Speaker 1: Welcome back. I'm Dale Ali.
Speaker 2: He is Matt Williamson, and this is the drive on
Speaker 2: Steelers Nation Radio. And as I mentioned going into the
Speaker 2: break there, Bill Barmeoell on ESPN ranked the weapons for
Speaker 2: each team in the NFL one through thirty two, and
Speaker 2: this is offensive weapons. Obviously we've done some similar stuff
Speaker 2: to this, but this is a different little take on
Speaker 2: it because he says, here are the caveats that he
Speaker 2: used here, and I'm just going to read off the
Speaker 2: things that he has in bold here. This is only
Speaker 2: about on field performance for the twenty twenty three season.
Speaker 1: Okay, First of.
Speaker 3: All, sure, we're not you know, boy, I love this.
Speaker 3: I think Jason Smith and Jigma is going to be
Speaker 3: great or you know, I'll get you now right, I
Speaker 3: get it.
Speaker 2: Okay, cool, Injury history and suspensions matter. Okay, So for example,
Speaker 2: you know, it's only really, as he says here, it's
Speaker 2: only realistic to project Michael Thomas to miss more time
Speaker 2: than Travis Kelcey.
Speaker 3: Sure, or hey, Jamison Williams is already missing time with
Speaker 3: I can't get them seventeen games worth of credit here.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: Wide receivers are weighted more heavily than running backs or
Speaker 2: tight ends.
Speaker 1: And that's just where the NFL is at right now.
Speaker 3: I said, I don't disagree with that. I give them
Speaker 3: credit for that, while I think tight ends are vastly
Speaker 3: underpaid and underrated receivers are getting paid for a reason,
Speaker 3: they're getting paid huge.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And then the final thing here is the focus is
Speaker 2: on elite players in a team's top five contributors.
Speaker 1: Okay, oh, he's got another one here.
Speaker 2: Efficiency matters as well, so he's so he's looking at
Speaker 2: yards yards per route run and target share, things of
Speaker 2: that nature.
Speaker 3: So at number Jackson types don't Yeah, you know, at.
Speaker 2: Number thirty two, which is the same spot that they
Speaker 2: were at when he did this in twenty twenty two
Speaker 2: and in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1: Are the Houston Texans.
Speaker 3: I mean they're bad, but they're getting better.
Speaker 2: I mean, well, I mean the problem is, you know,
Speaker 2: can you count on John Matchie?
Speaker 1: You know some of these other Robert Woods is coming
Speaker 1: off of a.
Speaker 2: ACL you know, it's even Damian Pierce didn't have a
Speaker 2: complete rookie season.
Speaker 3: Like there's questions, Oh, there's definitely questions. I'm just saying,
Speaker 3: I'm not sure that'd be thirty two for me. But yeah,
Speaker 3: that's pretty bad. I mean they were I did a
Speaker 3: thing on DVA offenses today and it was them and
Speaker 3: the Colts were the distant worst two offenses by DVA.
Speaker 3: And are the weapons noticeably better than that bad? I
Speaker 3: like Nico Collins, but the answer is no.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Thirty one is the Carolina Panthers. They were eighteenth going
Speaker 2: into last year. They were seventh going into twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3: And Nam McCaffrey, who's part of the trade obviously.
Speaker 1: Is DJ Moore, And you know, right right, right, right right,
Speaker 1: it's pretty bad.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think that offense is going to be
Speaker 3: quite bad this year, to be very honest with you.
Speaker 3: Is it worth it? Probably, but it's going to be
Speaker 3: growing pays galore, and I think they need to heavily
Speaker 3: invest in pass catchers go forward.
Speaker 1: Thirty is the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 2: They were fifteenth last year, eighteenth and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3: I mean, Connor's okay. I think Marquis Brown's a good player.
Speaker 3: Rondel Moore is fine, you know, but they're bottom the
Speaker 3: league too.
Speaker 2: Many guys like Marquise Brown and Rondel Moore to me
Speaker 2: are similar type players.
Speaker 1: You know, small, you know, different styles. You know, Brown's
Speaker 1: more than that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, more down the field where Brown is gonna or
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, Rondell Moore's going to catch stuff behind the
Speaker 2: line of scrimmage.
Speaker 1: But it's just it's not a good offense.
Speaker 3: It's not good offense. And they're both tiny, and you
Speaker 3: know their tight ends might be okay, but pretty bad.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Twenty nine the Tennessee Titans. They were nineteenth. Last year
Speaker 2: they were third and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3: I guess A J. Brown and Woods in his prime.
Speaker 1: And yeah, got well Derrick Henry A J. Brown. Corey
Speaker 1: Davis wasn't bad.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I didn't think about Henry Eve. I'm
Speaker 3: thinking more pass cutchers. But now that's I guess Henry
Speaker 3: still being there might keep them from thirty two.
Speaker 1: I mean it's probably about all.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because you know the receivers Nick Westbrook, A kidd A,
Speaker 2: Kyle Phillips, it's just not good.
Speaker 3: No, I mean Burt's is still very much a work
Speaker 3: in progress.
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, and they need him to be number one.
Speaker 3: I think there's a chance Chig leads that team in receptions. Yeah,
Speaker 3: that's not what you want.
Speaker 2: Twenty eight they were eleventh and twenty twenty one, they
Speaker 2: were twenty ninth.
Speaker 1: Last year, they're twenty eighth this year. The Green Bay Packers.
Speaker 3: The youngest team in the league. This is a version
Speaker 3: of a rebuild, but questions galore. I mean, I still
Speaker 3: think Aaron Jones is a really good player, but the
Speaker 3: other guys are all well.
Speaker 2: See the average age of their wide receivers and tight
Speaker 2: ends is twenty three point four.
Speaker 1: Is it really?
Speaker 3: I didn't read that. I just know that all over
Speaker 3: their team they are the youngest team in the league.
Speaker 1: They are super young.
Speaker 2: At twenty seven they were sixteenth, and twenty twenty one thirtieth,
Speaker 2: and twenty twenty two twenty seventh.
Speaker 1: This year the Giants seems.
Speaker 3: Rough on that. I mean, if you give Barkley and Waller.
Speaker 2: But as he said, those aren't the premium positions. Who
Speaker 2: are your wide receivers?
Speaker 3: I know, I mean a bunch of slaw dudes. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and it's not great, but it's better than what they've
Speaker 3: played with last year, I guess, is my point?
Speaker 1: Well, I mean he had them ranked thirtieth last year,
Speaker 1: their twenty seventh now, so I guess he agrees.
Speaker 2: Yeah, at twenty sixth, they were twenty seventh and twenty
Speaker 2: twenty one. They were twenty sixth last year, so they
Speaker 2: haven't done anything to improve their lot.
Speaker 3: The Patriots, so their skill guys, I would say Ramandre
Speaker 3: Stevenson's the only one that's an.
Speaker 1: Above average starter, and he's a running back.
Speaker 3: And he's a running back, right, Yeah, I like it,
Speaker 3: but he's also not Christian McCaffery.
Speaker 4: No.
Speaker 1: Lower, they are bad.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty bad.
Speaker 2: Yeah, twenty five they were twenty eighth, and twenty twenty one,
Speaker 2: twentieth and twenty twenty two, they're now twenty fifth.
Speaker 1: The Colts.
Speaker 3: I mean, I know we're gonna start talking about teams
Speaker 3: that are quite strong. But I think Pittman's a really
Speaker 3: good receiver. I think Taylor's a nearly elite running back,
Speaker 3: and I.
Speaker 2: Think I think Pittman would be a good solid. He'd
Speaker 2: be a high end number two.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he might be Steelers best receiver.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's in the mix. I wouldn't go
Speaker 1: that far.
Speaker 2: He got ninety nine passes last year, but he averaged
Speaker 2: nine point three yards to catch.
Speaker 3: Their offense was almost unwatchable with Matt Ryan and then
Speaker 3: Jeff's Saturday taken over, and I mentioned I did that
Speaker 3: DVA stuff. They were thirty two.
Speaker 2: I mean Pittman right, Pittman right now might be a
Speaker 2: younger version of Juju.
Speaker 3: I like him more than that.
Speaker 1: I like Juju back in the day here to be.
Speaker 1: You know that he's a guy that's he's not a
Speaker 1: downfield threat.
Speaker 3: Yeah no, I mean he's a slant guy and you know,
Speaker 3: contested catch dude.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I like their tight end, Zo and I kind of
Speaker 3: like Pierce, and I kind of like downs. I mean,
Speaker 3: they're all question marks.
Speaker 1: But they're twenty fifth in the league.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's tough competition.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, twenty fourth. They were seventeenth.
Speaker 2: This team was seventeenth and twenty twenty one, fourteenth and
Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. They're now twenty fourth Denver.
Speaker 3: Okay. I mean I know running backs and don't carry
Speaker 3: as much weight, but I would hold Javonte Williams injury
Speaker 3: heavily against them. I think Doulchic is a fun, young
Speaker 3: type end, and the receivers are good. I mean you
Speaker 3: drafted Mims.
Speaker 2: High, yeah, but I don't think Sutton, Jerry Judy, they
Speaker 2: haven't worked out like they thought.
Speaker 1: You know, they took kJ Hammler was a second round pick.
Speaker 3: I know, I know.
Speaker 2: I mean they've they've used they've used draft capital at
Speaker 2: wide receiver like crazy, and they don't have a stud.
Speaker 3: It wouldn't shock me if Judy maybe I was gonna
Speaker 3: say Or, but I'm gonna say and Or Sutton aren't
Speaker 3: Broncos this time next year.
Speaker 1: Wouldn't surprise me.
Speaker 2: I mean, they were losing Tim Patrick to them last
Speaker 2: year was a big deal.
Speaker 3: It's a big deal. Yeah, he's a I mean he's
Speaker 3: a really good play. I mean he's a good three.
Speaker 3: But it hurtd them dramatically.
Speaker 2: At twenty Yeah, at twenty three they were tenth, and
Speaker 2: twenty twenty one they were seventh, and twenty twenty two
Speaker 2: they followed twenty three the Rams.
Speaker 3: So I'm not gonna give Bill Barnwall hard time on
Speaker 3: this one, except for it's more of a philosophical thing
Speaker 3: when you do ranks like cup is the best name
Speaker 3: we've probably mentioned yet. I mean, I'm off the top
Speaker 3: of my head.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but the.
Speaker 3: Rest is junk. I mean we're talking Ben Scarnic and
Speaker 3: Tyler Higbee and two too out well yeah yeah, but
Speaker 3: one guy carries a ton of weight.
Speaker 2: They must carry a lot of weight there. Yeah, at
Speaker 2: twenty two, people will go nuts about this. They were
Speaker 2: thirtieth and twenty twenty one, they were twenty fourth and
Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. They're now twenty second.
Speaker 1: The Jets.
Speaker 3: I love Rees Hall and I love Garrett Wilson, but
Speaker 3: they're second year guys, you know, I mean they don't
Speaker 3: have the body of work. The rest of the crew
Speaker 3: is good, it's not phenomenal.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, all they did was go out and sign
Speaker 2: all Aaron Rodgers buddies, So right.
Speaker 3: Right, I don't care about Lizard and you know Nichole
Speaker 3: Hardman and.
Speaker 2: Yeah, twenty one, they were twenty twenty four, they were
Speaker 2: twenty four and twenty twenty one. They were twenty second
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty two. The Washington Commanders.
Speaker 3: I like their two starting receivers a lot, and Curtis
Speaker 3: Samuel seems to have kind of found his niche.
Speaker 1: They don't have a tight end.
Speaker 3: Cosition's awful. Running backs sock radio.
Speaker 1: And the running backs are just guys.
Speaker 3: They're just guys. Yeah, at twenty they may even be
Speaker 3: lower for me.
Speaker 1: A big fall here for this team.
Speaker 2: They were ninth and twenty twenty one, they were tenth
Speaker 2: to twenty twenty two, they're now twentieth.
Speaker 1: The Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 3: I think that's just.
Speaker 1: I mean, Digs.
Speaker 2: Digs is in that conversation to be the best guy
Speaker 2: that we've talked about thus far.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I say Digs and Copper about saying, but the
Speaker 3: rest of their guys are just eh, rookie first round
Speaker 3: tight end that you're putting a lot of stock in.
Speaker 1: I mean, I like Dawson Knox, but he's you know,
Speaker 1: he's Tyler. He's not starting over Friarmooth.
Speaker 3: No, definitely not. You know, you put a lot of
Speaker 3: stock in a James Cook to take a big jump
Speaker 3: or somebody like that, or Kincaid. Jay Davis isn't particularly good. Yeah,
Speaker 3: Davids should be the Steelers third or fourth receiver, depending
Speaker 3: how Robbinson plays.
Speaker 2: At nineteen, they were sixth, and twenty twenty one, they
Speaker 2: were sixteenth going into last year.
Speaker 1: They're now nineteenth. The Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 3: I mean, this is a compliment to the organization, but
Speaker 3: I would have them lower on this list. I think
Speaker 3: they're one guy too.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it depends on how you look at Kelsey.
Speaker 1: I know he said he's the one guy I know
Speaker 1: and he says tight ends don't matter as much.
Speaker 2: I don't think he can look at Kelsey though, as
Speaker 2: it's just your typical tight end.
Speaker 3: No, like him and Cooper Cupp have at least the
Speaker 3: same value.
Speaker 5: Absolutely eggs or you know, he's just bad, right right right,
Speaker 5: And then you're looking at you know, Isaiah paiceco and
Speaker 5: Jack McKinnon and you know just Cadarius Tony and Sky
Speaker 5: Moore like that.
Speaker 1: Yuck.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, put him in the wide receiver positions as
Speaker 3: bad as any in the league.
Speaker 2: How about the fall for this team at eighteen In
Speaker 2: twenty twenty one, they were number one.
Speaker 1: Wow, in twenty twenty two they were number five. They
Speaker 1: fall to eighteen this year. That's Tampa Bay.
Speaker 3: Ooh yeah, I mean our Evans and god when's best
Speaker 3: days behind them? Yeah, it's a conversation.
Speaker 2: I think you do have to look at the injury
Speaker 2: history there, especially at Godwin.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: You know, the running back position is largely unknown, The
Speaker 2: tight end position is okay, you know they don't hit Gronk.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's not even like late career Gronk
Speaker 3: Antonio Brown role players.
Speaker 2: I mean, I like Kate Auten. Yeah, but yeah, it's bad.
Speaker 2: They might be lower for me, well, would they be
Speaker 2: lower than this team?
Speaker 1: At seventeen?
Speaker 2: In twenty twenty one, they were twenty six In twenty
Speaker 2: twenty two, they were thirty first at seventeen.
Speaker 1: This year is the Chicago Bears. Hmm?
Speaker 3: Are they better or worse than? Like Washington? And the
Speaker 3: only reason I said that is because I think DJ
Speaker 3: Moore and McLaurin are like, are similar, you know what
Speaker 3: I mean, like they the same tier. I mean, Mooney's good,
Speaker 3: you know, I think the tight end is is co
Speaker 3: commit is good?
Speaker 2: Adequate or yeah, you got to chase I'll see what
Speaker 2: he is.
Speaker 3: They get a handful of backs that are fine. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: I mean Mooney missed a lot of time. I mean
Speaker 3: that was a bigger blow than people realize. And if
Speaker 3: he's not the one, now he's a two slash three
Speaker 3: or whatever, right, you know, it's rounding into shape.
Speaker 2: At sixteen, they were thirty first and twenty twenty one seventeenth.
Speaker 1: Last year they're sixteenth. Now the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 3: I mean, as it's constructed right this second, and it's
Speaker 3: Saint Brown and a bunch of rookies slash suspending game, it's.
Speaker 2: Yes, basically what it has been the last couple of years.
Speaker 2: It's a mon Ross Saint Brown and now.
Speaker 3: What I mean, we know Jamison Williams is coming back,
Speaker 3: so it's not like he doesn't exist.
Speaker 1: And you don't even have Hawkinson the fallback on.
Speaker 3: Now right right right, I mean that's what I mean.
Speaker 3: It's rookies, it's Laporta, it's Gibbs, you.
Speaker 1: Know, like I mean, you got Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds.
Speaker 3: But eh, yeah, like would you be in the DeAndre
Speaker 3: Hopkins sweep stays a few of them?
Speaker 1: Probably not what he's wanted, wants to be paid.
Speaker 3: That's probably the thing period, and that that might be
Speaker 3: the same for all teams right now that I'm just
Speaker 3: not paying you that, Yeah, but they could use somebody
Speaker 3: like that.
Speaker 1: Though at fifteen.
Speaker 2: They were try fourteenth and twenty twenty one they were
Speaker 2: twenty fifth going into last year, they're now fifteenth.
Speaker 1: The Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 3: You and I don't like the Odell signing.
Speaker 1: Can you put the Ravens ahead of some of the
Speaker 1: teams we've just talked about. I don't. I don't know
Speaker 1: that you can see.
Speaker 3: I was about to say the opposite. It's funny. I
Speaker 3: was gonna say I would put them ahead of every
Speaker 3: team we've mentioned. He did. I mean Andrews is in Kelsey,
Speaker 3: but he's.
Speaker 1: Well put on that. I would I rather.
Speaker 2: Have Godwin and Evans and Kate Aughton as opposed to
Speaker 2: at least they've played football last year.
Speaker 3: I'd rather the Ravens, especially when you mentioned upside.
Speaker 2: I don't care about upside and first round draft picks.
Speaker 2: Those guys haven't played a down of football yet.
Speaker 3: I know, I know. I think Andrews and Likely are good.
Speaker 2: That's fine, but they're tight ends. And he said he
Speaker 2: doesn't weigh the tight ends quite like putting. I would
Speaker 2: say Kansas City with Kelsey. Kelsey's better than anybody the
Speaker 2: Ravens have. Oh yeah, ye yeah, but not even it's
Speaker 2: not it's not even close.
Speaker 3: But he's like the third best in the league. Period.
Speaker 1: So you tell are you telling me that that? Right now?
Speaker 2: Patrick Mahomes would rather have Baltimore's pass catchers than what
Speaker 2: he has.
Speaker 1: In Kansas City.
Speaker 3: I think you're cheating a little because those two are
Speaker 3: blood brothers. Told death do his part, he might, I mean,
Speaker 3: Andrews isn't that far off Kelse see nobody's Kelsey.
Speaker 2: But Kelsey to me is head and shoulders above everybody
Speaker 2: else is a pass catcher at the tight end position.
Speaker 2: I agree, but I think, I think, I think, but
Speaker 2: I think Kelsey is the top five pass catcher in
Speaker 2: the league, league.
Speaker 1: Regardless of position. Agreed.
Speaker 2: Yes, where in fantasy football will tell you when you
Speaker 2: have a draft, Kelsey's going to go in the first round,
Speaker 2: Andrews is gonna go what round three or four?
Speaker 3: I would say, yeah, yeah, and then it's a mess.
Speaker 3: But I guess I'll fight you on.
Speaker 2: This, Like they'll be between between Kelsey and Andrews, they'll
Speaker 2: be fifteen wide receivers taken.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm.
Speaker 3: Chiefs are a weird example because I think we talked
Speaker 3: about this even last week that Mahomes wouldn't trade Kelsey
Speaker 3: for anyone on the planet, you know, including Tyreek or
Speaker 3: you know, especially on third and eight or in the
Speaker 3: red zone. But the rest of that pass engine or
Speaker 3: less of the rest of the Kansas City group is
Speaker 3: really really bad.
Speaker 1: Oh, I get it.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying I like that one guy should carry
Speaker 2: some serious weight.
Speaker 3: Mm hmm. But like if the Bucks, if we're drafting,
Speaker 3: who do you want first from the Bucks and Ravens.
Speaker 3: Andrews is your first pick to.
Speaker 2: Me, I don't know that he is Andrew Andrews or
Speaker 2: Mike Evans. Now, if the quarterbacks are the same, like
Speaker 2: I know, I know they aren't, I might rather have
Speaker 2: Mike Evans.
Speaker 1: I might rather have Chris Godwin. They probably the set,
Speaker 1: I mean to me, they're they're in the same neighborhood.
Speaker 3: Then two Bucks and then three Ravens.
Speaker 1: It would be a while before I took the next one.
Speaker 4: No, yeah, yeah, like those guys, the guys we just
Speaker 4: talked about, like Andrews and the two Bucks guys are
Speaker 4: both like okay, third to fifth round draft picks, and
Speaker 4: then and then nobody else is getting touched for like
Speaker 4: they shouldn't get touched until like round eight or nine.
Speaker 3: I see what you're saying. I was talking about just
Speaker 3: a Bucks Ravens.
Speaker 2: Draft, Like I'm just yeah, but I'm saying that those two,
Speaker 2: the two Bucks receivers to.
Speaker 1: Me, Andrew, they compete with Andrews, and there's two of them.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm, Like I just want any could do with Odell. Well,
Speaker 1: I don't know what he is.
Speaker 3: You know, I've been doing some of these best ball
Speaker 3: underdog Drafts and Flowers, Bateman Odell. Their ADP is like identical,
Speaker 3: which I don't think as a compliment, you.
Speaker 1: Know, like because nobody knows.
Speaker 3: Nobody knows if you're the Ravens. If two of those
Speaker 3: three don't care who they are are plus starters, you're fine.
Speaker 3: But it might take you a while to figure out
Speaker 3: who they are. And they all keep the pieces together
Speaker 3: and on the field. I still think I would have
Speaker 3: them over any team we mentioned, though.
Speaker 2: Okay, I disagree, but I mean I don't think they're
Speaker 2: far from where they should be.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you're not saying they're twenty five, no, but.
Speaker 1: I don't love it at the vision that's noteworthy.
Speaker 2: We should probably take a break here because we're we're
Speaker 2: really discussed this. We have fourteen teams left to get to.
Speaker 2: We still haven't mentioned the team.
Speaker 3: That we'll talk about one AFC North team.
Speaker 2: We've only had one AFC North team, So he kind
Speaker 2: of gives you an idea of where the AFC North
Speaker 2: is in terms of offensive talent.
Speaker 1: But he yeah, he is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lally.
Speaker 2: We'll get back to Bill barm Weell's list here on
Speaker 2: the best offensive skill position guys in the NFL when
Speaker 2: we come back.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio.