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00:00Hello, Charles. How are you?
00:02I'm doing well, fellas. How are you guys doing today?
00:04We are well.
00:05It's really slow. The Browns, they never have any news.
00:11So we were just kicking around in the last hour.
00:14Should the Browns be looking for a quarterback at the trade deadline,
00:18or are they good to go with what they have?
00:22The big picture.
00:24They're 5-3. Should they be buyers or sellers here at the trade deadline?
00:28I will tell you, I think they are buyers.
00:36I don't think it's anything splashy.
00:39I think it's selectively aggressive.
00:44I think what I would expect is if they make moves,
00:49it'll be a move, like a smallish move,
00:54but a solid move to try and enhance protection.
00:56So whether that's a depth piece on the line
01:00or if you can find a tight end out there who can block,
01:06there's that avenue that they could go.
01:09And then I think from a defensive standpoint,
01:14like most teams out there,
01:16I think they would try to figure out what can we add to the mix
01:19to help the pass rush.
01:22So that's – and frankly, it's the kind of move that if you're selectively
01:29buying like that, you believe – A, you believe in your record right now,
01:32right?
01:32So you're sitting there saying, like, we are looking at this 5-3 like it's real.
01:37We're planning on being in the mix down the stretch.
01:40You're also saying, you know, the division is still accessible to us.
01:44Technically, it means accessible to everybody,
01:46but even Baltimore at 4-4.
01:48So I think that's – you know, if Browns fans see this, you know, take heart.
01:54It shows that management and the coaching staff believes that this team
01:58is constructed to compete all the way through.
02:01I don't think quarterback is something they'd address.
02:03I think between Shadour and Dillon, I think they feel like they're okay.
02:10And nobody's going to come in at this stage and operate Todd's offense better
02:14than the people that have been functioning in it since camp.
02:18So – but, yeah, I don't think they're sellers.
02:20I think they feel like they've earned the right to be careful buyers.
02:23Are they hanging on to four quarterbacks on the active roster, though,
02:26after the 10th?
02:29I mean, I don't – I think, yeah.
02:33What else – what other avenue do you see?
02:36I don't know.
02:36I just – for me, I just – I just find it silly to hang on to four quarter.
02:41I think the Steelers are silly, too.
02:42Like, if – and, again, I know, what are you upgrading with?
02:45Well, you're probably updating with a guy that's going to play special teams
02:48or something like that or somebody who can probably, you know,
02:52give you something more than a fourth quarterback
02:54because I just think the way the rules are set up,
02:56that you have that third-string emergency quarterback on Sundays
03:01that they gift you that position on Sunday.
03:03So, I just – I wonder why you would hang on to four quarterbacks, that's all.
03:07Because there's nobody you can get to the practice squad,
03:10and they feel like there's value in all the guys that they, you know,
03:15currently have rostered.
03:16I understand where you're coming from.
03:18Like, I totally get it.
03:19And I'm sure they understand that line of thinking that if there is someone
03:23who can come in and help you out on special teams
03:26and maybe be a depth piece somewhere on the roster, you know, that's great.
03:32That's awesome to have.
03:34But I think they also are staring at the realities of what's going to come
03:40in this offseason at quarterback
03:41and trying to figure out exactly what's there to work with,
03:47with all these guys.
03:49And I think if they felt like they could sneak somebody to the practice squad,
03:53they would.
03:53But I don't think that's going to happen.
03:54I think anybody that they would expose would get plucked by, you know,
03:59somebody else in the league.
04:00So, I get it.
04:02Totally understand where you're coming from.
04:04But it's just sort of the reality that they've put themselves in at the
04:08quarterback spot and not wanting to give up on anything until they feel like
04:13they've firmly grasped what they have to do this offseason with those guys.
04:18The movement at quarterback and that whole thing, obviously,
04:20we all know it's going to happen in the offseason.
04:23That's going to get sussed out.
04:27But, yeah, the funny thing is, too, when you bring that up,
04:31wanting to have that extra piece, especially when you're in the playoff mix,
04:36right, when you're competing down the stretch.
04:38Like, you want every single available usable asset
04:43and certainly three quarterbacks sitting behind a starter,
04:46not usable asset.
04:47So, if Shador Sanders starts on Sunday, what do you expect?
04:53Yeah, I mean, it's – so, I think if he starts, what you'll probably see Todd do
04:59is he's going to sit there and he's going to say, all right,
05:02let's tailor the game plan to Shador's comfort level.
05:05So, let's figure out what are his best practice concepts.
05:10You know, what have we practiced that he really likes?
05:13He's obviously taking first-team reps.
05:15He's getting in extra walkthroughs.
05:19And so, I think you just figure out how do we tailor this to, you know,
05:23give him the best shot just to be comfortable out there.
05:26I think you probably want to be selective with, like, downfield aggression.
05:31You know, he'll – Shador's obviously shown he'll attack downfield,
05:35even if, you know, he's dealing with pressure.
05:37He's willing to do that.
05:38I just think you have to be, again, be selective about it
05:43because of the turnover factor.
05:44They're – I think, you know, the running game's got to carry –
05:49running game and protection has to carry extra weight.
05:52Like, what was his sack – I mean, I think his sack percentage
05:54was, like, almost 10% of his dropbacks last year.
05:59So, that just emphasizes that you've got to be able to run the ball.
06:03And you should, frankly, you should be able to run the ball against New Orleans.
06:10And, you know, and then I think you just tailor a lot – you know,
06:12screens, quick outlets, just things that alleviate – get the ball out of his hand,
06:17alleviate, you know, pressure and problems that come with pressure.
06:21So, it's interesting.
06:23I'm sure for the Browns, the best-case scenario is that
06:28Deshaun clears the protocol and starts.
06:30But I'm kind of – from the cheap seats, sitting here watching,
06:34I'm kind of intrigued.
06:35Like, I'm like, all right, I kind of want to see Shador.
06:36Like, I'm curious.
06:37Yeah, we're a little curious, too.
06:39Yeah, you know, it'll – I think everybody's curious.
06:42I mean, what will this look like if he actually gets a real opportunity
06:47to go out and function for a full game in this offense?
06:50Do you think Kirk Cousins is available?
06:53He is.
06:54He is.
06:55For the right price.
06:56Okay.
06:57So, what I was told yesterday was – I think you could get him for a third-round pick,
07:05which is rich.
07:09But, you know – and I think the team, realistically, that should really pursue him,
07:14it's the Vikings because he can walk right into Kevin O'Connell's offense.
07:18He knows it.
07:19He's, you know, he's literally maybe one of the only quarterbacks that Kevin O'Connell
07:26could trade for right now and has exactly what Kevin wants,
07:30which is walk into the line of scrimmage with a couple of plays, you know,
07:33the play in his head and a couple of plays in his back pocket
07:36and be able to pull that off.
07:37Like, Kyler Murray can't even do that right now.
07:38So – but the Raiders are not – when I went through Raiders camp,
07:45I talked to Spitech at length, John Spitech, the GM.
07:47I talked to him at length about the plan with Fernando Mendoza, and I'm like,
07:51look, you know, can Mendoza affect this?
07:55Like, what keeps Mendoza on the bench?
07:57And he kept referencing Kansas City when Alex Smith was there and Patrick Mahomes.
08:02He's not trying to compare the players, but he's like, look,
08:04they were in the playoff mix all the way to the end,
08:07and that allowed them to keep Mahomes parked in the garage.
08:11That's what they would like to do with Mendoza as long as possible.
08:14Well, they're obviously still kind of in the playoff mix there.
08:18So I don't think they're shopping Kirk at all, but I think they have a price.
08:24And from what I was told, if you come to the table with third,
08:26you're probably getting Cousins.
08:30Do you think that – you said if you're buying the five and three with the Browns,
08:35are you buying the five and three?
08:41I am – I'm curious, you know, look, the Pittsburgh game, obviously, that was –
08:46we talked about this last week.
08:48I thought that was a big opportunity.
08:49It was certainly disappointing to see how they played.
08:53I wonder now with Deshaun in the concussion protocol, like in my mind,
08:59obviously, it goes to, like, did that affect – like, would – you know,
09:04I know there weren't symptoms or whatever, but you wonder, like,
09:07was his play affected by this, even though it didn't show up until later in the week?
09:12Was there maybe an in-game issue that – and I don't think he would admit that.
09:17I don't think the team would admit that.
09:18So we won't really know, but it certainly causes me to wonder.
09:22The biggest thing with the Browns that I don't like when you look at them –
09:26I mean, the point differential is really – it stinks.
09:29You know, you're last in your division in point differential at negative 34.
09:35I don't like that they can't run the football.
09:38Like, they just can't get it on track, which is – you can't survive.
09:42I don't think you can compete in the AFC North down the stretch
09:45if you cannot find a way to control tempo and run the football
09:51and enforce how you want to play the game on opposing defenses.
09:56So I – but, you know, I think the five and three is emblematic of some real things.
10:02The fact that Deshaun is functionally better than he has been in the past,
10:08that, you know, some of these young guys that they've drafted, you know,
10:12the two wide receivers are able to contribute pretty quickly.
10:16The defense is still really good.
10:19Still probably not where they want it to be, and I'm still waiting on Jared Verse.
10:26But I think it's a legitimate stride in the right direction.
10:29I don't know if the Browns will be a playoff team this year.
10:32But I think it's a positive stride, and this comes down to –
10:37and you guys can probably answer this – I mean, how greedy do Cleveland fans want to be?
10:40Like, are they going to be pissed if they don't make the playoffs?
10:43Like, is that going to be – or are Cleveland fans going to look at this and go,
10:47you know what, the roster's in pretty good shape.
10:49We took a good step here.
10:52Now let's fix the quarterback situation for a long period.
10:55Yeah, I'll take the first.
10:56I think they're going to be steamed.
11:00I don't – you know, I think that's just fans.
11:04I think that's NFL fans.
11:05I think, you know, you can come into the season going, we're probably going to be 5-12.
11:10And then if you go 8-9, you're like, blah.
11:14Charles, what's going on in Baltimore?
11:17You know, you lose Lamar, and is he out for the year?
11:21I don't know, maybe, likely.
11:23Tyler Huntley's out for the year.
11:25Has Lamar finished up his Baltimore Ravens portion of his career?
11:30I don't think so.
11:32You know, I wrote on this, and he's finished if he wants to be.
11:38Like, that's – the thing is, he's got the no-trade clause.
11:42He has to sign off on any trade.
11:44He's got the no-tag clause.
11:47Yes, he carries a cap charge of $84-plus million next year,
11:51which is really, really difficult for the Ravens to deal with.
11:56But they don't have a choice.
11:57They're just going to have to figure out – if they cannot get an extension done with him,
12:01they'll have to use void years and go in and tune up other contracts
12:05to find the finances to be able to keep that roster together.
12:09But I just don't believe – unless Lamar says, hey, you know what?
12:15I want to go to Minnesota.
12:16Like, unless he says – let's say there's – I'll just dream cast here for a second.
12:21Let's say that Matt Stafford, Matthew Stafford, retires after the season,
12:25and he says, you know what?
12:27I want to go play in L.A. for Sean McVay,
12:29and, you know, they can figure out what to do with Ty Simpson or whatever.
12:34I just don't think he's – I don't think he's done that.
12:36What I think is going to happen is Lamar's put himself in a position
12:39where he can be a free agent after the 2027 season.
12:42I think that's what he's going to do.
12:43And I wrote this piece sort of laying this out, and I made the point of, like,
12:49well, even if Baltimore could move off him, then what?
12:52It's a rebuild.
12:53It's like a rebuild.
12:54The way that roster is constructed, certain pieces, cornerstones,
12:57it's going to necessitate a rebuild, and now you don't have a quarterback to do it.
13:01And so I wrote this piece, and an executive read it, and he called me afterward,
13:06and I wish he would have called me before because I would have liked to have put it
13:08in the story, but he made a really good point.
13:11He said, look at Lamar's career as a football player.
13:16Every single time he's created leverage for himself, he's always used it.
13:19But so when he was in college and he refused to move to corner or, you know,
13:24wide receiver, running back, whatever else, he said, I'm going to be quarterback.
13:27He used that.
13:28You know, he's like he stuck to it.
13:30He stood on business through college.
13:31I'm going to be quarterback.
13:32When he came to the NFL, teams wanted, you know, there were some GMs that were like,
13:36maybe you want to get a look at him at wide receiver.
13:38Nope, I'm a quarterback.
13:39You can draft me as a quarterback.
13:40I'm going to play as a quarterback.
13:42I'm not going to have an agent.
13:43You don't like that.
13:44I don't care.
13:45I have a quarterback coach that maybe you think is kind of weird.
13:48I don't care.
13:50He's always stood on.
13:51Then in the last negotiation, he got to the point where they, you know,
13:56had to put a tag on him and he's like, I don't care.
13:58This is what I want.
13:59This is how I'm going to negotiate.
14:01You're going to give me the biggest contract in history.
14:02I wanted to wait to make sure I fully maximized it, stood on business,
14:06used his leverage, won.
14:09Now he's leveraged himself into a situation where he has a no trade and a no tag clause.
14:15But I'll ask you guys, he's always used it.
14:18And this is the point the executive made to me.
14:20He's always used his leverage right up to the wall.
14:23Why would he give it back now?
14:24Why would he tell the Ravens, sure, trade me?
14:26No, he's going to use it.
14:28He's going to be a free agent after the 2027 season.
14:30He's the highest paid quarterback in NFL history as long as he's healthy after the 2027 season.
14:35And someday somebody will write a book about him,
14:37and there should be a chapter about how he's handled his business.
14:41Let me throw this question at you because it's come up over the last two days.
14:45So Deshaun Watson's out with a concussion.
14:47The Browns have had a couple players this year that have had concussions on Sunday.
14:50It's been alerted on Sunday, and then they were able to come back to the next Sunday.
14:55I've heard a bunch of listeners, and I've read a little bit too,
14:59again, social media stuff, where they think that the Browns are trying to maybe manipulate the system
15:05so that they can have Shadur start this weekend.
15:08Can you just explain, especially because the Browns had the president of the NFL Physician Society
15:14on their sideline, Dr. Foose, who I think is really, really good.
15:19The Browns can't play games with concussions.
15:23And there are fans out there that think they're trying to manipulate the timing
15:27and whether Deshaun can play or not and all this or not.
15:30But can you just explain how difficult you think it is for a team to try to manipulate
15:35concussions knowing that it's also an independent physician that's looking at these guys
15:41and evaluating a concussion once it becomes a concussion?
15:44Does that make sense?
15:45Yeah, it's true.
15:46No, trust me.
15:47And particularly once it's classified.
15:49Once a player is in the protocol, it is very, very, very tightly watched.
15:56And not only that, I will tell you straight up, the ramifications of you don't even risk it.
16:03Like, if you're caught screwing around with concussions now, I mean, the fine and potential
16:09forfeiture of, I think, draft capital, it's real.
16:13Like, the league has been very, very transparent with teams about this.
16:17Like, this is not going to be a situation where we're going to be light-handed.
16:21You know, you don't think it'll be a first infraction.
16:24We're going to come in light on this.
16:25No, they're, if anything, I think they're almost extremely heavy-handed when you compare
16:32this to maybe some other things that go on in the league.
16:36And the thing is with Deshaun, too, that I would bring up, he flagged it.
16:42He brought it to me.
16:43Right.
16:43He told the team he was having issues.
16:45It wasn't like they were like, you know, well, let's drum something up, some scenario where
16:50we're going to check him again, and then all of a sudden we're going to say, wait a minute,
16:53you know, something's wrong here.
16:55I mean, he brought it to their attention.
16:56So, you know, maybe if it was some kind of weird reversal of that, and it was like, oh,
17:04the Browns ended up flagging it all of a sudden on Wednesday, then, or Monday, or whatever
17:10it is, then I would have a different thought process on that.
17:13But I'm just telling you guys, the teams are scared to death about screwing around with
17:20like concussions, particularly once the players in protocol now, because they know the league
17:24is up your rear end when it comes to making sure you're, you're not, you know, cooking
17:31the books on it.
17:32Charles, always a pleasure.
17:34Thank you, sir.
17:35We appreciate it.
17:36NFLbluebook.com.
17:38Go to Charles' website.
17:39It's outstanding.
17:40Sign up for his newsletter.
17:41It's also outstanding.
17:43Thank you very much, bud.
17:44Thanks, man.
17:45Thank you, gentlemen.
17:46Have a good weekend.
17:47You too.
17:47Charles joining us on the Wiseheart Wright, We Make It Right, call Kyle Wright hotline.
17:54Said the Browns should be buyers, Andy.
17:57Browns should be buyers and didn't think quarterback.
18:01So what should they buy?
18:03And what should they pay?
18:05It's Baskin and Phelps right here on The Fan.