00:00Who's Washington's 2026 breakout player?
00:05You know, a player that suddenly performs at a much higher level than they've ever performed at before.
00:17You know, you can take a player who's been an average player, a player who's even played well, and say
00:26this is going to be, you know, an all-pro, Pro Bowl kind of a season, his breakout season.
00:32You can take somebody who's barely seen the field and said, this player has been a backup to the backups,
00:40and he's going to actually be a major contributor to the team this year.
00:473012300980.
00:48I'm going to hit you with a couple of names because I've mentioned them a few times.
00:53I feel really good about two players this year and their opportunity and then their talent to sort of match
00:59it.
00:59And I think the fit in the schemes, I'll start on offense, but Chigakonkwo has not been to a Pro
01:06Bowl.
01:07You know, Chigakonkwo has not been a household name in this league as a tight end, not even close.
01:13You know, he has been buried in Tennessee, playing 17 games a season.
01:18The most catches he's had was last year, 56 catches for 560 yards, two touchdowns.
01:26The most touchdowns he's had in a year was three, his rookie season.
01:30He's got eight touchdowns total for his career in four years.
01:35Chigakonkwo is a guy that I think is a legitimate pass-catching tight end in a good offense with a
01:44good quarterback where he is featured and gets the targets.
01:48If he gets the targets, I think this guy could easily end up with 75-plus catches, which would be
01:55easily a record for him, and to push 900, 1,000-plus yards and six, seven touchdowns, eight touchdowns on
02:06a year, to actually be in consideration to be a Pro Bowler, to be a potential All-Pro.
02:12Look, there's some good tight ends in this league.
02:13There's some good tight ends in the NFC.
02:15I think Chigakonkwo is going to be a name that people know.
02:20In free agency, you had to be a hardcore NFL fan to know who Chigakonkwo was.
02:25Most did not.
02:27He's number one on my list.
02:30301-230-0980.
02:32If you want to give me your number one candidate to break out in 2026.
02:39Again, a player who suddenly becomes much more than he was before.
02:48It's that simple.
02:49From average to great.
02:53From obscure to significant playing time and a significant contributor.
02:59The other one I've mentioned multiple times, and I'll mention again, is Nick Cross.
03:03Nick Cross hasn't been a star in Indianapolis.
03:06By the way, like Chigakonkwo, a Maryland guy, A.
03:10B, a guy that just doesn't miss games.
03:12He missed one game as a rookie, and he's played three straight years of playing all 17 games.
03:19Doesn't have a Pro Bowl appearance.
03:22Isn't on any list of the best safeties in the game.
03:26Nobody really knew who Nick Cross was in free agency.
03:29The casual fan, and even the hardcore NFL fan, probably didn't know a lot about Nick Cross.
03:35I think he is exceptional as an in-the-box tackling safety.
03:40He's very high IQ.
03:42He is versatile, and I think the scheme will fit him well.
03:48Those are the two players for me.
03:52Chigakonkwo and Nick Cross are going to be two players that we're talking about next year
03:57where everybody knows who we're talking about around the league.
04:02Like the top 10 tight end list.
04:04Maybe not in the top 10, but honorable mention.
04:08Chig will be on the list.
04:10Nick Cross might not be a top 10 safety on the ESPN top 10 list this time next year,
04:16but he'll be honorable mention.
04:18Both have a chance to have good seasons, and it would make sense that they do.
04:24Year five, starting to come into their prime.
04:26Perfect opportunity.
04:28Good fit scheme-wise.
04:30They'll be featured.
04:31Certainly Chig will.
04:33And these guys don't miss games historically.
04:35They're going to be available.
04:37They're going to be out there.
04:38There are a couple of others that I wrote down, but those are my top two.
04:45Go ahead, Max.
04:47Who do you got?
04:47So this player has not been mentioned yet, and there are a lot of additions along the defensive
04:53end of this ball or defensive side of the ball on this portion of the line.
04:58I think Johnny Newton is going to be a breakout guy or is a breakout candidate for me going
05:02into this year.
05:03A lot of additions, like I said, with Charles Amenehu, Caleb on chase on Odafe Owe, all
05:09these guys.
05:10I think that Johnny Newton is going to benefit greatly from that.
05:14There are a lot of concerns with Deron Payne, how he's going to perform this year.
05:18I hope that we get contract year Deron, but I'm not entirely sure.
05:22But Johnny also said something in the offseason about a big confidence boost that he kind
05:29of got in that three-sack game he had against the Cowboys on Christmas.
05:33Year one was a little rough.
05:34He was trying to just kind of build his strength back.
05:37He had a three-sack game against the Cowboys on Christmas?
05:38Yeah, he did.
05:39He did?
05:40Yeah, he did.
05:40And people forgot about it immediately.
05:42Immediately, but I mean, I'm now remembering it a little bit, but if you had said to me,
05:48name the guy that had a three-sack game on Christmas against the Cowboys, I would never
05:54have gotten Johnny Newton.
05:56Yeah, me, honestly, me neither until I started.
05:58But we were excited about it in the moment.
06:01Yeah.
06:01Yeah.
06:01Year one for him, I think he was just still trying to work back because he got double foot
06:05surgery.
06:06So working back from that is next to impossible.
06:09And then the next season was him basically another rookie year for him, getting comfortable
06:15with his body again.
06:16So I think this towards the end of year two, he was getting a lot of that confidence back.
06:21So year three, a healthy offseason, a new scheme that I think he's going to benefit greatly
06:26from with his speed and his power.
06:28Just yeah, I really think that Johnny Newton can get a lot of stuff done for this defensive
06:33line this upcoming season.
06:35So he's my guy to watch.
06:36I like that one.
06:38I like that one a lot.
06:38I had him on my larger list.
06:41You know, they had six sacks in that game against Dak Prescott on Christmas Day.
06:47They didn't win the game.
06:48They were in the game.
06:49Josh Johnson, remember, was the starting quarterback.
06:53But my God, Johnny Newton had three sacks.
06:55Yeah.
06:56All right.
06:57301-230-0980.
07:00We've got a line open if you want to jump on.
07:02Who's the player on Washington's roster that you think will break out in 2026?
07:09A player who suddenly performs at a much higher level.
07:15That can be from obscurity to significant contributor.
07:19That can be from average to great.
07:22That can be from good to elite.
07:26If you want to do it that way.
07:29301-230-0980.
07:31Let's start with Ross in Tampa.
07:33Ross, go ahead.
07:35Kevin, what's good in the hood?
07:37What's up, Ross?
07:38How are you?
07:39I'm doing good, man.
07:40Thank you for taking the call.
07:41I appreciate it.
07:42So, I called Max with one guy.
07:44But as I was waiting, my mind changed.
07:46But I'll talk about him anyway.
07:48Ben Sennett, this year with the new offense that they got going on,
07:52I think it'll finally be what we expected, which was Adam Peters' vision,
07:56not Cliff Kingsbury, where he can be that fullback slash H-back tight end.
08:01It just sucks that he doesn't have, like, that last name when he makes a play
08:04that the fans can just, you know what I'm saying, like Cooley or Husechek,
08:08you know what I'm saying?
08:09But, no, this guy right here, he's not even a lock to make the team right now,
08:13but it's kind of – you heard it here first.
08:15You got to write it down if you want to see.
08:16I think Cynett's a lock to make the team, don't you?
08:19No, no, no, no, no.
08:20Yeah.
08:20The main guy.
08:20Oh, okay.
08:21You're getting to your next player.
08:22My fault.
08:23Yeah.
08:24You're good.
08:24You're good.
08:25Drew Stevens.
08:27I forgot what game it was last year.
08:28It was raining.
08:29It was cold.
08:31Oregon.
08:31Oregon.
08:32Oregon.
08:33Oregon.
08:33Yeah, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon.
08:34Yeah.
08:34I'm like, oh, my goodness.
08:36When we got him, I'm looking back at his kicking in Iowa.
08:39I think he makes a team.
08:40I think if it's neck and neck between he and Jake Moody,
08:43they're going to go with the younger, cheaper option, upside.
08:46If you guys have kickers in your fantasy football league,
08:48he'll be the first one off the board in about three, five years.
08:51You heard it here first.
08:53Drew Stevens wins the kicking battle.
08:54He makes a team.
08:55And he's going to be that breakout player to where, like, you know,
08:58it's a close game.
08:59You see him warming up.
09:00And you know we're going to make that field goal.
09:02He's going to have that confidence, man.
09:03I feel it in my bones.
09:06That would be interesting.
09:08I mean, you know, there have been rookie kickers,
09:11but more often than not,
09:12kickers have to fail a few times before they end up somewhere in a spot
09:16where it works for them.
09:17And maybe this is the spot for Jake Moody, you know,
09:21being in Washington after being in San Francisco, Chicago.
09:25Remember,
09:25he had the game winner on Monday Night Football against Washington last year.
09:29Yeah, Drew Stevens had a game against Oregon on just one of those,
09:35you know, late October rain, you know,
09:40seeing every player's breath at the line of scrimmage where it's,
09:43you know, 35 degrees and gray and just,
09:47and he hit one big kick after another.
09:52Kevin in Arlington.
09:53Kevin, go ahead.
09:54The player that you see breaking out in 2026.
09:59Hey, Kevin, thank you for taking my call.
10:02I think it's going to be the most talented young player in the secondary.
10:05I think it's going to be Trey Amos.
10:07I think he can do it all.
10:11I think he's a true boundary corner.
10:14I'm not going to say it's a shutdown corner, way too early for that.
10:17But I think,
10:19I think he just checks all the boxes.
10:22And of course, your good friend, Sean Springs,
10:25I believe said the first time he saw him, he didn't want to play.
10:30I like Trey Amos to be sort of the best young player in the secondary.
10:34I hope I'm right.
10:35You know,
10:36you know,
10:36what's interesting about corners is that historically,
10:40historically,
10:41they have needed some time.
10:43It's a difficult position to play at the NFL level.
10:46You're required to do a lot more coverages are different in the NFL schemes are
10:52different.
10:53Every play is different.
10:55You're not necessarily in star treatment,
10:58you know,
10:58just following the best receiver around the field.
11:01But what's interesting,
11:02Kevin,
11:03as I say that in recent years,
11:05we've seen explosion early in their careers from guys like Pat Sertan,
11:13from Christian Gonzalez,
11:14from Derek Stingley Jr.,
11:16from Witherspoon in Seattle,
11:19you know,
11:19Quinion Mitchell in Philadelphia.
11:21It hasn't taken a lot of time in recent years for corners.
11:27So,
11:27I mean,
11:28I think his story,
11:29like Sauce Gardner,
11:30even with the Jets,
11:31it was pretty obvious early on.
11:33So it,
11:34like,
11:34I think that I have fallen into the old school,
11:40the way it was sort of described to me by people,
11:44corner is a tough position to learn.
11:46You got to give it time.
11:47Sean Springs used to say that.
11:49You got to give it time.
11:50It's not running back where you just plug and play.
11:53There's a lot of thinking at the position.
11:56There's a lot of adjusting.
11:57And yet,
11:58in recent years,
11:59man,
12:00these guys have come into the league and within two years,
12:03two years,
12:04they've been stars.
12:06So we'll see if Trey Amos is going to be,
12:09you know,
12:09one of those upper tier corners.
12:11Maybe we don't have to wait as long.
12:14I mean,
12:14I'm looking through the list.
12:15I just pulled up the list of the top 10 corners on that ESPN list.
12:19Listen to this.
12:20I mean,
12:20literally Sertan was good.
12:23Immediately.
12:24Stingley Jr.
12:25Pretty,
12:25pretty much immediately.
12:27Uh,
12:29Gonzalez good.
12:29Immediately.
12:30Devin Witherspoon.
12:31Good.
12:31Immediately.
12:32Quinn,
12:33Quinn,
12:33John Mitchell.
12:33Some of these guys I just ripped off.
12:35They're all on the top 10 list.
12:37Sauce Gardner's all the way down.
12:38Cooper DeGene.
12:39Good immediately as a rookie.
12:42So,
12:43hopefully we can see it from Trey Amos here in year two.
12:47And I think we saw some of it last year.
12:50I think he showed some ability for sure.
12:55All right.
12:55Uh,
12:56301-230-0980.
12:58Kevin,
12:58thanks for the call as always.
12:59301-230-0980.
13:02We've got an open line or two if you want to jump on.
13:04I want the player that's going to break out.
13:07The player that you believe is going to jump into a totally different category of player
13:14in 2026 from our roster.
13:17We've got an open line or two if you want to jump into a little bit of a little bit
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