WEBVTT - Intriguing Camp Competitions 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:17.279 Cutdown, Miami Drawn. What is up, Dolphans And welcome to 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:21.360 the Drivetime Podcast part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network, 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:26.640 covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:30.440 I am your host, Travis Wingfield, And on today's show, 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:32.800 we're gonna get you caught up on the latest from 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.400 around the web regarding your Miami Dolphins, will preview the 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:41.080 NFC South, a division the Dolphins played this season as 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:44.159 we resume the NFL preview series for this season, and 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.920 we'll get into my favorite camp battles coming up next 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.080 month in Miami Gardens. All of that and a whole 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:56.880 bunch more on this edition of the Drive Time Podcasts, 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:02.160 and the opening segment during the summer shows is turning 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:05.360 a bit into the TV talk of the podcast and 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.920 real quick, my wife and I started a show together 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:10.400 this last week, which is a bit of a rare 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:14.560 occurrence since we have almost polar opposite tastes when it 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:18.919 comes to well everything pop culture. But the morning show 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:23.120 on Apple TV is pretty gripping and Jennifer Aniston is 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:26.160 an absolute monster in it. And I don't mean like 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:29.920 a bad character or anything. She just dominated the performance 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.840 as an actor all the way through, and season two 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.559 just came out, so we're about halfway through season one. 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.200 I would highly recommend that for individual watch or for 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.480 a couple's watch. It's a good kind of back and 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.600 forth men and women type of thing, and just a 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:46.440 really good show with some star studied characters in the 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:49.720 cast as well. Alright, So the theme of this offseason 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:53.520 for the Miami Dolphins, and really the goal anytime, according 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.760 to head coach Brian Flores and GM Chris Career, is 0:01:56.800 --> 0:02:00.160 to create competition. And the team feels good about out 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:02.880 their ability to do just that this offseason, as we 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:06.360 have heard repeatedly in media availabilities. So I wanted to 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:09.280 take a look at some of the battles that are 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.320 going to ensue next month that I'm most intrigued to 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.080 watch play out in late July and into August. With 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:17.840 camp in the preseason, and I've mentioned this on the 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.320 pot a few times, but this team will have some 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:23.320 really tough decisions to make it come cut down day. 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:25.720 But that's where you want to be better than the opposite. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.520 So let's go ahead and take a look at my 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:30.320 top camp battles. And I want to preface this by 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:32.840 saying you know, no jobs are going to be given. 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:36.480 All of this is I think the word is presumptive 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:39.640 based upon what we know or what we've seen so far. 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:44.400 But in the NFL, every day, the information can change, 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:48.320 so any assumptions are just that, they're assumptions. And so 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.799 in no particular order. Well, actually there is a bit 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:53.760 of an order here. It's the order by which I 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.280 always go down the roster, which is quarterback, running back, receiver, 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:02.360 tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and we finished 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.839 in the defensive backfield. And for our specialist. Uh, there 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.400 are four specialists on the roster. Two of those guys 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:11.200 are long snappers, so I guess Blake Ferguson and Rex 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.480 Sunahara battling it out there for that job. And then 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:17.440 All Pro place kicker Jason Sanders returns as the only 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:20.440 kicker on the roster, and Michael Pollardi currently the only 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:22.960 punter on the roster, So that would be our specialist 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.720 on the end of that list there. But up first 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.000 on our list is the number two running back role. 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.800 And even that feels like it might be a bit 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:35.600 of a stretch because we know this position across the 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:40.120 league has really become more committee than any other position group, 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:43.440 and the Dolphins will certainly alter their plan based upon 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.640 the opponent that given week. And that's another disclaimer we 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:50.040 should probably disclose here. Gone are the days of projecting 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:54.160 a whole season's worth of playing time or depth charts 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.520 or plans for a particular season, because really, when you 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:59.720 preview the season, you're kind of previewing week one, because again, 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.840 information changes all the damn time, and maybe for a 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.240 handful of other teams, it's not like we talked about 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:10.520 with the Miami Dolphins, where you change a base upon 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:14.240 your opponent that week. And I don't know that maybe 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.839 a handful of teams to operate in that sense that 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:20.680 this is my outside linebacker and he's playing at outside 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.680 linebacker unless he's able to go. You might recall we 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:27.000 had Dick Anderson on the podcast last year and he 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:29.280 talked about this how in his day, if you were 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.880 the starting defensive end or the starting free safety or 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.480 whatever it might have been, you played every snap. Your 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:36.719 backup only came into the game if you were injured. 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.080 It's just crazy to think about how much the game 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:42.120 has changed. Anyway, we are off the frigging rails already, 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:45.960 I talked about committee, but when Myles Gaskin was available 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:48.960 last season, it really wasn't much of a committee. And 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.440 that was entering the season where he was again the presumptive, 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:56.960 again the key word here, but among the national presumptive perspective. 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:00.200 He was the number three back heading into track any 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.880 camp with the additions of Jordan Howard and Matt Brita 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.240 in the backfield, respectively, but from Game one he was 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:10.560 the dude, playing of the offensive snaps in that opener 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.560 up in Foxborough, only to see that number increase the 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:16.200 next two weeks up to sixty five and then seventy 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:20.000 percent in the Week three win at Jacksonville. He was 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:24.160 then sixty sixty three, seventy, and then eight eight percent 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.040 in the Rams game to round out the first half 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.240 of the season before he missed the next four games. 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:31.560 He came back to play the Bengals and was in 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:34.360 their first seventy one percent of the offensive snaps, missed 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.599 two more games, and then finished the season playing seventy 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:41.280 percent of the reps in Vegas and sixty one up 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.120 in Buffalo. But he's not the only back on the 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:47.159 roster that can play. You've got a nice variety of 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:50.200 skill sets in that room, aside from what Miles brings 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.320 which jives with the weekly game plan idea. Malcolm Brown 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:56.960 and Savan Akhmed have the most pelts on the wall 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:00.800 in terms of their NFL production, especially with regards to 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:04.920 last season. Patrick Laird settled into a nice special team's 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:07.840 role last year and had a key a crucial third 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:11.120 down conversion in the Patriots game in the second half 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:14.239 at the tailback position. And then we've got rookie Jared Oaks, 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:17.600 who is an absolute maven and past protection in college. 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.640 Jordan's Scarlett, who coached Flores, has mentioned they're a fan 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:22.880 of what he brings this offseason a few times. And 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:25.679 a former fifth round draft pick who's actually the highest 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.760 drafted player in the entire running back room. And Carl 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:30.760 Tucker is in the room too, but he's a fullback, 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:33.440 so not really part of this conversation for the point 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:37.599 of this podcast. So Brown the hammer, the guy that 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.400 can drop those two and twenty two pounds and forced 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.360 defensive backs into business decisions. A guy that can catch 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:45.400 the football out of the backfield. He can also get 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.080 out wide on stretch runs too, even at that size, 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:50.359 and that stature a guy that can push a pile 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:54.080 forward in short yardage, the thunder to the lightning that 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:56.279 has savan Akhmed who have we seen turn on the 0:06:56.360 --> 0:07:00.400 jets on those afore mentioned outside runs. And also I 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:03.839 don't believe his forty yard dash time that is reported 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:05.600 across when he ran in a a pro day back at 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.640 you Dub, because there's a story on online about how 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:10.720 he packed on some weight and his run up to 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:13.280 the draft and ran a little bit slower than he expected. 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.120 But on that thirty one yard run in that same 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:18.760 win over New England in week fifteen, that was not 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:22.000 four point six speed, not even close. He can burn 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.400 much faster trails than that. So I don't think we 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.280 have a clear cut winner here. I think it's game 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:30.480 plan specific, and I know camp and preseason will be 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:33.320 great competition for reps, and I think all of these 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:35.040 guys are in the mix to earn some of them, 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:37.840 and running back is one of the possessions that I 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.080 value the experience of watching the most in the preseason 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:44.600 from my own personal evaluation, because you can get a 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:47.960 sense of how hard a guy runs. I think that 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:51.120 always translates and carries over into the season and it 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:53.840 feels like every single August, and you know, last year 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:58.080 didn't count because of course there was no preseason. But 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:01.400 I think you'd be hard pressed to imagine James Robinson 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:04.320 and Jacksonville, the undrafted free agent who went for over 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:07.920 a thousand yards in his rookie season. I would probably 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.360 venture to guess he would have had a dominant August 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:14.600 last year if there were preseason games, and especially in 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.040 the modern training camp era where there's not as much 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:20.760 contact and tackling to the ground, I think those preseason 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.240 games are really really valuable to get a look at 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:25.200 what your running back room can do. So I'm taking 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.400 a close look at that running back room, not just 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.080 in practice, but in this year's preseason games to see 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.400 how they round out the rotation with Miles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:37.640 Savan Akhmed Patrick Lair, Jordan's Scarlett and Jared Oakes the 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:41.840 rookie running back there out of Cincinnati. At the receiver room, 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:43.840 that's where we go next, and it's the entire room, 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.440 because I think we've still got to sort out the 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:49.800 players you want as your primary snaptakers up top, and 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:53.280 then of course you have specific package deployments. Do you 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:56.200 go big and personnel. When you're in, for instance, your 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.840 twelve personnel package, do you go with speed merchants in 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:02.079 that package? You have stions that you can decide throughout 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:03.800 the course of training camp. And I do think it's 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:06.360 pretty safe to say that Will Fuller, Davante Parker, and 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:08.800 Jalen Waddle are going to get some playing time. And 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:11.320 coach mentioned that camp will be the time where they 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:13.720 kind of sorted out and find out the best five, 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:17.040 six or seven guys to keep on this receiver roster. 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:20.760 And the room is so deep that it might well 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:23.720 force Miami into keeping seven guys, like coach mentioned as 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:26.480 a possibility, and that would be akin to what some 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.560 of these college programs have been doing these days. And 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.920 I heard this mentioned on the Move the Sticks podcast 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.200 on NFL Media podcast, and Daniel Jeremiah mentioned that he 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:37.760 was at a passing camp and the camp had something 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:41.600 like a hundred forty campers listed as receivers and there 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.400 were only nine defensive backs on the field, nine of 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:47.800 them against the one forty. That's insane. Like, you go 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.240 out there as a receiver, you might get two reps 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:54.040 where dbs are getting fifty sixty reps. Because they have 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.360 to go through all these receivers, and so with all 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:59.320 these receivers kind of growing on trees these days, with 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:02.480 all the passing camps and all the emphasis on explosive 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.360 offensive football, colleges can kind of run these line changes 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.640 of sorts to borrow a hockey term and just try 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.440 to stay fresh. Now, I don't think that is quite 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:14.000 how it's gonna work in the NFL going forward, as 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:16.480 we've seen the college game kind of milled into the 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:18.800 pro game more and more the last few years. But 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.960 you can be five or six or seven deep, like 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:25.200 coach mentioned, because there are so many good ones out there, 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:27.840 and we've got our hands on several of them down 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:31.200 here in South Florida. Preston Williams mentioned it Tuesday. An 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:34.440 accomplished player when he's healthy, can really sink his hips 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:36.720 in the top of his routes, which push the dB 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.400 on their heels at the top of the stem, and 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.240 that pairs so well with his size and his vertical 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:45.560 arsenal that produced some damn fine catches down the field 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.160 in practice, in preseason and eventually on Sunday. So far 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:51.880 in his two years as a pro out of Colorado State, 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.080 Lynn Bowden Jr. We saw his role last year elevate 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.240 as the year went along. A dual functionality player who 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.160 can work as a ball carrier, wildcat trigger man in 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:03.439 addition to his work as a receiver. And just look 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:06.160 at what he did in the SEC as a receiver 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:08.800 converted to quarterback to make up for the injuries Kentucky 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:11.280 had when he was there. He goes out and sets 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:14.319 SEC records for most rushing yards by a quarterback in 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:18.120 a game and plenty of other just astronomical accolades he 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:22.120 accomplished there at Kentucky. He's the ultimate competitor, a tough guy, 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:25.760 a rack guy in an offense that showed some rhythm 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.160 and the short passing game and how he can create 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:30.480 off of those kind of layup type of throws you 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.080 want to build into the passing game to get your 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:35.760 quarterback confidence, get completions going shorten the sticks, you break 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:37.720 one tackle, you get a first down. There you go, baby, 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.439 there's your drive starter. And that's what Lynn Lynn Bowden Jr. 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.400 Can bring to an offense. And he also showed a 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:44.600 real chemistry late in the season. I thought with two 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.920 a tongo byloa and speaking of rack guys. Albert Wilson 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:50.520 is now two and a half years removed from that 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.480 hip injury in ten and he looks like it. He 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.319 can also carry the football, mentioning Boden. As you might recall, 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.880 he rushed for two first downs another one in nineteen 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:02.600 on top of thirty three receiving first downs those two 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:05.480 years combined, and his yards per reception figure I thought 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:07.600 I found very interesting over the course of his career, 0:12:07.880 --> 0:12:10.600 sixteen point three as a rookie, twelve point nine the 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:13.480 following season, then a dip to nine point oh, then 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:15.839 it comes back up to thirteen point two, and way 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:20.200 back up to fifteen point oh in his first in Miami, 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:23.280 and then it goes down to eight point two en, 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.200 So he can really to me, that tells me that 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.959 he can run routes at all three levels of the field, 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.240 the short, the intermediate, and the deep. But he's really 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:33.760 a difficult tackle in space, especially when you get in 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:36.000 the fourth quarter down here in South Florida, as the 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:39.640 teen Chicago Bears learned quickly in that game where Bert 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:42.160 just caught footballs and wouldn't be tackled in that game, 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.880 I think that provides real, real value. Again with this 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:48.400 quarterback and what he excels at. You know who else 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:51.080 is dangerous with the ball in their hands, well, Jachim Grant. 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:54.320 In fact, he led the NFL and missed tackles forced 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.839 on punt returns in twenty that's per next Gen stats. 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.680 We've seen the vertical threat and flashes. We've seen the 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.520 dominance as a punt returner, and we recently saw the 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:05.760 ability to take the top off the defense and that 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.959 mini camp video on the long reception off the hand 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:11.760 of Tongue Bailoa. And one of my favorite things to 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.880 watch every single training camp is the suddenness with which 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.000 Jachem Grant practices with. He is a practice pro out 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.000 there and he creates a ton of separation and I 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:23.520 see no reason to expect that to change this August. 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:26.600 So that's seven. But we aren't even close to being 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.080 done yet. This is again no particular order here. Mac 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:31.600 Hollins is one of the best special teams aces in 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:34.480 the league. He's also one hell of a blocker in 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:36.880 the run game, which, for my money, is the single 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:40.360 most overlooked element all of football receivers who can block 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:42.240 down the field. You see a big writing play, you're 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:46.280 gonna see a receiver blocking someone yards down the field. 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:49.920 He also made two huge, huge catches last year, the 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.719 game tying touchdown in Arizona and the fits Mary. I 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:56.000 don't know what we're calling it, but the miracle in 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.440 Las Vegas. Fantastic body control and field awareness to stay 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.160 and bounce on that catch in the Honey Hoole. But wait, 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:04.960 there's more. I'm a big Malcolm Perry fan. When I 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.080 had coach ken Niya mant Lolo of Navy on the 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:11.320 podcast last summer, he said Malcolm was the best runner 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.040 with the ball he's ever coached. And remember how many 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.920 great runners Navy has had under his watch there in 0:14:16.960 --> 0:14:20.720 that triple option offense. What about Robert Foster who had 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:22.360 one of the best mini camps at the position in 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.480 my opinion, and he's fast as all get out. He 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.160 can play special teams, and if you recall those early 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.680 Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills, Robert Foster was one of the 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.280 most productive receivers on that team and one of the 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:36.520 most productive rookies in the league in that class. He 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:39.560 had five d forty one yards and three touchdowns and 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.720 average an absurd twelve point three yards perk. Target. That's 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:46.280 a crazy number. Alan Hurds made some tough catches, important 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:50.080 catches in enough so that he earned a contract extension 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.280 that year and the average eight point nine yards per 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:55.280 target that season, and made a bunch of really tough 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:59.640 catches contested catches between the numbers. Kirk Merritt, like Foster, 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.080 had an excellent many camp and another one of those 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.920 physical freaks with the build and like so many of 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:08.000 his teammates on that four three four four range of 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:10.960 forty yard dash times and the infusion of speed on 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.760 this team this offseason, it sure was something, wasn't it? 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.720 And I know Kirk was last offseason, but he's just 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:18.920 another one of these guys that can flat out fly 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:22.320 and last but not least, Kai Locksley an interesting skill 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:25.440 set as a former dual threat quarterback who posted eight 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.240 hundred and seventy five rushing yards and eleven touchdowns on 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:31.760 the ground in two years at you TEP after transferring 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:35.240 from Texas. So I look at this group and at 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:38.360 the battle for I don't know, two three four, maybe 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:41.760 even five spots, and I think you have such tough 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:44.120 decisions to make, but you can also make them based 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.440 upon what you think the needs of the roster are 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:51.240 at that point, right because you've literally got everything from speed, size, power, 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.880 running after the catchability, special teams, prowess, it's all there 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.880 in that unit and staying with the past catchers. Let's 0:15:57.880 --> 0:15:59.840 go ahead and stop by the tight end room real quick. 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.680 We talked about Mike Asiki's ascension to one of the 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:05.200 top ten producing tight ends in the NFL the last 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:08.800 two seasons, but what about what's with him in that 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:11.120 tight end room? How will the pecking order shake out 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.600 in that role that kind of pairs well with Mike 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:15.720 and his ability as a receiver. If Mike is your 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:18.240 fine red wine, who's gonna be the steak to go 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:20.840 with the sizzle? There? And his best buddy Durham Smith 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:24.160 is the king of dirty work, blocking special teams, the 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.120 occasional touchdown catch and I thought he and Adam Shaheen 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:30.400 kind of rotated in that role last year very very well. 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.600 Of course, that produced a franchise record eleven touchdowns from 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.040 the tight end position last season. But then you've now 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.560 an added Hunter Long who gives you kind of the 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.960 best of both worlds, and that he has an accomplished 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:45.280 past receiving resume. Just go check out Boston College tape 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:48.040 last year. They looked to him first and foremost in 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:50.680 that offense, and when he was bracketed or doubled or 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.280 just kind of covered in general, that offense really struggled 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.360 to move the football. And that's coming off a couple 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:58.440 of seasons where he and the Eagles were a downhill 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:02.480 run first throwbacks. Wad and Hunter did a ton of 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.040 inline blocking for those teams. He did last year too. 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:07.040 He's one of the main guys for me to watch 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:09.800 this training camp because we know that tight end is 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:12.600 traditionally one of the tougher spots to come in and 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:14.800 learn and produce right away. You have to learn the 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:18.080 passing game and the route concepts, the past protection concepts 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:20.960 as well, or the protection scheme in general, and also 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:23.360 run blocking, all three things kind of like a quarterback 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.760 in terms of knowing the entire playbook. So it's a 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:27.800 bit of a crash course for a young player. But 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.960 Hunter is a very smart guy that builds computers and 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:33.800 can put together rubricks cubes and like twenty nine seconds. 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.240 So that's why I'm so intrigued to see what he 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.320 offers as a rookie and if he can be that 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.600 guy that kind of keeps the offensive personnel flexible when 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:43.480 he's on the field, Like we come out with two 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:45.480 tight ends and the defense says, well, they might flex 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:47.880 out that tight end, they might put that receivering tight 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:49.879 end in the backfield. You can do multiple things with 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.240 guys like that. And speaking of that, you've got Sethan 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.600 Carter who can play some h back and some fullback 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:56.840 and as another one of these guys who is a 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:59.440 special teams Mayven and Chris Myrick has been on the 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.520 practice sq of the last two years, but he earned 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:03.879 his first NFL action last season as well. And then 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.359 Jimbrey Blunt will look to make the conversion from the 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.880 hardwood to the gridiron. That tight end position is suddenly 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:14.200 full of intrigue this offseason. Rounding out the offense is 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:17.360 the offensive line. I feel pretty good about putting Jackson 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:19.719 and Hunt into two of those roles, and we know 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:22.720 coach has emphasized the best five are gonna play, and 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.240 since there are so many guys that can play multiple spots, 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:27.440 we're gonna have to see how things play out in camp. 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.200 And not to mention that where Robert Hunt plays could 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:32.480 shake things up based upon how you want to throw 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:35.240 out the roster around that, because he can really play 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:37.560 any spot, or at least he has played four of 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:40.320 the five spots going back to his time in college. 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.280 And then Solomon Kinley's best tape at college came from 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:45.480 left guard, but he also had some great tape at 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:48.720 right guard last year too. Jesse Davis has played both spots, 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.520 and he offers that invaluable experience on a young offensive 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:53.600 line where you can post him between a pair of 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.040 young players and he helps you get the calls communicated 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.920 out to the tackles from that guard position, or maybe 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.320 he does play tackle too. Either way, if I've got 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:03.800 one of these two guys and Kinley and Davis coming 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:06.639 off the bench, then I feel really damn good about 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:10.320 my offensive line depth, especially when you factor in d J. Fluker, 0:19:10.520 --> 0:19:13.240 another guy who has accomplished resume as a guard in 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:16.160 this NFL with tackle experience too. And then there's rookie 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.440 Liam Eichenberg, who, if you go back to our draft podcasts, 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:23.320 the notes from nearly unanimously every single scouting report I 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.679 read on him, was it the highest floor tackle in 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.240 the entire class, Like you can expect this out of 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.119 leam Eikenberg at minimum a technician who just gets the 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:34.200 job done. And if you have five of those guys 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:37.520 on your offensive line, that's more than satisfactory. But we're 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:39.639 not done there yet. I thought Adam Pinky had a 0:19:39.640 --> 0:19:41.919 good training camp last year and earned some reps and 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:44.760 heavy personnel and came in when injuries kind of began 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:46.639 to mount towards the end of the season, as they 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:49.800 do in this war of attrition. Then you've got Larnel Coleman, 0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:51.920 and through our social team, there was a cool video 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:54.560 of his draft moment, the call as it were, where 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:56.719 the brass talked about how they're excited to work with 0:19:56.800 --> 0:19:59.240 him and the potential he shows in developing that guy. 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:01.919 A hat tip to the Developmental Podcast on Tuesday with 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:05.040