In short
NFL Daily Podcast Summary: 40s and Free Agents - Ranking the Defensive Free Agents
Episode Overview In this episode of NFL Daily, hosts Gregg Rosenthal and Daniel Jeremiah delve into the top defensive free agents heading into the offseason. They provide an analysis and ranking of players across various positions, including edge rushers and defensive backs, discussing who might have the most significant impact next season.
Key Highlights
Introduction
- Gregg emphasizes the significance of free agency season, marking it as his "season".
- The hosts are preparing for the upcoming NFL combine and share insights into their ranking process for players.
Defensive Free Agent Rankings
- Edge Rushers
- Top Players:
- Jalen Phillips (ranked high for his youth and production)
- Trey Hendrickson (debated ranking due to age)
- Adafi Owe and Boye Mafe: Both are considered promising talents with different styles.
- Key Discussion Points:
- The depth available at the edge position in free agency.
- The balance between veteran experience (e.g., Hendrickson) and youthful potential (e.g., Phillips).
- Defensive Tackles
- Discussion around the thin market for younger defensive tackles.
- Highlighted players include Jonathan Franklin-Myers, DJ Reader, and Calais Campbell.
- Emphasis on teams needing to invest in solid run stoppers due to the current landscape of the NFL.
- Linebackers
- Acknowledgment of the value of linebackers in today’s game.
- Notable names: Devin Lloyd, N'Kobe Dean, and Leo Chanel.
- The hosts explore how teams have undervalued the linebacker position, despite their significant impact.
- Defensive Backs
- Top Cornerbacks:
- Jalen Watson, Jamel Dean, Tariq Wollin, and Elante Taylor discussed regarding their performance and potential contracts.
- The inconsistency in performance is noted, particularly for players like Dean and Wollin.
- Safeties
- Top Players: Brian Cook, Cam Curl, and Nick Cross are highlighted for their potential impact.
- Discussion on the general undervaluation of safeties despite many good options available in free agency.
General Insights
- The hosts reflect on the unpredictability of free agency and the challenges teams face while evaluating players.
- Emphasis on how teams will assess incoming players based on their fit within their systems rather than simply their previous performance stats.
- Acknowledgment of the depth present in this year's free agent class compared to previous years, especially in the 100-150 player rankings.
Conclusion The episode wraps up with a teaser for the upcoming discussions surrounding the NFL combine. The hosts emphasize that as the draft season approaches, the rankings will continue to evolve based on player performance and team needs.
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Key Takeaways
- Importance of Youth vs. Experience: Teams must weigh the benefits of youthful potential against the reliability of veterans.
- Market Trends: The current free agency landscape shows a trend of undervaluing certain positions, particularly linebackers and defensive backs.
- Pre-Draft Buzz: As the combine approaches, the excitement around scouting and evaluating talent will heighten, impacting free agency decisions.
For more insights and discussions on NFL free agents, tune into future episodes of NFL Daily!
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORanking Defensive Free Agents
4:50 to 14:04
Discussion on the top defensive free agents and their rankings.
“But I will say the other two guys in my top 10.”
Ranking Day Three Players and Linebackers
14:04 to 14:40
Discussion on the excitement surrounding third-round draft players and linebackers in free agency.
“Like we don't talk as passionately about the guys at the top of the draft.”
Market Corrections for Linebackers
14:40 to 17:20
Exploration of the value of linebackers and a potential market correction in their pay.
“I think a market correction is due for linebackers and tight ends.”
Evaluating Top Linebackers for Free Agency
17:20 to 21:00
Analysis of top linebackers in free agency and their potential impact on teams.
“Okay, I have Lloyd pretty high on my overall list, top 10.”
Shifting Focus to Defensive Backs
21:00 to 24:05
Transition to evaluating defensive backs and their varying performances in the league.
“I really struggled to sort the top of this list out.”
Discussion on Safeties in NFL Free Agency
28:56 to 30:40
Explore insights on NFL safeties and their potential in free agency.
“I don't know if you have any hot takes on Brian Cook of the Chiefs or if you remember him.”
Personal Insights and Texting Etiquette
30:41 to 33:15
Discuss the challenges of communication and texting in professional relationships.
“I would not like, but I would just appreciate.”
Preview of Upcoming Combine Events
33:16 to 33:54
Get a sneak peek into what to expect from the upcoming NFL Combine.
“The next episode, we will do a combine preview.”
Transcript
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2:25Daniel Jeremiah:Welcome back to 40s and Free Agents with Daniel Jeremiah and Greg Rosenthal. If you are watching us on YouTube, you will know that DJ's name for the first time goes first. Congratulations. That is the payoff for winning our Super Bowl picks. So now finally, you're on top of the call sheet, DJ. A big milestone for you.
2:50Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, top billing. I'll be honest with you. It was something that wasn't part of my goals. It wasn't something I was striving to do. Just when you put your head down, you work hard, you don't pick stupid teams, good things happen. That's kind of what my coaches used to always tell me.
3:04Daniel Jeremiah:probably most people are listening are like me before I realized that my name was versus like, how was Jeremiah's name? Not first the whole time. He's the host. You're the host.
3:14Gregg Rosenthal:You're the host. He's the host of the NFL draft.
3:16Daniel Jeremiah:He's got the social pop, but the difference is it's my season. It's free agency season, at least for this episode. So look, we got the top one on one free agents. It's coming out later this week, early next week, right before the combine starts. So we're going to do a big combine preview. and put that up next week. But this week, we're going to have DJ do something that he wouldn't do for me as a friend. So I'm only going to do it. You know, he's only going to do it for me as a co-host, which is he's going to help me on my top 101 list.
3:47Gregg Rosenthal:Pretty big ask over email, to be honest. Kind of a big ask. And I didn't see who all the other people you sent it to. So it's like, well, wait, is he sending this to 50 people? Well, what am I going to do? I'll let the other 49 people do that. You know, I got a lot going on.
3:58Daniel Jeremiah:No, it was just like five or six people. People I consider the most elite ball knowers in the business. And I just send them my one on one. It's some people with teams. It's some people in the media. People don't want their names out there. And just like if anyone stands out to you, it's a little market correction. Tell me who you think is too high or too low. So our exercise today, we're going to go through the defensive side because me and you, we've already talked about the offensive side and you can just, you can just give me your thoughts if anyone's too high or too low, or just about these players in general.
4:26Daniel Jeremiah:And I'll go through them position by position. Let's start at the edge where there's good depth. There's always pretty good depth at edge in free agency where you can find a guy at the end of the list that can give you 400, 500 good snaps. But at the top of the list, it's very intriguing. I have four guys in my top 10 overall right now. I have Jalen Phillips, actually, ahead of Trey Hendrickson. So I'm curious what you think about that. But I will say the other two guys in my top 10. I really battled between Adafi Owe and Boye Mafe. Who would go first there? Ultimately, I don't think it's that important.
4:59Daniel Jeremiah:It's kind of different flavors. And I think they're both really good free agents to be available if they do not get franchise tech. They are nine and 10 right now on my soft list. Phillips, I have third overall. Hendrickson's just behind them. That first big group, we can go through them player by player, but I'm curious for your thoughts on the order.
5:18Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, I like it. To me, like, here's an interesting question. And as I'm kind of going through this, I'm looking at some of the decisions that need to be made. So if you're the Philadelphia Eagles, I know people have said, OK, well, Max Crosby's name's been thrown out there as a trade candidate. I know you've talked about that. And so how he's always in on anything, you know, any deal that comes up, he's always going to kick the tires on it and explore it. My thing is, I would rather I would rather pay Jalen Phillips top of market, which you're going to have to pay handsomely for him. You already know how he fits in your defense.
5:53Gregg Rosenthal:You know, you know how good he is. He's young. you don't have to give up draft picks. So to me like that, there's a lot of incentive just looking at it from the outside in. Like Jalen Phillips should, you know, he should stay in Philadelphia. I would imagine they would pay what they need to pay to keep him because you're gonna have to go out in the free agency market to replace him and spend a bunch of money on somebody you don't know how they fit in your system. Or I got to, you know, trade a whole picks to go get somebody like Max Crosby.
6:17Daniel Jeremiah:Yeah, I don't know if there's a single player that made more money in his contract year than Phillips because he was just coming off those back-to-back devastating injury years. And you were wondering if he was ever going to be the same guy. And instead, he played great. And you actually get the feeling, ooh, another year removed from those injuries. He might be even better. He's in his prime. I've seen some other lists out there. You know, check it out. I see Hendrickson on at number one. You know, he's going to be 32 years old. Obviously, he can help you out in the short term. But my debate was more like, does he even go ahead of Owe and Mafe, who are younger players?
6:50Daniel Jeremiah:Obviously not as explosive or complete. But Hendrickson's, yeah, getting up there in years. You watched Owe for the Chargers. He's another guy who made himself a lot of money down the stretch. I like Mafe more of his style. I think you know what you're getting with him. Maybe there's a little more of a ceiling with Owe. And Mafe's not a guy you're going to play that you're going to expect to get 15 sacks. But I think you're going to get 600 really productive snaps, a pure pass rusher. What did you see out of Owe? He's kind of like been up and down as a pro and maybe even as a prospect. was like not a project, but a guy you hoped would develop as a pro.
7:27Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, you're kind of just wondering when the production was going to match the explosiveness and the speed that he had. He's tall, he's athletic. I mean, you can watch his brother play college basketball. He's one of the best college basketball players in the country to see how athletic the family is. But he's got big-time, big-time speed. The question was, will he ever develop power? And is there a polish there as a rusher? Well, when he came over to the Chargers and watching him each and every week, I'm like, okay, he has more ways to win. And the speed is legit. It is real. And it wasn't just the seven and a half sacks he had since he came over to the Chargers.
7:58Gregg Rosenthal:It was the playoff game. We had three sacks and I believe two forced fumbles against that. That was kind of the first exposure to that Patriots offensive line, if you remove Miles Garrett, of people saying like, uh-oh, I know they're winning games, but this is a problem. And I think Owe helped himself there. The only thing I would say about the order here and how you have it stacked up, I would say you have – I like doing these in clusters. So you have that group of four. I'll expose the next two. Then you have the two veterans, the former charters in Mack and Bosa. And then you have Quidipe. I would lump Quidipe in the same group with Owe and Mafe.
8:36Gregg Rosenthal:I think those – like he's in that where the production hasn't elevated to the athleticism. but I think there's, I think those three guys, I think teams inside free agency rooms are going to have those three names and they're going to debate them and kick them around and compare them.
8:50Daniel Jeremiah:This is a good thing to know. And to me, the rankings are a combination. Mostly it's my, if I was running a team who I like, who I think is good, but I do want to factor in position scarcity, age, like how the league is going to view them. And it's a good note that Quidipe is probably going to be thought of a little higher. Certainly not many guys with that sort of talent coming off their rookie contract that's going to be available. Mack and Bosa are just in the one year. They're like a holding tank. They're like in a holding tank on your list. But I think that's underrated. I think teams overrate the quid he pays a little bit and underrate.
9:27Daniel Jeremiah:I mean, if you've just been going year to year with Khalil Mack, for instance, last few years. Yeah, I think the Chargers would absolutely love to do that.
9:35Gregg Rosenthal:But I think that, you know, when you're in the draft room, the way people just assume that it's just positions. and then they're just stacked vertically and just one name's on top of the other. We would kick some cards over to the side, you know, back when you're using cards in the olden days. But like those would be like the two veteran guys and kind of like, okay, they're kind of their own deal here. You know, they're in their own little holding tank.
9:55Daniel Jeremiah:That makes sense. Okay, we're spending a little more time on edge. I'll go faster through some of the positions that aren't as deep. But I do want to see if any of the guys lower on the list strikes your fancy a little. Just running through a few of the names. Kalevan Chason coming off a nice year for the Patriots. Joseph Asai, I'm wondering how the league is going to view him coming off his rookie contract. Probably definitely had his best year for the Bengals. And then you get into kind of the older veteran types. Redick, Al-Kahid and Muhammad had a lot of production this year. Jadeveon Clowney had a lot of production this year.
10:27Daniel Jeremiah:There's a couple guys coming off injuries. Sam Williams and Malcolm Koontz, who I like. Another young player I threw in there is Arnold Abaketti. Had a better fourth season for the Falcons. It goes on and on. You got our colleague Cam Jordan is available. Like you can find guys in free agency. I'm curious if there's anyone there that strikes your fancy is too high, too low. Who you like?
10:49Gregg Rosenthal:No, I think you're it's in a good spot. I'm always curious, like A.J. Epinesa to me is just like a good, solid player. Yes. You know, and I think sometimes those guys that might make a little more than you think just because they're just dependable, reliable, steady eddies. So that that's one of the names that stuck out a little bit there. But the other thing is, and we can kind of go through it as we're going through these other positions, it's a loaded draft at the edge position spot. So maybe you do find some value with some of these guys in the middle of the lower tiers here.
11:17Daniel Jeremiah:Yeah, I think you do. That's a good note because I'm very vain, DJ. So if I see a guy like Epinesa, who I have in the 80s or 90s, or he's not on the list, and then some team gives him some big contract, I feel like an idiot. So this is why I'm taking... It's impossible to predict this stuff. I'm taking these notes, you know, Epinesa, who I agree, I kind of like him. And in the end, I value him more than a guy like like a Kyle Van Noy, who's a good player, but older defensive tackle. There's not much. And it sounds similar in the draft. Yeah, the best guys I have are are older guys. Jonathan Franklin Myers, DJ Reader, Onyamata, Calais Campbell.
11:55Daniel Jeremiah:So it's just letting the listeners know if you're looking for a young, rising defensive tackle, it's not going to happen. And the closest you might get to that is Logan Hall, who's who's kind of developed into a solid player for the Bucs. But other than that, don't don't expect to find many defensive tackles.
12:11Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, which to me informs my thoughts on the draft, which is the DTs, which there are some imperfect players, but they're good players. So, you know, where I might look at them and say this isn't a traditional first round pick. The fact that free agency is a little thin and there's going to be needs there. Everybody wants to play with two high safeties, and they're going to need their front seven to stop the run. They need their down guys to be able to play a block, block and a half. Maybe that moves a guy, like I'm thinking of Caden McDonald from Ohio State, who's more of a run plugger than a pass rush.
12:40Gregg Rosenthal:Maybe that elevates him back up into the first round. He's just outside that for me.
12:45Daniel Jeremiah:And there are guys out there, like Sheldon Rankins. When I talk about guys get underpaid in free agency, he's been on these one-year deals. He was great for the Texans.
12:54Gregg Rosenthal:How many first-round picks? He's very scheme-specific. You want to get him on a team that lets him get up the field and go.
13:01Daniel Jeremiah:And so he's a free agent. So there's guys like that out there. Sebastian Joseph Day, Draymond Jones, Daquan Jones, guys who can help you out. He's gone hand-played well for the Chargers, too. Wrote him down, too. My overall take, and I'll talk about this a little more on Friday when we unveil the 101. I actually think this is a good free agent class for depth. It's actually, you know, I guess the league's not excited about it, blah, blah, blah. The top 30, probably worse than usual, top 30 or 40. My 100 to 150, I think there's good players at 130, 140. And I do this every year where a lot of times I'm scratching and clawing to get to 101, 110.
13:41Daniel Jeremiah:So I actually think it's going to be easier to find just helpful 500 snap type of players. Like I'm saying, like a Deshaun Hand, Sebastian Joseph Day, I'm having a hard time getting them into the top 100. I think in previous years they would have been there. So just an overall.
13:53Gregg Rosenthal:See, you're getting, you're doing this list every year now, and you're slowly just morphing into a scout, which is, this is what we do, Greg, is that we get more excited about our day two, day three guys. Like we don't talk as passionately about the guys at the top of the draft. It's like, that's no fun. Like the fun stuff is like, how do I sort out these five third round corners that are kind of, you know, all clumped in together. See, you're getting sucked in, man. I am. Minus the Marriott points.
14:19Daniel Jeremiah:It honestly hurt me the moment where I realized Kyrus Tonga is probably not making my one-on-one. He kept moving down the list. I was like, man, but Kyrus Tonga, like for 350 snaps, dynamic. All right, linebackers I want to spend a little more time on because I think it's really good in free agency and the value of the position. Yeah, it's good in the draft. I think a market correction is due for linebackers and tight ends. They should be getting paid more. They're so valuable if you can find some good ones. And I think there's six good ones here in free agency that can still play in the middle of their pride.
14:55Gregg Rosenthal:Can I rain on your parade just as you're getting ready to get this thing started with the first float, getting ready to turn around the corner and come down Main Street? There were, I believe, five linebackers that started in the Super Bowl. Four of them were undrafted.
15:12Daniel Jeremiah:yeah and um are they a long-term solution for the new england patriots jack gibbons getting beat by aj barner on that touchdown do they want robert spillane starting the team that won the super
15:25Gregg Rosenthal:bowl the team that won the super bowl had uh what a third round pick and an undrafted player
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15:30Daniel Jeremiah:sure but they paid they paid uh ernest jones 39 million dollars so no but i'm just saying like
15:37Gregg Rosenthal:that that's it's interesting to just kind of look at it how teams have put resources elsewhere is
15:43Daniel Jeremiah:what i'm getting at how how i would look at it to push back would be five six years ago when running back values were at their very bottom when you actually had a healthy mccaffrey or you know at the time like a healthy joe mixon who i'm trying to think when you actually had the there was only five or six difference makers that was a big time advantage those guys were Payton I think that can be what linebackers are like right now if you have a Zach Bond I think that opens up what the rest of your team gets to do by the way you you have been you've been a lot
16:15Gregg Rosenthal:of Zach Bond out of you this year I thought he did not play as good this year as he did the previous
16:19Daniel Jeremiah:year but I I think that's fair definitely not as many splash plays but I do think having a guy like that like having a good tight end helps you construct your defense in a way and a flexibility of how you want to play and you almost you need one of those guys but that's fair no I mean look
16:33Gregg Rosenthal:Look, you're talking, and we're getting way off topic, but look, I was in Baltimore at the height of Ray Lewis's powers. I've seen what an off-the-ball linebacker can do and mean for a defense, but it's just league-wide right now, kind of looking around the league, they haven't valued it. And the Fred Warners are the Fred Warners. They're going to get their money, that elite, elite group of those, kind of like the running back thing. We're saying those top five, six guys, maybe you can go to 10 guys, but outside of that, they haven't been willing to spend. So this will be a good litmus test for them with this free agency group.
17:03Daniel Jeremiah:Yeah, I don't necessarily think they'll spend because every player here is a little flawed. But Devin Lloyd would be the least flawed.
17:09Gregg Rosenthal:Oh my gosh, you've already come off of it. I mean, you just, you've already pulled you off your position.
17:12Daniel Jeremiah:I'm not saying they're going to get paid. I'm saying they're underpaid. I don't think the league is necessarily going to give a lot of money. Just give me your list here. To N 'Kobe Dean. Okay, I have Lloyd pretty high on my overall list, top 10. I think he made a huge difference for them this year in Jacksonville. The other guys are further down, but I think they are all interesting in their own ways. is N 'Kobe Dean, Devin Bush coming off a second-team all-pro season. Really struggled with what to do with him because that came out of nowhere, but he was awesome. Leo Chanel is an interesting player for the Chiefs.
17:41Daniel Jeremiah:Caden Ellis has been awesome for a while for the Falcons. And Quay Walker has a lot of talent, former first-round pick for the Packers. So I think different types of flavors there, just starting with Lloyd, would he potentially be a guy you like and give a lot of money to in free agency?
17:59Gregg Rosenthal:I would say he's the most polarizing player on that list I like Lloyd coming to the draft process and then it didn't happen for him early in his career he's trying to figure out exactly what he is and who he is and I think he's one of those guys that the ball this is the way I'd say it, I say he's always around the ball he's very instinctive, he makes plays in the ball, you look at all the interceptions and then other people on the other side of the aisle say this guy is Johnny on the spot, the ball just kind of found him they don't look at him as making plays they look at plays being presented to him.
18:30Gregg Rosenthal:I really like him, but I'm just saying there's not this universal opinion, high opinion of him. And I think it'll be interesting to see, like, you know, they had a really good defense last year in Jacksonville. Do they effort to bring him back or are they willing to move forward?
18:44Daniel Jeremiah:That will be telling. They're not going to franchise tag him. The number is huge. There are people who look at him. I mean, it was another regime.
18:53Gregg Rosenthal:They didn't pick up his option, right, before?
18:54Daniel Jeremiah:Right, right. They didn't. and that's never a great sign, but he also had his best year this year. I do think he improved in his third season too. He, he was already getting to the point where he was a plus starter. You know, Nekobi Dean, I know as a player, you're really familiar with. I really, Caden Ellis, I love, it was very hard to like balance a guy like Caden Ellis, who, you know what you're getting versus potential Leo Chanel. It always worried me that chiefs only used him for 400 snaps, but man, those 400, 500 steps were dynamic. I kind of like him.
19:25Gregg Rosenthal:Have you ever seen a play where he's not just mugging the center? Like he's always just up on the line of scrimmage, and it's like it's such a unique ability that he has. He's freaking huge.
19:35Daniel Jeremiah:I think for the right really creative defensive coordinator out there, because the Chiefs I don't think are going to be able to afford him, he will just be a fun piece. I don't know if you had any thoughts on Quay Walker coming out right now because he's someone that's divisive too. I think I'm lower on him than consensus. I'm going to have him lower on my list. I know he'll get some money.
19:54Gregg Rosenthal:His profile is going to go above. It's going to get him paid above where he is on your list because he's got elite traits. He was a high pick, and he's someone that people feel like at his age is still ascending. So it hasn't got there. He hasn't figured it all out yet. But he would be the version of the Owe, Mafe, Quidipe group. He's the linebacker version of that.
20:20Daniel Jeremiah:To me, a little less evidence that it's ever going to happen. Been in a couple seasons for the Packers. It'll be telling to me if the Dolphins go after him because if Jeff Halfley's not that interested and the Packers aren't that interested, that's not a great sign. And then there's a million solid veterans that you can go after. Demario Davis, Alex Anzalone, Bobby Wagner, Quincy Williams, Alex Singleton. If you just need a trusted name.
20:45Gregg Rosenthal:Kind of a nerve center if you need somebody to be your communicator and veteran guy.
20:49Daniel Jeremiah:Not a hard position to fill. So Justin Stranod is a guy our friend on the show, Ollie Connelly, just loves as kind of a unique role player that could fit in a different system. Let's go to the defensive backs. I really struggled to sort the top of this list out. Jalen Watson is a guy who's just steadily improved. The Chiefs have a way of coaching up these cornerbacks, and then they let them go, which is a little worrisome. And so he's just a solid player who's had a lot of really good snaps and high leverage moments. I ended up putting him on the top. Jamel Dean is coming off a fantastic season for the Bucs.
21:24Daniel Jeremiah:He's had an up-and-down career. He's getting closer to 30. Tariq Wollin has all the talent in the world. And I really like Elante Taylor as a guy you can move around. So those four, to me, stood out as the cornerbacks atop my list, all top 30 players in my top 101. I don't know if any of those stand out to you.
21:42Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, I'm curious on Tariq Wollin, just because it's like he literally is a definition of a hero or zero you know like it is it is splash plays it is like just dripping with size and athleticism and can play the ball and then there's you know the brain cramps and getting lost in coverage and losing his cool in a playoff game like there's a little bit of a roller coaster ride you go on with him so he would be the one i would say to be hardest to peg if i you know if if he ended up getting the second most money of this group I don't know I guess I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up getting the seventh or eighth most on this group I think he's got the widest range is what I'm getting at it this position is so
22:23Daniel Jeremiah:hard to spend a lot of money on Jamel Dean is a perfect example very up and down in his rookie contract then has a great season gets a big contract he's always leaving games with injuries then he's starting to struggle they actually made him take a pay cut last year DJ to come back they give Zion McCollum a ton of money. Then this year, Jamel Dean has the season of his life. Zion McCollum really struggles. Jamel Dean had just taken a pick. Now he's sitting free agency coming off a high. The metrics will tell you he was one of the very best players in the league. Nayshawn Wright is a guy who's, who's bounced around is coming into free agency at the right time.
22:58Daniel Jeremiah:I think him and Trevon Diggs and, and maybe even a Sante Samuel Jr. fit into a boomer bust, but maybe worth a shot category. Sante Samuel,
23:07Gregg Rosenthal:I think showing that he was healthy in Pittsburgh and playing well. That'll be interesting to see what he does. He's a guy that I had very high last year. With the Chargers, gosh, he could play the ball, but he was notoriously poor in run support and in some big moments. Then you find out, well, gosh, I don't know what he was dealing with from an injury standpoint. Got himself healthy, and he played a little tougher in Pittsburgh.
23:29Daniel Jeremiah:A couple guys that I like a lot. Marcus Jones, great punt returner, good slot guy. Buster Brown, Monteric Brown for the Jaguars. coming off a sneaky good season. And then Cordell Flott. You know, that's one guy I think will get a little more money than people expect from the Giants. It took him a little while to develop, but he played pretty well last year.
23:50Gregg Rosenthal:He could really run if I remember him coming out. Tennessee, I want to say. He was out of Tennessee.
23:54Daniel Jeremiah:Yeah, and Cam Taylor Britt's a guy who's really been up and down in his career. There are some interesting names out there. Kobe Durant, Martin Emerson, Josh Jobe, Eric Stokes. Like guys that can play for you.
24:09Gregg Rosenthal:For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tremphaya offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Tremphaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tremphaya, proper training is required. Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections and liver problems may occur.
24:48Gregg Rosenthal:Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or if you need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tremphaya today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit TremfireRadio.com.
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26:13Daniel Jeremiah:And Toyota's lineup makes it easy to find your match. The RAV4 is perfect for everyday adventures. The Grand Highlander brings serious space for up to eight with generous legroom and expansive cargo space. The Highlander also has space for up to eight. It's ready for big moments and spontaneous ones, balancing style and flexibility. And the Sienna is built for everyday life, carpools, road trips, snacks, spills, and it even has a built-in vacuum for when things get a little too messy. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn more at toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people.
26:50Gregg Rosenthal:Hey, it's Carissa Thompson. Everything these days is fighting for your attention, work, family, social media, and it makes it tough to figure out what should really come first. But here's something that absolutely deserves to be at the top of your list, your breast health. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. And the rates are still rising. More women under 50 are being diagnosed too. But here's a stat that really hits home. One in two women who qualify for annual breast screenings aren't getting them. That's half.
27:24Gregg Rosenthal:And yet, when breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is over 99%, nearly 100 % for stage one before it spreads. If you're 40 or older, you should be getting screened every year. And if you're under 40, it is never too early to understand your risk. So come on now. Pay the girls some attention. head to yourattentionplease.com to learn your breast cancer risk and what screenings you might need. Trust me, your future self will thank you. Brought to you by Novartis. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues, and Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition.
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28:56Daniel Jeremiah:Let's wrap up with the safeties. I don't know if you have any hot takes on Brian Cook of the Chiefs or if you remember him. Cincinnati. Because he is a guy who a little bit like Trevin Morig last year, where I put this list out. I get some feedback. People like them. Some Brian Cook, a guy who's improved, very athletic, plays with a lot of energy, and I think is hitting free agency at the right time. I have him as my top safety head of Cam Curl, Kobe Bryant of the Seahawks, and Nick Cross, who's a good player for the Colts.
29:33Gregg Rosenthal:Those are good, solid players. I know, Oh, I believe I was one of the ones who was on you on Merig last year. Yes. But I did not offer you any opinions this year. I don't know if it was just, maybe it was just a lack of gratitude on your part. Then I just felt, you know, I don't know that I want to expend the time to fire off that text to try and help him out a little bit. What do you mean a lack of gratitude? I don't remember a thank you. I don't remember anything. There was absolutely a thank you. Hey, I know this is. But you fixed it. I appreciate that.
29:59Daniel Jeremiah:I said, hey, I know you can completely ignore this. Thank you. uh if you do it no worries if you're too busy you know what what do you want from me dj i'm just
30:11Gregg Rosenthal:trying to direct request i mean let's just be yeah about it like hey you know oh if you don't have if maybe if you could consider it oh if you just please i don't know i don't want to bother you yeah i'm gonna stop reading i've already stopped reading at that point i don't even know
30:23Daniel Jeremiah:what you asked i think you're right honestly it's a good lesson for people listening out there just don't send group texts group emails it's always going to be better one-on-one the second that you see the group. I'm like you, you shut off a little bit. We're like, I guess I can skate free. I don't even have to respond to this.
30:40Gregg Rosenthal:You know, the move that's kind of a veteran move that I would not like, but I would just appreciate. And I get this all the time. Not all the time. I get it randomly, but you ever get the text says, Hey, got a sec dot, dot, dot. And then it's like, Oh boy, here it comes. You know, like, so you got to do the call and it's like, Hey, how's it going? Like, Hey, uh, I got my new list here. Texting it to you. Just, if you could just look it over real quick it makes it much harder to say no over the phone call than it does over a group email that you sent to 95 people i sent it to six people i sent it to six i don't know it was all blind i
31:14Daniel Jeremiah:couldn't see who else well i didn't want i didn't want to be revealing you know who email addresses
31:19Gregg Rosenthal:other sources other email bill barnwell just blowing me up now he's got my email address i mean i think we're okay um that's a good point yeah maybe yeah you know mina she's a big star
31:30Daniel Jeremiah:She's not going to want DJ contacting her out of draft season. That gets public.
31:36Gregg Rosenthal:We've got big problems.
31:38Daniel Jeremiah:Okay, I guess you don't have any big takes on – I kind of buried Reid Blankenship in the end, by the way. It feels like he's a solid player, just the guy. I always overrate safeties, by the way. Really? Because I think they're good, and I think there's more average to plus starters available in free agency, but they just never get paid. So there's some fun guys out there, like Eloy Gilman. like a Jalen Hawkins who started the Superbowl. Jalen Thompson's been a pretty good player for the Cardinals. If you need a safety, you can find one Jaquan Brisker.
32:08Gregg Rosenthal:Who's the biggest, who are the bigger guys in this group? I mean,
32:12Daniel Jeremiah:is Brisker a bigger guy or he just, I don't think he was super tall.
32:15Gregg Rosenthal:He's physical. Yeah. I'd be curious about that. Cause I've talked to in teams talking about the draft stuff during this time of year. And I'm going to do something in the, at the combine kind of like a searching for Seahawks thing. and if you look at the the craze right now and all the all the leagues trying to find which is the the derwin imanwari hamilton you know big nickel that can you know do a lot of different things but can be your force player their team's trying to find that guy so yeah um donovan wilson is he a big guy for the cowboys yeah six feet interesting to see who played in that role you know but he's
32:51Daniel Jeremiah:again um a lesser guy jaquan brisker i struggled with just because of the the concussion history i I never thought he'd have a season where he's one of the NFL leaders in snaps last year. So good on him for getting healthy. All right, that's DJ helping me out with my list. I'm not sure how much it helped, but DJ's phoning in now because his name is first on the call sheet.
33:09Gregg Rosenthal:Forties and free agents. I like that my responsibility doesn't change at all. I get the nice promotion, the bump to the top of the page, and I don't have to do anything extra.
33:16Daniel Jeremiah:And you get carried on this episode. But it's all changing now. It's draft season. The next episode, we will do a combine preview. I'm really looking forward to that one. I won't be able to see you in Indianapolis because DJ's got like just security around. Are you going to be there though? Of course I'm going to be there. First handful of days. I get out of there by the time, you know, the real meat of it starts for you, but I'm there.
33:41Gregg Rosenthal:You paying your own way there or they're actually sending you there? Well, who knows what's going on?
33:46Daniel Jeremiah:But no, we are NFL Daily will be there. We got some interviews on the book with some GMs. Maybe we can get a coach in the mix. That'll be next time on 40s and free agents. We will see you next week.
33:57Gregg Rosenthal:Hey, let me know when your train gets in. I'll see if I can pick you up.
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34:38Daniel Jeremiah:Network. Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A little escape? No. A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily? Yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets, product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats.
35:15Daniel Jeremiah:Order now. You know how it's never really about where you're going. It's about who you're going with. The right people can turn any drive into a great memory. That's something Toyota really believes. They design vehicles around real life and real people. The ones who make plans happen and bring everyone together. Inside, everything's built with passengers in mind. Comfortable seating, smart layouts, and space that actually works so everyone can relax and enjoy the ride. There's room for the people, room for the stuff, and room for the moments that happen along the way. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important.
35:51Daniel Jeremiah:Learn more at Toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people.
35:56Gregg Rosenthal:Hey guys, it's Aaron Andrews. Breasts get so much attention, but they're still so ignored when it matters most. Everything these days is fighting for your attention. We've got work, family, social media, making it tough to figure out what to prioritize. I got something that should always be at the very top of the list, your breast health. If you're 40 and over, you should be getting screened once a year. And if you're under 40, it's never too soon to visit yourattentionplease.com to learn about breast cancer risk. Trust me, your future self will thank you. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
From the publisher
Daniel Jeremiah and Gregg Rosenthal are breaking down and ranking the top defensive free agents heading into the offseason. From elite edge rushers to lockdown defensive backs, we evaluate the biggest names set to hit the market and discuss who can make the biggest impact next season.
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