everyone
03:03and there's going to be some nerves and some, some butterflies for everyone, you know?
03:08And I think that's certainly the case here, you know?
03:11You know, the Rams are pushing their chips in again, you know?
03:14And, you know, I, I think I told you guys all the way back to, to, to the draft when
03:19they took Ty Simpson, like that was a win now move cloaked as a move for the future, you
03:25know, because that freed them up to use draft capital to go and take a big swing.
03:31And lo and behold, here's the big swing.
03:33It's Miles Garrett, as big a swing as he could possibly take.
03:36And, you know, so I think for the Rams, you know, you're really looking at it now
03:41where, okay, you're in a window, Matthew Stafford is year to year, you know, you've
03:47got some defensive stars that are going to be coming up on contract soon, Kobe
03:52Turner, Byron Young, you've brought in a 30-year-old superstar, Miles Garrett, you
03:59know, you, you've brought in Trent McDuffie and it's go time, you know, and this
04:02team that was a couple of plays away from probably winning the Super Bowl last
04:06year, because I think if they get to the Super Bowl, they do the same thing to the
04:10Patriots, the Seahawks did, has now added Miles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, which is
04:15pretty mild, mind-blowing, you know?
04:17And then on the flip side, you know, obviously I think you can look at what the
04:22Browns return is here and you're adding verse to that group of Schlesinger and
04:28Graham and Judkins and Samson and Sannon and now Concepcion, Boston and Sano and
04:36his timeline matches up with the timeline of all those guys we've talked about the
04:40last couple of weeks, those timelines are now concurrent and yet you still don't
04:47know who the quarterback's going to be two or three years from now and so, you
04:51know, you've set yourself up to have a great support system around a really good
04:55quarterback, I'm a really good young quarterback, you've given yourself a ton of
04:59picks to either pursue that quarterback or build around that quarterback, but, you
05:05know, you traded what I think for that franchise is someone who's in the
05:10stratosphere of Jim Brown or Otto Graham, so that part of it's difficult, of course,
05:15and I think it's important to make this clear, too, just so people, you know, in
05:19Cleveland have, you know, a clear mind about this.
05:22Miles didn't ask for this, you know what I mean?
05:24He had his trade request a year ago, but he didn't ask for this one, and, you
05:29know, I do think there's part of it for him that's tough in saying goodbye to a
05:33place that he poured nine years into.
05:36You mentioned the timelines trying to get them all corrected on the same page.
05:40Denzel Ward's timeline doesn't really add up the same way Miles didn't.
05:43Should we be looking at Denzel Ward being moved?
05:47I mean, I don't think they're going to look to move him, but not impossible, you
05:51know, I mean, I think this, if this trade shows you anything, it's that, like, anything's
05:55possible, right?
05:57And so, you know, like, I don't think you're out there looking to move Denzel Ward.
06:02You know, you still have to field a team this year, and, you know, I think, you know, you
06:07still owe it to the players to give them a chance to be really competitive, which I think
06:11the trade does for Garrett, because you are bringing a player like Garrett Burstack, but,
06:18but, you know, I, like, again, like, I can't look at my crystal ball, and I'm not, you know,
06:25leaving Brad Cruggs here.
06:27I can't, I can't, I can't, like, look at my crystal ball and say for sure whether some
06:33blockbuster offer is going to come along in July or at the cutdown in September or before
06:38the trade deadline in November.
06:40So, with that, we, obviously, the Browns told us after the fact it was a premier player,
06:47a premier young player at a position that is also premier, and then draft abundance,
06:52right?
06:53What would be, you know, is there a price that would maybe motivate the Browns to budge
06:57on Denzel?
07:02I don't know.
07:03I don't know.
07:04I mean, I would really have to think about that because, I mean, the answer is yes, because
07:09everybody has a price, right?
07:10But, I, I, I don't know, like, the problem, I think, is how other teams value him right
07:17now with the concussion history and everything else.
07:20Of course, his age.
07:22I mean, he's coming up on 32, isn't he?
07:27He's close to 30 also, I believe.
07:29I have it in front of me, but he's right there as well.
07:31So, yeah, I mean, like, that part of it, I think you'd have to kind of, they're going
07:38to have to, like, get a better look at, like, yeah.
07:42So, like, I think, you know, like, for, for, for the other team, for, for other teams involved,
07:49like, if they're willing to give a first-round pick plus something else, I think it's something
07:53you have to think about.
07:54But I, I don't know that given his age and his injury history, that's going to happen
07:58right now.
07:59What has been the perception of people you've talked to around the league about Andrew Barry
08:02and, and being able to actually make the move and the idea that when Browns fans think of
08:08Andrew Barry now, it's the guy that traded for Deshaun Watson and the guy that traded
08:11for Miles Garrett or traded away Miles Garrett.
08:13It's not really the most complimentary of visions for them right now.
08:18Yeah, and I mean, I think you definitely argue that one may have led to the other, right?
08:23Like, because if Deshaun Watson is what they hoped he would be, which is the player he was
08:27in Houston, I mean, the Browns may be competing for Super Bowls now at the course they had.
08:32And, you know, who knows how different this picture looks, right?
08:36So, um, I think it's fair to kind of look at striking out on Deshaun Watson and how that
08:41may have, you know, led to this because the window's shut on, on the core that Miles Garrett
08:48came up with.
08:49Um, you know, that said, I, I think anytime you make a trade like this, there's a lot of
08:53pressure on everybody, right?
08:54There's pressure on the Rams to get the most out of Miles Garrett.
08:57And to compete for championships while Miles Garrett is there.
09:00And there is certainly a ton of pressure on Andrew Barry now to have gotten it right on
09:05Jared Burse, for Jared Burse to be an impact player right out of the box, you know, and
09:10then to do a good job in the draft the next couple of years.
09:14And, you know, the first thing they can do to establish the trust with the fan base that
09:19they, they, they are going to get it right is to have the, the, the second year guys build
09:25on the rookie year and then have, you know, Spencer Fano, Casey Concepcion and Denzel
09:30Boston come out and show they can play very quickly.
09:33Um, cause I think that would signal to the fan base.
09:37We're back on track as far as drafting and developing, and we're going to be able to
09:41take advantage of the hall that's come back from Miles Garrett, you know, on top of, on
09:47top of, uh, on top of, you know, what we're already getting with Jared Burse.
09:52Albert, I know you said he didn't ask for a trade, but did the Browns let Miles pick
09:57his destination?
10:00No, no, they did not.
10:03Um, I, I am under the, I'm fully under the impression that this was plainly, uh, Browns
10:12Rams operation going back to March and to make something like this work.
10:18Cause here's the thing guys, like I think with a player like this, you're always going
10:22to have people calling and checking in.
10:24I mean, what prompted the Rams to call and check in was the bonus being moved, right?
10:31Like that's what prompted it.
10:32It wasn't the other way around.
10:33It wasn't the Rams, you know, line up a trade and now the Browns move the option bonus.
10:39It was the option bonus gets moved and the Rams pick up the phone because they thought
10:44that was interesting.
10:45Um, the Rams were serious from the start.
10:49They showed a real seriousness to me, a number of picks that they were willing to move.
10:54And that's at the stage for the talks to get more serious.
10:57I think it's a relationship business.
10:59And that part of it's really important to remember here, you know, like that, you know,
11:03Andrew Barry and the Browns front office and Les Snead and the Rams front office have a
11:07good relationship.
11:09And I mean, look, like when you're dealing with a player of this level, there is a level
11:14of, I think, trust that needs to be established because you don't want to get out and
11:18in case it falls through, right?
11:20Because these talks can happen all the time.
11:23Um, so it's on the Rams to keep it quiet on their end.
11:26So no one else knows miles care is available.
11:28And if they're going to do that for you, well, then you can't just go and take their
11:32offer and shop it around all over the place.
11:34You know, that wouldn't make sense.
11:36So I think like the way a trade like this works, where isn't, you know, a player climbing up
11:44on the mountaintop saying, I'm never going to play for that team again.
11:47And now all of a sudden he's in the block and you can actually hold a live auction.
11:51Like it's a, that, that's not what this was.
11:55Um, and quite honestly, with a player of the magnitude of, of miles, I'm not sure that's
11:59ever what it was going to be.
12:01I read your colleagues, uh, Connor Orr's piece, the one you retweeted on your timeline
12:04last night.
12:05And I thought it was interesting.
12:06A couple of different routes he went, but he basically posited whether or not miles is
12:09elite material in the wrong workshop the entire time.
12:12And then how great can miles be in different hands?
12:15Uh, when you see that, what do you think?
12:18Do you think there's, there's like still some meat left on the bone that the Browns weren't
12:21able to get with miles that maybe exist with the Rams and that setup?
12:28Yeah, Connor's great with that stuff.
12:30Like I, I would say like, honestly, I, I, I don't know where his next level would be.
12:37Um, but I know Chris Shula is really, really good.
12:40And I know going to play for Chris Shula and being on a defensive front with Kobe Turner
12:46and Braden Fisk and Byron Young, uh, is really going to put him in a position, I think, where
12:52his talents are going to be highlighted.
12:55Um, and the Rams, interestingly enough, I think have like a, they have, they have avenues
13:02to make offenses pay for overcompensating to block miles Garrett in a way I don't, the
13:09Browns ever have because of the talent on their front.
13:12Right.
13:12And that would have obviously been more so had, um, I think it would have been even more
13:17so had, uh, Jared Burr stuck around, but even as it is like just the broad talent they
13:23have in that, you know, in that, in that area, I, the way I look at it, at least, um,
13:30they,
13:30they have a chance to, to get a really special year out of miles Garrett because of what they
13:35can put around them.
13:37Albert, it's been an interesting 48 hours of hearing from the Browns about Brennan
13:41Soresby yesterday at the golf event.
13:44Uh, Todd Munkin seemed to shoot down the idea of getting in on, on, uh, Soresby.
13:49Should he go the supplemental route today?
13:51Uh, Andrew Barry kind of skirted around the issue there.
13:56Uh, what's, what's your read on maybe the Browns interest if Brennan Soresby hits the supplemental
14:01draft this summer?
14:03I didn't think about it.
14:05I mean, I, like, I, I think it really depends on how you feel.
14:08Now I've talked to some people who think like if he were back in school and I, and I don't
14:14like, it sounds like, unless like they get some real home cooking from the judge, which
14:19is always possible, right.
14:20In these, in these, uh, in these courts, um, it's going to be, he doesn't get the
14:28injunction.
14:28He goes in the supplemental draft.
14:30Some teams view him as a guy who had a chance to go inside the top five in 2027.
14:35If he had a good year at Texas tech, um, he's back in the middle of the draft.
14:38That sort of talent.
14:40So like Robin, the Browns or anybody else, and, and I'm, what I'm doing is I'm sitting
14:45down and I'm watching him and I'm comparing him to Fernando Mendoza and I'm watching him
14:51and I'm comparing him to Dante Moore, to Arch Manning, to CJ Carr.
14:56I want to know where this kid is versus those other guys.
14:59And then I'm determining what I want to do, because if there's a chance to get this guy
15:04for say a second round pick, and then you're freed up.
15:09I mean, think about it this way, guys.
15:11What if like, what if Brendan Sorsby is, I don't know, Patrick Mahomes.
15:18I'm not like, and I know that's an extreme idea, right?
15:20Or Caleb Williams, because that's the style of player he is.
15:24Let's say he's like that sort of player.
15:26You take, you get them with the second round pick.
15:29You know what that does is it now frees you up.
15:32Maybe you get Jeremiah Smith in the first round 2027, because you don't need a quarterback
15:38anymore.
15:39You know, it's that sort of thing.
15:41Or maybe you get one of the pass rushers, like the kid from Texas, Colin Simmons, or
15:45Dylan Stewart from South Carolina.
15:47I mean, the idea that you could get, you could take care of a quarterback now, and you're
15:53freed up with all these unbelievable position player prospects, right?
15:57Non-quarterback prospects that are going to be next year's draft.
16:00I think it would be tantalizing to anybody.
16:03So having the opportunity to pull something like that off would be plenty of motivation for
16:10me, if it were me in the seat, to take a really hard look at Ben Brendan Soares being
16:13and see if he's that good.
16:15Albert, you're that good.
16:17Great stuff on the Miles story this entire way.
16:19Great stuff today.
16:20We appreciate you, bud.
16:22All right.
16:23Thanks, guys.
16:23We can save my victory lap for next week, Ben.
16:25All right.
16:26Just did it turn into a whole month long.
16:28Albert Breer there.
Comments