00:00B, I did want to have a conversation, though.
00:02As, you know, we're in the camp and we're talking about these receivers.
00:08There's no way you can keep eight receivers, right?
00:12Just the math on your 53?
00:15Possibly.
00:16How?
00:22You would have to limit receiver, I mean running back or tight end,
00:28something like that.
00:30So I think, especially with the Bates injury kind of lingering,
00:34I think you've got to keep four tight ends.
00:36Because Sennett and Yankoff will play every special teams you have.
00:40You know what I mean?
00:41Like those guys are really valuable in lots of places.
00:44Chig's obviously making the team.
00:45Bates is obviously making the team.
00:47Shout out to Greg Abernathy for the Chick-fil-A.
00:49Thank you very much, pal.
00:50But, like, does one of those receivers become more of a special teams guy
00:56that can do all kinds of stuff for you?
00:58But, you know, I think six, possibly seven is top.
01:02Six is normal.
01:04Like, if you're doing a traditional 25-25-3 split, six would be normal.
01:08That's because, see, this is where I think us as fans, me, we screw up.
01:13We want to keep everybody because we like everybody.
01:15Right.
01:15Can't keep everybody.
01:17So you've got to look at who's the best.
01:18Okay?
01:20I know people are starting to try and knock Jalen for what?
01:23You saw what he did last year, returning punts?
01:25He can change something for you in an instant.
01:29So I think Jalen's on there.
01:32They got some tough decisions this year.
01:34So what's interesting, Jalen's punt return ability, to me, keeps him on the roster.
01:40Yeah.
01:40I think if that wasn't the case, he might be in the most danger.
01:45Just from an offensive standpoint, he hasn't had the best camp of a lot of these other guys.
01:51But the punt return ability is so significant for a team that takes special teams seriously.
01:58Not all teams do.
02:00I think his return ability, he can do both of them.
02:03Okay?
02:04And I think when you can do both of them, I've stayed around 14 years doing both of them,
02:08that that makes a hell of a difference.
02:10Because what happens with the average fan, they dismiss special teams.
02:15But if you talk to any damn coach, they know that guy that can give you great field position
02:22and those guys that can go and give the other team bad field position,
02:26that is even vitally more important than sometimes how good your offense, your defense is.
02:31Because if your offense has a shorter field to go, you're going to score more points.
02:34100%.
02:35If your defense have a longer field to protect, you're going to normally stop them from getting points.
02:39100%.
02:40Yeah.
02:41I think when you look at the receiver position, right,
02:44and let's hope it's not the case, but unfortunately, injuries tend to make decisions change.
02:51Like, it's August 12th.
02:53You still have a month and a day until the first game.
02:56Odds are that an injury here or there will emerge over the next three weeks of August
03:01that will impact the receiver conversation.
03:05But, like, for me, I always try to separate knowns from unknowns.
03:08Known roster spots.
03:10Terry McLaurin.
03:11Yep.
03:11Stephon Diggs.
03:12Yep.
03:13Antonio Williams.
03:14Yep.
03:14Trey Burks.
03:16Yep.
03:16I would say.
03:17Now, Burks has dealt with a ton of injuries over his career.
03:20Yeah.
03:21If he gets through healthy.
03:22I can tell you this.
03:23I'm going to say it like this.
03:24They want Trey Burks to make this thing.
03:26Totally.
03:26Because he gives something different.
03:28But he's going to have to go out there and take it.
03:30So that's four knowns, right?
03:33Or even, like, you could say roster locks are McLaurin, Diggs, Williams, and then a roster almost lock is Burks.
03:39Maybe he's a tier down in far of, as far as, like, definitely on this roster, but he's right there.
03:45When you look at De'Ami and Van, I think those are two of the same.
03:50You got to make a decision out of one of them.
03:53So, De'Ami and Van are really, really interesting.
03:56And I think both have had a good camp.
03:58Like, I don't know.
03:59Now, De'Ami, six foot, two bills, has real speed.
04:03Van has a little more size.
04:06They list him at 6'1".
04:08I almost thought he was taller than that.
04:10I mean, they are pretty damn similar.
04:12I would think, but don't know, but think.
04:15I mean, they're about the same age.
04:17Like, there's just a lot going on here.
04:20I guess Van is oddly older.
04:23I think he was in college during, like, kind of the COVID era.
04:27De'Ami's 26.
04:28Van is 30.
04:29De'Ami's been here before, played with Jaden before.
04:33I don't know that that makes a huge difference.
04:36But, so, you got McLaurin, Diggs, Williams, Burks.
04:41Van and De'Ami, six.
04:43Luke and Lane is eight.
04:44And if we think Lane has a spot because he's a punt returner,
04:49that's five with Luke, De'Ami, and Van still left.
04:53I'm going to be honest with you, Jay.
04:54I'm going to say this, and you may not agree.
04:56I don't know if Burk is a lock.
04:58Yeah.
04:59You know, we got to remember.
05:01We just had one of the kids last year that stayed hurt.
05:03Got hurt early and stayed hurt.
05:05Noah Brown?
05:06Noah Brown was the guy that came along and was hurt all the time.
05:09I think Burks is going to have to win the job, not just be given one.
05:14Agreed.
05:14I would say he's on track to do that.
05:18But he also has to stay healthy.
05:20Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
05:21I think we're just, I think we're really far away from knowing how that receiver room shakes out.
05:27Question for you.
05:30Do you believe you could get a guy like De'Ami back to your practice squad, or do you think
05:38you lose him?
05:42I think De'Ami has enough.
05:44He's done enough to where somebody will try to pull him onto their team.
05:48Especially if another team hasn't.
05:49Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
05:51De'Ami's making about 1.7.
05:54So it's not a lot of money.
05:55That's his base?
05:56Yeah, that's, I think, all in.
05:57Did he get anything signing?
05:59Probably not a lot.
06:01I'll pull it.
06:03Van Jefferson makes less.
06:07Okay.
06:08That's last year.
06:09So he's, I mean, he made a lot of money from the Jags.
06:14But, like, his current deal, yeah, there's not a lot of cash here.
06:191.2 is the base, and then about 500K in bonuses.
06:24So not a lot of cash there.
06:26Certainly a contract you can move on from.
06:28Then Van Jefferson's in a pretty similar boat.
06:34Jefferson's probably making the same base.
06:37I wonder if that's the minimum base for guys of their years accrued.
06:411.2, less bonus even.
06:45So, like, I think we'll have this conversation, like,
06:49could you get Van Jefferson back to your practice squad?
06:52And maybe they will feel they can or can't.
06:57But, like, contractually, what their marketplaces were would suggest maybe you can.
07:03Mm-hmm.
07:05And I think with guys like, I think Luke's had a good camp.
07:08Would you agree with that?
07:09Yeah.
07:10I think you'd still like to keep Luke around going into the third year of his rookie deal.
07:16Luke's also shown you a lot as a kick returner.
07:19Mm-hmm.
07:19That for, again, a team that takes their – now, Luke as a kick returner has not shown as much
07:24as Lane as a punt returner.
07:26Yeah.
07:26But, like, I do think you really like your return game with those two players.
07:30Yeah.
07:31And they're giving you value in another way that I don't think De'Ami and Van are going to.
07:36But the more efficient way, if you've got one guy that can do both of them, that's more efficient than
07:40having two guys.
07:41For sure.
07:41For sure.
07:42So, that's when you have to decide which one is the best.
07:47It's – the bottom of that receiver room is a really interesting kind of thing to watch.
07:52What's crazy is, of all the guys we mentioned, I'm not even – who gets more snaps Friday night, De
08:00'Ami or Van?
08:01We said that yesterday, and I told you.
08:03I think it's by evil.
08:04They're going to try to find out which one.
08:06It might not be many either.
08:08They'll get some.
08:10Sure.
08:10Because, listen, that is one part of this team that you've got to make a decision on.
08:16So, I believe that those two guys are going to get enough work.
08:20The other thing going on out here is the kicking situation.
08:25And, you know, Drew Stevens had separated himself for a little while.
08:31Until the other day.
08:32Yeah.
08:33Now, he still only has like five or six misses throughout camp.
08:37Moody, I think, is now up in double-digit misses throughout camp.
08:40You wonder what's going on in Moody's head at this point where –
08:44I don't.
08:44You know, this is what your job – this is the profession you chose.
08:48See, outside of this profession, it seems cutthroat as hell.
08:53But everybody that chooses knows what you're dealing with.
08:56You can be the baddest dude one day and be out of that thing the next.
09:01And you got to live with that.
09:04You know, so if you're going to stay around, you better stay on top of your game.
09:11You slip and give somebody a little space, they're going to slide right on in.
09:14Yeah, absolutely.
09:16It'd be hard for me to say Stevens isn't out in front in the kicker battle.
09:22Yeah.
09:22And you're not keeping two kickers.
09:23Maybe you keep – would you keep another kicker on your practice squad?
09:26Or do you just know there's an army of dudes out there you can sign?
09:28Listen, bro, I wouldn't keep one on the practice squad because not having them on the practice squad is the
09:35same thing.
09:36They're still working.
09:37Right.
09:37You know, I'll have somebody in another position on the practice squad.
09:41Save that for one of these wideouts.
09:43Yeah.
09:44One thing that's going to be really interesting Friday night is watching Hartman and Caliak Manis.
09:49Yeah.
09:49I think we're going to see a lot of them.
09:51And maybe those dudes are gamers.
09:53Maybe they're going to look better in games than maybe they have in practice.
09:56We'll find out.
09:57Yeah.
09:57Cadillac has made a couple nice throws.
09:59Hartman had, I think, the first real deep ball of camp.
10:05There's so much left to unfold.
10:07We are – football's crazy because we're all so addicted to it that we get so amped up when it
10:12starts.
10:12And you have to remind yourselves, like, we're barely even at the starting line.
10:17Like, in NASCAR, like the pit where all the drivers are hanging out before they get in the cars, like,
10:24that's where we are.
10:25The race hadn't even started.
10:26Yeah.
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