The sneaky offseason additions shaping the 2026 NFL season

Summary

The Athletic Football Show — May 13, 2026

Episode: The Sneaky Offseason Additions Shaping the 2026 NFL Season

Hosted by: Robert Mays, with Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the "sneaky" offseason acquisitions that could make a meaningful impact on the 2026 NFL season—players and assistant coaches who were signed to modest contracts, generally under $10 million per year, and who are largely flying under the radar. Robert, Derrik, and Dave analyze why these under-the-radar additions matter, how they fit into team building, and what kind of subtle or not-so-subtle impact they might have this coming season.

Theme: Thoughtful breakdowns of low-profile veteran player and assistant coach signings (less than $10M/year) who might quietly shape the upcoming NFL season.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining “Sneaky Additions”

• Focus is on players/coaches not in the mainstream headlines—smaller contracts, not superstars, but poised for real impact (01:59).
• The panel explores overlooked veterans who could shift depth charts or even tweak team strategy.

“When you make a show with sickos for sickos, finding somebody that fits the definition of sneaky gets pretty tough.”
— Dave (03:46)

2. Notable Defensive Additions

A. Kansas City Chiefs — Khyiris Tonga, NT

• Breakdown: Formerly with the Vikings, Tonga is described as a “phenomenal” space-eater who can also penetrate into the backfield (05:55).
• Fit: May signal schematic shifts; possible increase in odd fronts for KC this year as their depth chart has become more flexible—especially after losing Leo Chenal’s unique skill set.
• Contract: Pushing the upper limits of “sneaky” in terms of salary but makes sense given the role restructuring.

“They're really an even-front team... But with Tonga at nose...do they just play a lot more odd front this year?”
— Derek (06:08)

B. LA Chargers — Dalvin Tomlinson, DT

• A reliable interior plug signed for $6 million (09:53).
• Chargers continue their trend of gathering affordable, effective interior DLs.

“Chargers have been very good over the last couple years of saying, all right, we don't want to spend a lot we want a group of four or five functional interior defensive linemen.”
— Robert (09:53)

C. Atlanta Falcons — Da'Shawn Hand, DL

• Versatile and stout, strong run defender, quietly raises floor of Atlanta’s defensive front—fills a major need for a defense poor against the run last year (27:40).

“He can play a little bit of one tech, he can play at that three technique spot… a solid stout run defender and that's… what the Falcons needed up front...”
— Derek (27:40)

D. Tennessee Titans — Jacob Martin, EDGE

• Two-year, $9M signing. Previously with Washington, had a career year in 2025 (31:13).
• Strength: high motor, versatile, productive as a situational pass rusher; good fit as a complementary piece to newly acquired stars.

“Every fan has had Jacob Martin on his team at some point. He's been on every single person who roots for an NFL team…”
— Robert (31:13)

E. Minnesota Vikings — James Pierre, CB

• Signed to a two-year, $8M deal. Late-season flashes as a cover-2 flat defender in Pittsburgh, now steps into a prime role in a zone-heavy Vikings scheme (39:02).

“I actually think there’s a lot of schematic overlap, Derek, that would lead you to believe some of the flashes we saw from James Pierre...can carry over for him in Minnesota next season.”
— Robert (41:19)

F. Seattle Seahawks — Dante Fowler, EDGE

• Post-draft signing for $6M; expected to effectively replace Boye Mafe. High-motor, rotational pass rusher (59:57).

3. Notable Defensive Backs & Safeties

A. NY Giants — Ar’Darius Washington, S/Nickel

• Former Raven who recovered rapidly from Achilles injury, praised for versatility and toughness (14:44).
• Can play deep, in the box, and nickel; expected to help free Tyler Nubin for a box role.

“My 5'8 king...still hitting like a son of a bitch for a guy who's only 5'8.”
— Dave (14:44)

B. Detroit Lions — Christian Izien, DB

• Undersized, highly flexible DB from Tampa; opportunity to claim snaps while Joseph and Branch recover from injuries (45:23).
• Can slot in at multiple secondary spots; seen as a key band-aid for Lions depth issues.

C. Baltimore Ravens — Jalen Hawkins, S

• Two years, $10M. Versatile, smart, late-bloomer safety joining Ravens’ complex defense (18:18).
• His cerebral play allows Kyle Hamilton to be deployed more freely.

4. Offense: Sneaky Under-the-Radar Moves

A. Arizona Cardinals — Elijah Wilkinson, OL

• $3M deal seen as a low-risk, potentially high-reward addition for much-needed offensive line stability (33:55).

B. LA Chargers — Keaton Mitchell, RB

• Electric, change-of-pace back, much-discussed as a potentially fruitful low-cost signing (34:25).

C. New England Patriots — Julian Hill, TE & Reggie Gilliam, FB

• Julian Hill: Emerging as Patriots transition away from aging tight end depth (34:59).
• Reggie Gilliam: True fullback with “A-” lead-blocking ability, expected to unlock the under-center ground game that was lacking last year (35:24).

“You're going from a C-minus fullback...to a guy who is like B-plus/A-minus for what we've got in the league right now.”
— Derek (36:40)

D. Jacksonville Jaguars — Chris Rodriguez, RB

• Change-of-pace, floor-raising back to pair with Travis Etienne—brings more consistency and efficiency in the run game (63:00).

E. San Francisco 49ers — Christian Kirk, WR

• Signed for modest money, not discussed as much due to bigger moves, but the hosts trust Shanahan's eye for receivers; seen as a possible late-career resurgence spot for Kirk (64:22).

5. Sneaky Coaching Hires

A. Minnesota Vikings — Frank Smith, Asst. HC (former Dolphins OC)

• Hired to help overhaul run-game concepts and infuse creativity, especially as Vikings have lacked a run-game coordinator and have struggled to establish an identity on the ground (54:54).

“I'm just curious what sort of influence that kind of Miami-based run game might have and what the Vikings are going to try to do.”
— Robert (54:54)

B. Chicago Bears — Eric Studesville, RBs Coach (ex-Dolphins)

• Importing Miami’s run-game intellectual property to the Bears, expected to modernize and diversify an otherwise stagnant rushing attack (58:30).

---

Memorable Quotes

• On the “Sneaky” List Challenge:
  “When you make a show with sickos for sickos, finding somebody that fits the definition of sneaky gets pretty tough...”
  — Dave (03:46)
• On the NFC North Parity:
  “Confidently back an NFC North team as definitively better than the other three... tell, like, make the case for me.”
  — Dave (50:44)
• On Aging Defenders:
  “Dalvin Tomlinson only being 32 is the NFL in a nutshell.”
  — Dave (12:04)
• On Running Backs in San Francisco:
  “…with receivers, [Shanahan]'s been nails basically every single time. Like vets, drafting guys, whatever. The hit rate is. It’s pretty absurd. So I actually do kind of trust that he could get something left out [of Kirk].”
  — Derek (66:07)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Episode’s Premise & Criteria: 01:59–05:05
• Chiefs’ Defensive Front Reshuffle (Tonga): 05:55–09:14
• Chargers’ D-line Value Signings (Tomlinson): 09:53–12:52
• Ravens/Patriots/Athletic Old-Timers (Campbell, Hawkins, etc.): 12:19–22:49
• NY Giants’ DB Depth (Ar’Darius Washington): 14:44–17:44
• Atlanta’s Run-Stopping Puzzle (Da'Shawn Hand): 27:40–30:07
• Titans’ Edge Depth (Jacob Martin): 31:13–33:19
• Patriots’ Fullback Renaissance (Gilliam): 35:24–38:45
• Vikings’ CB Overhaul (James Pierre): 39:02–43:07
• Lions’ Secondary Depth (Christian Izien, DB): 45:23–49:36
• Falcons to Eagles — Arnold Ebiketie, Pass Rush Depth: 52:10–54:45
• Sneaky Coaching Hires (Frank Smith, Vikings assist. HC): 54:54–59:13
• Seahawks Add Dante Fowler (Edge): 59:36–62:42
• Jaguars Backfield Floor (Chris Rodriguez): 63:00–64:12
• SF 49ers’ Receiver Makeover (Kirk, Stribling, Pierce, etc.): 64:22–66:26

---

Tone & Language

• Analytical but Playful: Spirited banter, lots of inside #sickos logic, with occasional movie, music, or pop culture asides.
• Detail-Oriented: Heavy on Xs and Os, contract details, and specific defensive/offensive scheme notes.
• Engaged with Listener “Sicko” Community: Frequent nods to deep-cut fan favorites and running gags.

---

Takeaways

• Every contender’s season could hinge on the sorts of quietly smart signings described here—on both sides of the ball.
• Defensive line and safety are especially fertile spots for bargain signings—who may punch far above their cost.
• Even coaching hires on the margins, especially those cross-pollinating proven run-game concepts, can “move the needle.”
• Teams like the Lions, Vikings, and Niners are fascinating X-factors because of the quantity and quality of their “under the radar” additions.
• The NFL’s landscape is shaped as much by the glue guys and background staff as the headline-grabbing stars.

---

For all you NFL sickos: keep an eye on the newcomers no one’s talking about—by December, they might be the difference between “what if” and “why not.”

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

We're lost and kickoff's coming up. I don't want to miss the lineup. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the stadium.

[Dave]

Well, you're gonna take a left at the old oak tree at this here road. Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

How is there signal out here?

[Dave]

T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city. City Saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Actually, can you pull up the way to a T Mobile store?

[Commercial Announcer]

America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available at US Cellular stores in Hermiston. Best Mobile network based on analysis by Ooklo Speed test intelligence data second half of 2025 bigger network the combination of T Mobile's and US Cellular's network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage Price guarantee on talk, text and data exclusions like taxes and fees. Fees apply ctmobile.com for details when you

[Narrator/Advertiser]

manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Marketers, you know that feeling when your creative clicks, when that social post sends engagement through the roof, when your outside of the box campaign hits ROI positive, when a personalized homepage turns prospects into customers. It's utter marketing bliss. Contentful helps you create tailored omnichannel experiences without working overtime. No stress, no limits, only possibilities. Get the [e-mail]

[Robert Mays]

welcome to the Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mays. On yesterday's show, we chatted about some of the position groups that have been totally remade this off season. Like big, loud changes to certain areas of these rosters. Today we're talking about the sneaky additions that were made on the veteran market this offseason and how that might impact some of these teams. We didn't lay out. I didn't lay out the exact parameters for this when I was asked and the guys to come up with a list of names. We wanted to focus on guys that were making I know less than 10 million bucks, aren't big name players, aren't superstars. You're really thinking that much about the guys that are on some of these smaller contracts. But for one reason or another, they are going to be important players for teams this year and the way that those teams plans are going to come together. So really enjoyed digging into about a dozen sneaky additions this offseason with Derek and Dave. Let's get to that list right now. We spent some time yesterday talking about the position groups that have been totally overhauled. Like some of those are kind of sneaky, but when you're adding three new guys, it's kind of hard to hide. Like, we've seen what those changes look like today we wanted to dig a little bit deeper and talk about a handful of players that when we go through the whole wave of free agency and we're doing those live shows, they're going to be some one year, $5 million deals that we just don't talk about very much. And now that everything has quieted down and we were truly in like the depths of the off season, we wanted to zoom out a little bit or I guess zoom further in and try to find 10 or so guys that we think were sneaky additions this spring that are going to make a difference for the teams that signed.

[Dave]

Yeah, I was zooming in on that depth chart looking for names that we haven't really talked about, which I joked about it with you earlier today. When you make a show with sickos for sickos, finding somebody that fits the definition of sneaky gets pretty tough because there are some cheaper, more obscure players that have joined teams this off season that we've talked about a bunch. But I, I feel pretty good about my list.

[Robert Mays]

I mean, inevitably when we do the buying or selling off seasons, we go through every single addition that the team's made. And so there's going to be some overlap when you're truly an autopsy or an accounting of every single team's off season. All 32 of them, Derek. But I still think these are going to be players that we have not talked about at quite the same length as some of the bigger additions from this spring.

[Derek]

Definitely not the same length, but there are, there were at least one or two of my picks here that like, I remember during free agency week being like, man, I really like that signing for X team. And like it's, you know, it's not a lot of money, but it's going to be really good. And this is a show to like, actually sit in that for a little bit longer.

[Robert Mays]

That's exactly right. I'm sure we have mentioned these players on the show, but that was two months ago. That might as well have not even even happened. And so now we're. I think we're totally in the clear to dig into it in this way. I'll tell you guys right now, I've got a couple curveballs. I have a couple coaches.

[Derek]

Oh, well, that's.

[Dave]

You didn't. You didn't outline that as a parameter. I like it, though.

[Robert Mays]

I. It was just one of those things I was going through. I've been talking to a lot of coaches over the last couple weeks, just catching up with guys, working on a couple things. And so just some names have come up in conversation where I'm like, oh, shit, I forgot that guy was on that staff. Like, I do think that's going to make this meaningful difference. And these aren't coordinators. These are guys in, like, smaller roles. And so I do. We're going to do a ton of new coordinator content over the next three or four months, I guarantee you that. So these are even one layer below coordinator roles that I think will have an impact on their teams this fall.

[Dave]

DB's, coaches that are going to make the difference.

[Robert Mays]

That's.

[Dave]

That's real sicko shit. I love it for.

[Robert Mays]

I've got two of those just because I felt like, again, we have talked about most of these players, so this is a way to differentiate a little bit. Derek, why don't you kick us off here, buddy? What was your favorite sneaky addition that you wanted to talk about today?

[Derek]

So one of my favorite players last year in general, and then one of my favorite signings this offseason was the Chiefs signing Krish Tonga to. To be their nose tackle.

[Robert Mays]

And I actually, I didn't include this on mine because I knew Derek was going to have it.

[Dave]

Yeah, I had a feeling we would cover this.

[Derek]

And at first I probably would have talked about him anyway. Again, I thought he just played phenomenal last year as a space eater, but also a guy for his size. I think he can get into the backfield a little bit. But why I actually, the more I looked at the Chiefs depth chart, found this interesting, is that they have been generally an even front team. Like recently with Chris Jones and the way that they operate and Leo Chanel. Sometimes they'll put him on the field and roll him down to the line of scrimmage to make some of Those like three, four looking odd fronts. But generally they were like a four, three team. Put three linebackers on the field and base. But if you look at their depth chart now, the way that it's set up, it's like you would probably have Tonga at nose. You would have Jones and Peter woods, their first round pick, potentially playing that like three to five tech like other defensive end. And then you could layer it with some of these outside pass rushers. George Carloft is our Mason Thomas is like a smaller pass rush body. And then at li, I think linebacker is kind of the final piece of this. Where again last year they had three good off the ball linebackers. They had Drew Tranquil, Nick Bolton and Leo Chenau. And Chanel was a flex player, but he was an off the ball linebacker. They don't have that right now. Like, like their third guy would be Jeffrey Basa maybe who like I liked as like a day three draft pick last year. But he's not going to give you what Chanel gave you, both in terms of quality or in terms of like the flexibility of Chenal playing on the line of scrimmage the way that he did. I mean he played like 130 snaps on the line last year and gave them that flexibility in a way they didn't have. And so I wonder if the addition of Tonga drafting Peter woods, drafting our Mason Thomas who's more of like that typical 3, 4 outside linebacker body, do they just play like a lot more odd front this year than they they had in years past?

[Robert Mays]

That's really interesting. So I was looking at the numbers when you were talking. They were according to next gen about 31% five man fronts last year, which is an above average rate and is like just about middle of the pack. But like you're saying a lot of that is just Chanel walked up to the line of scrimmage. And so that's interesting. We've done this at times before, remember? I can't remember what offseason it was. It might have been the year where they signed Orlando Brown Jr. And then they also added a couple other bigger bodies that off season and we were like Chiefs gap scheme runs. Are we, are they coming? And the answer was yes.

[Derek]

Yeah, they did it for a year

[Robert Mays]

times left some breadcrumbs about like some of the changes that could be happening. And so that's, that's really interesting. So that that's barely even a sneaky addition. Like this being a linchpin of like changing some of your defensive structure is. There's nothing Sneaky about that. That's a pretty loud addition and I

[Dave]

don't have an issue with Derek bringing it up because it's a very fun signing, but they gave him pretty good money too.

[Robert Mays]

I mean, I think my rule of thumb on this was if it's less than eight digits, we're in good shape. Like less than $10 million a year that that player is eligible for this show per year.

[Dave]

Okay, yes. I mean he's, he's.

[Robert Mays]

That wasn't a hard and fast rule, but that's kind of what I abided by when we're doing this.

[Dave]

It's certainly not an enormous contract, but when you see the size of the deal, it's like, okay, this is, this is more than depth. This is a guy that you have designs for.

[Derek]

I was definitely pushing the upper limits of like what counts as sneaky, but this was just like the restructuring of their defense. I was like, we, we didn't get to talk about it for their front in the last show. I have to talk about it.

[Robert Mays]

Have they talked about that at all or is this something you're completely inferring?

[Derek]

I don't know. Like I, I would. I don't know if they've really said anything about that. Like maybe they did after they drafted woods and Thomas. I'm not 100% sure that. But that'll be something that, as we get into training camp, as we start seeing what they're trying to do in the preseason, like do they roll out some different fronts than, than they had been used to in the past?

[Dave]

This is what I love about a show like this though is we're like, ah, Tonga, of course, that's, that's barely sneaky. And 95% of the football viewing public has no idea this is happening or, or that he changed teams.

[Robert Mays]

Well, we, we share a show with one of the biggest Kyrex Tongue fans in America.

[Dave]

That's true. I think that's part of it driving that bandwagon.

[Robert Mays]

He did not make my final list. A player I would throw out that I. Similar sort of thought process. Not in how it'll change the structure of the defense, but just what a what adding that sort of like big bodied rung Plugger can do, but for different reasons. The Chiefs didn't really have one. And that's why it's interesting. Dalvin Tomlinson going to the Chargers. The Chargers have been good at identifying these players. Like the Chargers have been very good over the last couple years of saying, all right, we don't want to spend a lot we want a group of four or five functional interior defensive linemen that we can cycle through your desean hands. Players like that. And I think Atido Ogbonia, they've done a good job of building out that room. And this year, Dalvin Tomlinson is that discarded. We're going to get him for $6 million into your defensive lineman. Tyre Tart was so good that they ultimately had to pay him, but for the most part, they've cycled through a lot of sheep guys at these spots.

[Dave]

I was going to say Tart's like the ideal for that guy. And so adding Tomlinson to a front that already includes him is definitely intriguing.

[Derek]

They had Puna Ford for that one year. Like, they really do a good job of these, like 1 and 2 year D tackle deals.

[Robert Mays]

They've done a very good job of identifying those players. And so the fact that it was Dalvin Tomlinson this year I thought was notable. I was going back and watching some like, late season Cardinals defense just to like, get a sense of what was Dalvin Tomlinson down the stretch.

[Derek]

Don't do that, don't do that.

[Robert Mays]

Just spend your time doing something else.

[Dave]

There were a few guys that I watched for this where I was like, okay, I, I mean, the, the way you played most recently is important, but some of these circumstances are so bad where I'm like, all right, I'm not, I'm not going to judge you completely based on this awful infrastructure that you were part of.

[Robert Mays]

When you have a guy who's 32 years old, he's. He just turned 32 years old, you at least want to do the wash, not wash check before you're going to talk about that player. And so I was like, for that, for Tomlinson specifically, I was like, all right, let's go check this out. And then you see like John Simons getting all these snaps at the end of the year. And like, I was just like, you know what? We're good. Like the issues that the Cardinals defense. My main question was the issues that the Cardinals defense is having against the run in week 12 of last year. Are those Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell's faults? No, that. That was my conclusion, is that was not their fault. And so I think we're good to just move on from that.

[Dave]

Dalvin Tomlinson Only being 32 is the NFL in a nutshell.

[Robert Mays]

Well, compared to Claest Campbell, he's a spring chicken.

[Dave]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he is a spring chicken. He just turned 32. But it feels so ancient when you've been in the league since 2017.

[Robert Mays]

I. I've talked about this story before, but you could throw Clay Campbell into this list by the way, too. Like, I do think that he is a nice piece for the Ravens at 5 million bucks a year, even as he's about to turn 40 here in a couple months. I've told this story before, but I remember going down to Jacksonville and I was looking at my texts when he signed with the Ravens just to remind myself of what year it was, and I'm pretty sure it was 2018. I went down to Jacksonville to write a story about how Calais Campbell was coming to the end of his career and how he was like an influence for some of the younger players. That was eight years ago, and he

[Dave]

was ancient by NFL defensive lineman standards at the time.

[Robert Mays]

Eight years ago. So every time, every time it happens where he signs with a new team, I'm just going to go back and make sure that text is correct. The other thing I said in the moment, I firmly believe this. I love that Calais Campbell is just treating the last few years of his career like high fidelity, like he's just going to revisit his old girlfriends and work through the emotions associated with that. So I just respect so much of how he's approaching this.

[Dave]

Derek, are you familiar with High Fidelity?

[Derek]

I'm not, but he's never seen High Fidelity. I have not seen many a movies. Are we going to do this again?

[Dave]

Derek doesn't even remember when Comedy Central used to air High Fidelity twice a day. Like, that's the problem.

[Robert Mays]

That I cannot imagine a better like Friday night movie for you and your girlfriend just to go watch and like o phenomenal movie. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. I. I'm willing to admit John Cusack. It's just a John Cusack vehicle.

[Dave]

Okay. But also it's. It's like an early star turn for Jack Black before he was famous.

[Robert Mays]

Jack Black is in it. Catherine Zeta Jones is in it. It's. It's a phenomenal movie. I'm willing to admit this now because I'm far enough removed from it and I'm older and I'm less embarrassed by it. I moved into my first Chicago apartment because it was across the street from the location of where the record store was in High Fidelity. That is why I chose to live there. So that's the biggest stamp of approval I can give you.

[Dave]

A good, forgettable comedy.

[Robert Mays]

Oh, not forgettable at all. To me. Very, very memorable. What's your first one, Dave? Your first sneaky guy that you wanted to talk about that you think is going to make an impact this year.

[Dave]

We make reference to this a lot and we've done it plenty for John Harbaugh because he brought a lot of Ravens with him. But I would posit to you that of the five Ravens that John Harbaugh brought over from Baltimore, the guy I like the most is the one we've mentioned the least because he was a little bit of an afterthought. One year, $1.9 million are Darius Washington.

[Robert Mays]

I love this. That was I I was very close to putting our Darius Washington onto this list.

[Dave]

My five eight king Our Darius Washington lands in Baltimore, obviously. I mean, the end of his or lands in New York. I mean, hit the end of his Baltimore career. Got out of whack because he tore his Achilles last summer.

[Robert Mays]

He even played last year. Amazingly. Tearing his Achilles last summer is crazy.

[Dave]

It's crazy that it wasn't a bigger talking point that he came he came back for the full last month of the year. He got back onto the field in Week 15 after tearing his Achilles over the summer. And I did the same thing as you where I just went back and watched and it's not a huge sample size. He didn't play a ton. Shocker of shockers. He's coming off a torn Achilles, but he was still hitting like a son of a bitch for a guy who's only 58 and moving around fairly well for a guy who just tore his Achilles. So he signs on in New York. It's a small deal. It's not a huge investment on the Giants part, but I would just imagine between his familiarity in this scheme and he was. Not only was he in Baltimore with Harbaugh, but he was on the Ravens with Denard Wilson as well. So there is a lot of familiarity here. He's going to know what they're asking this defense to do. He can wear a lot of hats. He can play in the slot.

[Derek]

He.

[Dave]

He plays deep. You can use him in the box, which again is pretty incredible for a guy who's 58 and from what I hear, just paying attention to what's going on up in New York. I think the Giants would probably prefer to drop Tyler Nubin down into the box and ask him to do less in coverage. I think Ardarius Washington could allow you to do that. My only question is, how much are you going to use? 3 safeties. Is he taking somebody else off the field? But that's just a problem you figure out as you go in my opinion. And I like, I think there's going to be more than enough snaps for a guy like this to go around.

[Robert Mays]

I hope that he can play closer to what he was in 2024 before he got hurt because I just, even if he's a limited player, he's undersized. Like I just think that the way he plays and some of the things he allowed the Ravens to do during that season, I really developed an appreciation for him during that year. And so having him enjoy a bounce back season for the Giants this year or Darius Washington I think would be really nice.

[Derek]

Well and there's so much value in a, you know, third safety, whatever you want to call him, second nickel. A guy who can play literally every spot, even if it's only at like a C level like Christian Izzan. Was this for the Bucks for like a couple of years where like they would literally might have to be again

[Robert Mays]

buddy guys this year in Detroit.

[Dave]

Spoiler alert. He might come up on my list later.

[Derek]

See he I, he almost came up on mine too. So I'm glad we're going to talk about him. But he's the utility of having a guy who can give you passable play at literally every spot. Ardarius Washington, not so much outside corner the way Izzy and you know, would kind of moonlight at that times, but the fact that he could play any spot for them, like DB depth was a huge issue for them last year. And then like Dave was saying, Tyler Newman I think is a good tackler and he can hit and he'll come up but his some of the angles he takes, some of his coverage ability, like the more that they could hide that and potentially use Washington to kind of overlap and push him into to a role that is more suited for him. I think that could go a long way.

[Dave]

I don't know if this is cope or not, but it makes sense to me. He got on the field last year and I think you can see just watching him that he's a guy coming off of a major leg injury. But the fact that he got onto the field and got those reps, it makes me feel so much better. As comp. As opposed to the typical story here is like well what does he look like when when's he going to be able to go full speed? Like the fact that he already got back onto an NFL field and looked like he belonged there. It just gives me more confidence that he can be closer to the guy that we remember when, when this all kicks off in 2026.

[Robert Mays]

I'll add another layer to that. He got signed by the coach in the NFL that knows the most about his medical situation. Like John Harbaugh knew every single beat of when he was going to be healthy, what he was going to look like, and he ended up being the guy that ultimately signed him. And so I think that's even one more layer to it. Let's go with the guy who gave the Ravens some safety flexibility in 2024 to the guy that hopefully will be giving it to them in 2026. We mentioned him in the moment. I really like Jalen Hawkins going to the Ravens for two years and 10 million. I just think that you watch the ways that those safeties played for the Patriots last year. That's where he was last year. He spent two years in New England. He was with the Chargers for a year before that and the Falcons for two years before that. And you know, I Bran Stable did a very good job with the Saints last year. But those chargers defenses from 2021 through 2023, there was a lot to be concerned about there. The Falcons have not had their defense buttoned up for quite a long while the 2023 Patriots, I think there was a lot to be desired, but what that team looked like. The 2024 Patriots are probably the most stable situation that Jalen Hawkins has played in as a safety in the NFL, and he brought a lot of stability to that situation in that scenario with him and Craig Woodson. Craig Woodson was a more capable physical box player when asked. And so Jalen Hawkins did play a lot in the post. He played a lot of free safety, but he is somebody that can walk down, can tackle, can be a blitzer. And so that just kind of necessarily do it all safety. But a flexible enough safety, that best role is identifying routes from depth and kind of being that last line of defense. That is exactly what the Ravens need to play Kyle Hamilton in the way that they want to. And so having Jalen Hawkins step in in that role, you watch him play. And like the Patriots didn't play a ton of quarters. It was a lot of single high. And he is that post safety a lot of the time. He's not the most explosive like driving downhill sort of safety, but he identifies routes well, he's clearly very smart. He's somebody that when you watch a guy come into his own at age 28, I think there are reasonable questions about why did it take this long and is this real. But Derek, it's safety specifically, like a guy really figuring out how to see the game as he gets into his late 20s. That's not crazy to me. Like, that's a position where it's so much mentally that you have to be able to identify and pick up on. And I really do feel like when you go back and you watch him last year, like, his ability to be like, all right, this is the crosser that I'm catching from, you know, all the way over here, like, seeing it be for the play even starts. I just think that he seemed to have a really good grasp of what his role in the defense was last year. And that's exactly what the Ravens are going to ask Jalen Hawkins to be this season.

[Derek]

Totally. I mean, one, it's a safety does typically take time to, like, learn mentally. And then I also think that that's true of guys who are not super physically gifted. And I don't think he's like, a bad athlete, but again, he's not the most explosive guy when he's got to stop and drive downhill. His range is more fine than it is, like, good. And so when you are like that, you need to be ahead of things mentally so that you're not losing that time. And. And I think that that took him a few years to develop as a rotational player and as a backup and seeing different defenses, and now that he's been in three or four different systems and has gotten reps in some of those spots, he's kind of seen enough to be like, hey, okay, I know when to cut off these routes, and I do think he takes better angles than he did when he was a young player. Like, he is. He's the perfect player for this kind of defense, too, where this kind of defense, you've got to be sharp, dude. Like, you cannot be misstepping or being in the wrong spot and all that stuff. And you need to be able to play all these certain roles and that not be overwhelming to you ment mentally. I think Hawkins is great for that in a vacuum. And then I also think, you know, last year, this was a team that they benefited from getting that slight bump up in play when they traded for a Loki Gilman. I think Hawkins is like, an even better version and more flexible in coverage, I think, than like Gilman was.

[Robert Mays]

That's interesting.

[Marketer/Advertiser]

Oh, he.

[Robert Mays]

Gilmore got $8 million a year this offseason. Jalen Hawkins got five.

[Dave]

And so well that my point for this was just going to be when you see what Jalen Hawkins got, which is 2. 2 years, 10 million. Kevin Byard had a great season. It makes all the sense in the world why Mike Vrabel would want to reunite with Kevin Byard. But I see that price tag and I'm like, New England didn't want to keep them. Like in a day and age where more and more teams want three capable safeties and you can mix and match these guys and use all sorts of different personnel groupings. When I saw the deal he got, I was like, new England doesn't want to just have more guys on hand to do it, to deal with this. That doesn't seem like a contract that would prohibit you from keeping him.

[Robert Mays]

Ball production, maybe. I mean, Kevin Byer does take the ball away. I mean, that is number one he's bringing to the table, right?

[Derek]

I think boring, smart safeties just don't get paid on the market very much.

[Robert Mays]

We totally agree.

[Derek]

Like when Cam Curl got paid initially by the Rams, he got like three or four million dollars. But he was a totally solid NFL starting safety and he's obviously proven that he was outplayed what that initial contract was. And I think sometimes these guys, especially when they are a little bit older like Hawkins, that 28, 29, it's like teams are just not going to invest a lot. But like, I do think he is going to be a good player for them especially.

[Robert Mays]

I love what you said where he's. It's not a lot of misstepping. It's just there are times where he's a little bit late to trigger on stuff just because he is a limited athlete. But like, in this role specifically, not making mistakes is the number one thing that you can do. And I do think that again, him is like a last line of defense. Jalen Hawkins for this Ravens defense, I completely understand the vision, the price tag that they paid for it. I think it's an important role within their defense and I. I think it'll benefit them from landing a player almost exactly like this. All right, let's take our first quick break here and then come back and chat about a few more of these guys.

[Marketer/Advertiser]

Look, I'm a sports media guy and so that means I've got, I don't know, 20, 30 hoodies in my closet. They all serve a purpose, but I want that one that I'm just going to live in, really live in, on the couch, on a plane, out for a hike, playing with my kids, whatever the case might be. That's the one that I'm looking for. And I finally found one with Path. Paca makes outdoor and lifestyle apparel from Alpaca Fiber, one of the world's most sustainable natural fibers. Their best selling hoodie is softer than cashmere, warmer than wool, and breathable. The hoodie is built for real life, thermoregulating, odor resistant, durable and made to last. Each one is made start to finish in Peru and features an Inca ID that's hand woven by artisans, honoring generations of knowledge and traditions and connecting you closer to where your clothing comes from. Over 250,000 people have picked up the Packa Hoodie. What makes it even better, it's what I said off the top of this ad. The fact that you can wear it really wherever you want to go, doesn't matter what you're doing. The Paca Hoodie is going to be a hoodie that you reach for when you reach for over and over and over again. If you've been thinking up leveling your hoodie game, this is your sign to do it. To grab your Packa hoodie, go to www.packaapparel.com. that's www. Summer is right around the corner. It is my absolute favorite time of year and my favorite thing to do in the summer is spend an entire Saturday afternoon at the pool with my wife and our daughters. There's truly nothing I enjoy more than being out there for hours soaking up the sun at the pool. I want to look good. I'm not going to lie, there's a little bit of vanity there and that gets harder with age as dad bod really starts to set in. A lot of people might think that the classic dad bod comes from drinking more beer or eating worse, but for a lot of guys, that's really not the story. As men get older, our bodies reprogram themselves. We naturally start storing more fat and losing muscle faster. And the main reason for this is testosterone. Most men's testosterone levels start dropping as early as their 30s and when that happens, it becomes easier to gain fat, especially around your stomach. Mars Men is here to help. Mars Men is a natural supplement designed to support healthy testosterone levels which can help your body burn fat more efficiently and build lean muscle. When your hormones are working the way they're supposed to, a lot of things can get easier. Workouts, energy, even staying lean. It's basically just helping your body run like it did years ago. There's no weird stimulants or synthetic hormones and the quality is legit. It's made in the USA and every batch is third party tested. There's a 90 day money back guarantee so there's no risk. Worst case scenario, you don't absolutely love it and you get your money back. But more than 91% of users report higher energy levels. Thousands of guys are feeling incredible results. Just check out the reviews on their website to see for yourself. For a limited time, our listeners can get 50% off for life plus free shipping and three free gifts@ Mengotomars.com that's Mengotomars.com for 50% off and three free gifts when you check out and it's also available on Amazon. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you

[Dave]

Investing with Schwab is like spending a Saturday at a great farmer's market. You can fill your reusable tote with a bit of everything. Maybe you go for some free range self directed investing or perhaps you pick up a few farm fresh trades while you peruse. You can even get help from a dedicated advisor. That's full service wealth management. Mix, match and change your mind whenever you want because at Schwab you can invest your way. No matter your goals or appetite for investing. Schwab has everything you need all in one place. Visit schwab.com to learn more.

[Robert Mays]

Derek who's your next sneaky addition from this spring that you are excited to watch next year?

[Derek]

You actually mentioned him offhand earlier when we were talking about the Chargers. I really like the Sean Hand to the Atlanta Falcons. I think that that is a very solid signing for them. He's a player who he's been on a journey for his career, right? Like he was drafted to Detroit seven or so years ago and he he was a decent contributor for them. But I think just like coaching staff changes and then some injuries and he just kind of fell out of favor for a while. Finally revives his career again in Miami in 2024. He'd actually signed there the year before, but then really stepped into a more prominent role in 2024 and then last year 2025, played a lot of snaps for the Chargers and he's not an exciting player. He gives you almost nothing on like pass rush downs and even as a run defender. He doesn't get into the backfield a lot, but he commands space pretty well and you can flex him from he can play a little bit of one tech, he can play at that three technique spot. You can even push him out to be like a big end like five technique every now and then. So he gives you a little bit of scheme flexibility in terms of where you want to put guys. And I think he's just a solid stout run defender. And that's. He's not like a world changer in terms of run defense. But the Falcons just did not have anybody up front who was a good run defender last year really like they were. I know their defense was fun in a lot of ways, and the secondary's got a lot of young pieces and the pass rusher is great, but they didn't get into enough of those pass rush scenarios because the run defense was so bad. And so if hand can help them a little bit there, I think that that could go a pretty long way for them.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, I. He came up when I was talking to somebody from there last week just about the types of signings they were trying to make this offseason where it's like, we can't throw a lot of money around. We don't want to throw a lot of money around. We need the desean hands of the world who are going to quietly make our team better. And I think that's exactly the sort of player that he is. His career is interesting. Like, you remember, he was a huge recruit. He was like a big time five star recruit. I remember I was very randomly at the opening at the Nike campus in Oregon, which is like the huge recruiting event.

[Marketer/Advertiser]

You.

[Dave]

You were at the opening?

[Robert Mays]

I was there in 2013 for what? I was invited there, like when I was working at Grant. And so I just happened to be there for a week. And I remember like DeShawn Hand was like the big recruit that was there that week and he was a five star. He ended up going to Alabama. But it's just a name that, like

[Dave]

he was part of that run. I mean, he was. I don't know exactly the overlap, but like he was there around the same time that Quinn and Williams was there. I think he was a little bit before Quinn and Duron Payne. Jonathan Allen, I mean, they were pumping out badass defensive tackles. I mean, they still are, but they just. They had a pipeline there for a minute.

[Robert Mays]

I mean, it was 2014. I mean, he's. He's done a very good job of sticking in the league and having a role for a really long time.

[Dave]

I'm noticing a trend here that I just think is funny. It's. Are Yalls lists entirely defense? It's.

[Derek]

I, I have one offensive player.

[Dave]

It's hard to find sneaky offensive additions. Like, it's not easy to do.

[Robert Mays]

I'll. I'll try to find one. While you guys are talking. What's your next one?

[Dave]

My next guy is. I'm curious what y' all are gonna say about this because I'm not, I, I don't wanna bill this as a team changing addition. But that's the point, right? And this is a team. We'll, we'll see how much noise they end up making. But the Tennessee Titans spent a boatload of money in free agency. They signed a lot of big contracts. Some of them we have questions about one guy that I think they got really solid value on. Two years, $9 million for Jacob Martin, who was wished with the Washington Commanders last year, had a career year. I'll be very honest, he's been in the league longer than I gave him credit for.

[Robert Mays]

Every fan has had Jacob Martin on his team at some point. He's been on every single person who roots for an NFL team and their team has employed Jacob Martin Wall, they've

[Dave]

rooted for that team seven different teams over the course of his career. But he has 27 career sacks, which is pretty impressive production for a guy who's bounced around as much as he has lands in Washington career year five and a half sacks, 45 pressures. The problem is Washington's defense was beat to shit last year. Like Dietrich Wise got hurt, Dorance Armstrong got hurt. So I mean he played 700 plus snaps in a situation where he was never supposed to be that guy. Like Jacob Martin just wasn't supposed to be a down in, down out star on your defense. But I thought he played pretty well. And I went back and watched a lot of his pass rush snaps today just to make sure I wasn't crazy. And like I said, this isn't, this isn't a calculus changing signing. But he's got a great motor, he's versatile. Washington played him on both sides, they kicked him inside in certain situations. And I just think adding him to a pass rush where he's a piece of a larger hole I think could be really good. We talked about, obviously they have Jeffrey Simmons, they traded for Jermaine Johnson, you add John Franklin Myers. There's just, there's pieces here. And Jacob Martin being a small part of that instead of he, he turned into basically a load bearing player over the second half of the season for Washington. And that's just, that wasn't supposed to happen. And so putting him back into a more familiar role for him after that season I think could pay dividends. And, and the price is nothing anyway. Like there's not much downside here for the Titans.

[Robert Mays]

I'm mostly just frustrated that Jacob Martin played in Chicago in 2024, didn't do very much and then Went to Washington last year and had the best of his career. So I, it's hard for me to see this with clear eyes.

[Dave]

I mean, how much of that is opportunity though? Like, he just, he was playing a shitload for Washington, just even on a

[Robert Mays]

rate basis, I think he was a more impactful player last year than he had been.

[Dave]

No, he. He had some very, very good snaps for Washington. Even if you'd prefer he not play as much as he did. I thought he was very impactful.

[Derek]

I like him in terms of like body type for filling out the room though. Right. Because that's a room that has a bunch of guys who are bigger, like Keldrick Falk, jfm. Jermaine Johnson is a little bit of a bigger body. They still have Ola Deja like Martin being our. I mean, this defense always has like a Bryce Huff or a Bryce Huff esque player and this is their version of finding that that would be him.

[Robert Mays]

I was, I was going to say it's like if you. It's like this Toby Maguire meme with the glasses like Bryce Huff and Jacob Martin. That's kind of what we're doing here with, with Jacob Martin and Bryce Huff. So we're very much on the same page there.

[Dave]

Yeah, but Robert Sal a lot out of Bryce Huff, especially with the Jets. Not so much the 49ers, but definitely with the Jets.

[Robert Mays]

All right. While you guys were talking, couple offensive players. I know I was a little skeptical of it last year, but I am open to the idea that it could work out and that it was the right move for them. Elijah Wilkinson going to Arizona is one that I would throw out there for 3 million bucks. Like, I, I again express skepticism because I think it's warranted, but I absolutely think that's one that could look very good for the Cardinals by the end of the year. If he's like a workable piece, one that we talked about a little bit yesterday, but 100% applies here. Keaton Mitchell going to the Chargers.

[Derek]

My God.

[Robert Mays]

Keaton Mitchell on the Chargers absolutely warrants mention here. Another one that I. This is just one of those where it's. It's just a funny kind of process with players sometimes where I remember watching Julian Hill 2 years ago Try to block for the Dolphins and be like, this guy's barely playable. And then I watched him last year at tight end, I was like, he's gotten so much better. And so him coming in and now being like the second or third tight end for the Patriots as Austin Hooper, we'll say moves into the next stage of his career. Well, it's.

[Derek]

I was shocked to see still signed again.

[Robert Mays]

I, I think that is a Kevin Stefanski nostalgia play. Is Austin Hooper being on the Atlanta Falcons. But Julian Hill for 5 million bucks going to the Patriots after really taking a big step forward last year with the Dolphins. That. That's another one I would throw out there. So there's three offensive players for you.

[Derek]

Hold on. Can I use that as a jumping off point that Julian?

[Robert Mays]

You sure can.

[Derek]

My offensive player I had was Reggie Gilliam, the fullback that they signed for about 5 million bucks. I don't know about Reggie Gilliam, but

[Dave]

he's like a mascot of this show. Like we talk about Reggie Gilliam all the time.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, Reggie Gilliam is not sneaky in this universe, but in the world in

[Derek]

the wider context for sure.

[Dave]

He.

[Derek]

But this does go back a little bit to. It's not. I'm trying to think of what. I guess it's a little bit akin to what the Texans were trying to do where they re hauled their offensive line where it's like last year they did try to be bigger and do more gap runs and do all this stuff and they had this identity this off season. They go out and actually get the players to do it. In 2025. The Patriots did want to use a fullback. They had Jack Westover, who was a tight end convert that they had brought in to kind of play their fullback role. But he's a little bit like stubbier. He's pretty sawed off. He's just not a guy who has like a ton of pop to him, even if he's a pretty good athlete. So now you sign Reggie Gilliam to go do all that stuff. Reggie Gilliam is much longer levered like he's got 34 inch arms. He's a little bit stronger, but he's just as good of an athlete as Jack Westover. And he's obviously he's been doing this for a handful of teams played about 20, 21, I think percent of the snaps for the Bills last year. And so he's a guy who has a lot of experience being this like lead blocker a little bit a part of the passing game sometimes as a fullback. Every now and then you can put him on the line of scrimmage. And I think the Patriots very obviously want to be that kind of under center offense when they can. And so bringing in like going from a C minus fullback or whatever the way that they had with Jack Westover to a guy who is Like B plus A minus for what we've got in the league right now. I think that's, it's like, I think it's easy to look at like oh, Romeo Dubs. And if you know, Elijah Vera, Tucker stays healthy, the offense is going to really be big. But like if Gilliam is the upgrade they want it. Fullback in the run game, like this run game was bad last year. And so if he can be a help to that, like I, I, I do think that this could be a pretty quiet and cool signing for them last year, so.

[Robert Mays]

Cause I'm. You mentioned him being able to play on the line of scrimmage. There were times where he was there as often as he was in the backfield. In 2024, the snaps are pretty much evenly split. Last year is the first time where it, it was dramatically different. He was 167 backfield snaps last year, 45 in line. I'm wondering like when you consider his entire time in Buffalo, other than maybe like Ricard, who is a very different sort of body type, how often is there a fullback who is lining up in line as often as Reggie Gilliam was over the last couple years? Cause use check's not really in line. He's always offset, he's always doing like a bunch of other weird shit. And so even like the flexibility he's providing with the different places you can line him up even seems unique for the position 100%.

[Derek]

And I think I feel like maybe Juice Tech did it more in like the Garoppolo era. It felt like. And now that they move to a little bit more spread, I feel like he's really not done a whole lot of that anymore. But like Gilliam, he's off the line

[Robert Mays]

of scrimmage even when he's against the formation. And with Gilliam it was just like he just played tight end a decent amount.

[Derek]

And I think that was probably to bring up another mascot of the show. Now that the Bills have Jackson Hawes, they don't need to put Gilliam on the line of scrimmage to be that third tight end or whatever they could just have, you know, in 2024, it was like, man, if we want a third guy out there or if, you know, Knox was banged up or whatever it was and they wanted a second guy out there, it had to be Gilliam. And then last year it just didn't have to be him because, you know, Haas was giving them good snaps as that guy.

[Robert Mays]

When you go. So if you go to like the any free agent page and you look at the salaries handed out this spring, the fullbacks are all consecutive in a row. Ricard, Al Gingold and Reggie Gilliam all got like the exact same amount per year. There's something very beautiful about it. When you look at that little section of the free agent offensive line, I was just.

[Dave]

When you were asking about fullbacks playing in line, I could get to about five and then I start really having to rack my brain anyway. You just don't have to there. There aren't that many to choose from.

[Robert Mays]

That's true. Across the week, three of them, three of the more high profile ones did change teams this offseason. So that's absolutely something worth keeping tabs on. My next one here. We talked about him a little bit in the moment, but the more I've thought about it and just some of the details around it, I do think that it has a chance to mean a lot. And especially considering them not adding a player at this position in the draft. It's James Pierre in Minnesota. Like the Vikings just didn't do much at corner this off season after signing James Pierre to a two year, $8 million contract. You know, we thought would they draft a corner in the first round when they do it in the first two rounds? That just didn't happen. And so right now you're looking at the Vikings depth chart at cornerback and James Pierre's on the first line. It's him, Isaiah Rogers and Byron Murphy. And I just thought that James Pierre last year, especially in the second half of the season, which is when he kind of stepped into a starting role, I really liked watching him play like him on the outside and Brandon Echols in the nickel. I just enjoyed watching that version of the Steelers secondary more than I ever would have guessed.

[Dave]

There was like a two week stretch in November where Pierre got onto the field, Echols was in the nickel, Ramsey moved back to safety. And I just had a lot of fun watching it. It was, it was great.

[Robert Mays]

And I think one of the reasons for this is that how many times Derek, over the last couple years has there been expressed frustration at the lack of layering to the Steelers offensive or defensive approach where it's just probably been

[Derek]

most of the times we're talking about them.

[Robert Mays]

I just like, just give me like one more layer of confusion in terms of what you're doing. And I think in the back half of last year, you know, there are outlier games where they're doing wonky shit like the one they played against the, the Bengals. And I assume that is playing with Some of these numbers. But in the back half of last season, from week 10 on, which is exactly when James Pierce started playing in a high quip, the Steelers are playing cover two about 20% of the time, which was the fifth highest rate in the league and a notable jump from what they had done in any previous season. They don't, they're not near the bottom of the league. Last year overall I think they were like 15ish percent. It was the back half of the top 10. If you go to 20, 24, 20, 23, it's sitting around that 15% like just in the top half of the league. But that 20% for Pittsburgh from week 10 on last year was the fifth highest rate in the NFL. Well, he's going to Minnesota where they're doing it 26, 27%. And if you go back and anecdotally just think about the best moments from James, James Pierre's second half of last season, it's a lot of it where he's playing that cover two corner in the flat, sinking underneath, shit, making stuff happen. They're having him do it like play inverted cover two where he's bailing into the deep half like he was very adept at doing that stuff and now he's going to a place where they're going to be asking their corners to do more of that than almost any other team in the league. So beyond the cool story, 28 year old corner playing the best football of his career, getting rewarded. I actually think there's a lot of schematic overlap, Derek, that would lead you to believe that some of the flashes we saw from James Pierre in Pittsburgh last year are things that can carry over for him in Minnesota next season.

[Derek]

It's funny you said you left Tonga off your list because you knew I'd have him. I left Pierre off my list because I knew that you would have him on here for, for these exact reasons though, like it's the perfect thing, right? I think for, I think for a lot of teams, if Pierre had signed for them, I wouldn't have thought that it was a bad signing, but I would have just been like, I don't know what, how much that is going to do for them beyond depth. But like you mentioned, in a spot like Minnesota where so much of it is based on we're asking our corners to play in the flat, we're asking them to play the quarterback's eyes, we're not playing a lot of man coverage and we're playing with all these like five and six man crazy pressures. Where guys are not having to buy a lot of time and they can play top down. Like that's how that's the type of defense you want Pierre to be playing in. Like if he went to somewhere where they're playing man coverage 23% of the time, I don't know if that's what I would, I would want to do. But a place like this where I think you can utilize his skill set, more likely than not, I would bet that a guy like Brian Flores is going to get bang for his buck here with a signing like that, fair or not.

[Dave]

They also just did it like they gave Isaiah Rogers a very similar deal and I don't think they regret it. Isaiah Rogers was, I thought he was perfectly fine last year and he was

[Robert Mays]

another guy that there were stretches, whether it was even in Pittsburgh or even in Indianapolis, but especially, especially in Philly. I was just like, there's something to this guy. And so Brian Flores over the last couple years I think has done a good job of all right, you're going to send me to the clearance rack and make me pick my corners. I'm going to find one that is worth the money. And he's hopefully for Vikings fans, done it two years in a row. All right, let's take one more quick break here and then come back and chat about a few more sneaky additions.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Now more people than ever can bring in their bill for a better deal at Verizon. Got AT&T or T Mobile? We got you Xfinity or Spectrum. So tell your friends, your family, your quirky neighbor Jeff, grab your megaphone and yell it from the rooftop. Get a better deal at Verizon because chances are anyone in shouting distance is included. Bring in your at&t t Mobile, Xfinity or Spectrum bill and we'll give you a better deal on the best network Come by Verizon today. Best Network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd/2025 all rights reserved. Must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.

[Dave]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off and Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for The ones who get it done.

[Robert Mays]

Close your eyes.

[Dave]

Focus. Listen to work getting done with Monday.com

[Robert Mays]

relax as AI does the manual work

[Dave]

while your teams are aligned on a single source of truth. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform so flexible and intuitive it feels like it was built just for you. Notice you're limitless.

[Robert Mays]

Now open your eyes.

[Dave]

Go to Monday.comstart for free and finally breathe.

[Robert Mays]

All right, Dave, you're up. Who's your next guy here?

[Dave]

I alluded to it when we were talking about our Darius Washington, but another undersized safety that's changing teams would be Christian Izzian, who Derek brought up earlier out of Tampa. And it's really, it's not, it's not so much a bet on upside because Christian is got demoted last year. Like he only played 150 snaps of DEF defense because the Bucks drafted so many DBs last year. Jacob Parish and Benjamin Morrison played a ton and there just wasn't as much playing time for him. I just feel like the opportunity is there in Detroit. I mean, both of your starting safeties are dealing with issues. I know Brad Holmes gave a positive update about Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch after the draft, but Brian Branch in particular tore his Achilles late in the year. I mean December. Yeah, like you have to, you have to bake some recovery time into that, even if he is on a good recovery timeline. And so I just think Christian Izzy and as well as some other guys like Avante Maddox is still in Detroit, but guys are going to have opportunities at snaps. If I had to guess, with both of your main two guys dealing with injury and Izzy and did play a lot in Tampa. I mean he played 45 total games. I thought he had a, a pretty good 20, 24. Like I said, he got demoted this past year, but plenty of snaps of him being versatile. He is. He's not always a consistent tackler, but he just, he is a hard tackler. Like he will make contact. He's not afraid to. To put his face into the mix and, and put. Put guys in the dirt when he, when he does tackle. Well, not so much a guy that I think you want playing away from, like playing deep in coverage, like playing free safety the way that I, I think our Darius Washington can do that. I don't know if you want Christian Izzy in doing that, but, but there's more than enough opportunity for him. He can play in the slot. You can move him down in the box and the opportunity is going to be there for guys to play in this defense while these, while the while Joseph and Branch recover. And I think he's just an obvious candidate of a guy who's going to have a shot at that.

[Derek]

I think for a guy where you just. Or not for a guy for a team where again, you don't know who's going to be healthy when. And that's true going into this year, but for the past three years that has been true. The Detroit Lions, the secondary, you don't know who is going to be healthy when. And so to get a guy who literally can just like band Aid any spot, like it's. It's. I think that that's a huge thing for them.

[Robert Mays]

Is the Lions defense. Like when we look at teams that have real super bowl aspirations and I was looking at the super bowl odds today as we kind of parse out the last two buying or selling off season shows and try to figure out which team belongs where. I think the lions are like 17 to 1 to win the super bowl right now. Like they are. Those are very good odds. Like league wise. Is the Lions defense the single biggest enigma when it comes to the units on teams that have those sorts of goals in 2026? Like we look at what's happening there now. You have two of your most prominent players in safety. We don't know when they're going to be back. You drafted a guy in the second round in Derek Moore. That very likely is going to have to be a big part of your rotation at your other edge spot. Like I just. There are so many questions about what reasonable expectations for them should be, what they're going to look like that. I just don't know if we have that volume of questions about a lot of the other units on teams with these sorts of goals this year. Is that fair?

[Derek]

I think so. Like they've lost more talent either by injury or by, you know, letting guys go in free agency. Like obviously Anzalone left in. In free agency this year, but they've lost more talent than I think that they added this off season. And they were already a defense that was like, like had their moments, but I think was already an imperfect unit. And so if they're going to lose some of that talent, we don't know what Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph's recovery time is or how good they're going to be when they come back. I think that that's a huge thing. And I think Branch especially where I think. I think for as long as Joseph and Branch are out of the lineup right now, how many Pro bowl plus level players does this Defense have like Aiden Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Aleem McNeil at his best. But even then, I think health wise has been a little bit shakier recently.

[Robert Mays]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Dave]

And end of list. Yeah.

[Robert Mays]

And I think DJ Reed, DJ Reed, his best, probably like bumping up against that. But it's a, it's a fair set of questions. Like it.

[Derek]

I.

[Robert Mays]

The Lions are just an interesting team because my, my knee jerk thought with them is they got so unlucky last year with injuries like they are. By the end of last season, they were still a very good team. And so on offense specifically, I think it's very easy to look at Detroit and just be like, bounce back here. They'll be one of the best offenses in the league. You know, their, their highs last year were still very high. Like you look at points scored a lot of just like traditional metrics, they were still up near the top of the league in a lot of stuff. It was just way more of a week to week vacillation than it had been years and years past. And so my thought is, you know, you shore up a couple of those spots, you go draft a tackle in the first round, you kind of get better offensive line play. Overall, are we going to be a spot where this, again, is one of the most dangerous offenses in the league? That's easy for me to imagine. And I think that's why overall, I'm pretty bullish on like, what this year's version of the Lions is going to look like. But then you turn the page to the defense and it's kind of like, I don't know, like, I just don't know. And I think it makes them a hard team to kind of wrap your arms around. It's May 12th. We don't have to have every single one of those answers, but I just don't think I've really thought about them in those terms over the last couple months.

[Dave]

I think I joked about this on a mailbag, but. But put your fandom aside. Confidently back an NFC north team as definitively better than the other three. Like, tell, like, make the case for me.

[Robert Mays]

I know you say that. You understand that in reality, putting my fandom aside means looking at the Bears in a more positive light.

[Dave]

Ah, interesting.

[Robert Mays]

I know, I know I joke with you guys, but like, I.

[Derek]

What's funny about the NFC north is I think outside of Minnesota, who's kind of a weird team. The other three teams, the packers, the Lions, and the Bears, you could totally sell me on the world where they all three have top 10 offenses and like bottom seven defenses and I don't know what to do with all of that.

[Robert Mays]

The initial FTN DVOA rankings came out this week and Shots has the Bears as the worst defense in the league.

[Derek]

I don't think that's really out of the, out of the realm of possibilities.

[Robert Mays]

That feels harsh that. That feels.

[Derek]

It's gotta be somebody you.

[Dave]

There is not a team in the division where there's just not some alarming problem that makes you hesitant to, to support one of these teams.

[Robert Mays]

But at the same time, all of them could make the playoffs, all of

[Dave]

them could win the division. And I would, I would throw Minnesota in there. Honestly, like, if Kyler is better than people give him credit for, that's. That's all it would take for Minnesota to be in that conversation.

[Robert Mays]

So the whole thing is going to be a horness and I'm really not

[Dave]

looking forward to it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

It.

[Robert Mays]

All right, what's your next one here, Derek?

[Derek]

Yeah, so I. This is a player who was weirdly pushed. Not weirdly, but like pushed out of the lineup pretty hard last year because this team drafted a bunch of first round players. Arnold Eviketti from the Falcons, I think between some of the coaching changes and like him being a very specific pass like smaller pass rush only player, I think kind of got pushed out of his spot. He's also a guy who is typically more like hand in the dirt. He got pushed out of the Atlanta rotation a little bit last year, but I still think that he's a guy that purely on a pass rush role, like, you know, guys that we mentioned, like the Bryce Huff just pure third down role. I actually think that he can be pretty useful as a player like that. And I think specifically for Philly, like this is a team where I think while the defense was obviously good last year and like Jalen Phillips gave them a lot off the edge last year, I think they went into this offseason being like, we just need more juice off the edge. And like Phillips is a good player, but he's a little bit more of a run defender and pocket pusher. So they trade for Jonathan Gurnard. That's obviously the big move that they make at this position and he's going to be more of your true like ace pass rusher off the edge. But I think Ebiketty can be a good like when we get into our second rotation of guys or if we get into these NASCAR packages where we've got three and four pass rushers on the field and he's going to be One of our extra guys. I actually do think that he can be a guy who gives you a little bit more juice in ways that maybe they didn't always have last year. And so this, to me, just feels like for a team that now I feel really, really good about the entire cornerback room, a team that is going to be able to hold up in the secondary, just giving a guy like Ebiketti and now, and obviously paired with Jonathan, Jonathan Garnard a half a second more to just be able to get home. I actually do think that that could really turn up the juice on third down for this team.

[Robert Mays]

And what's nice is that that edge room last year, they really did. I mean, especially after Nolan Smith got hurt, they had to piece together those positions where it's like we're cobbling together, like one full player between Josh Uches, Darius Smith, Azizo Jalari, like all of those guys. Now by trading for Garnard, you move those players back into the role they're supposed to play, where you're no longer cobbling them together as your second edge rusher. They can just be complimentary players like Josh. UJ had 23 last year in nine games. Like, I. We probably would have noticed that more or thought about that more if he was less central to the defense for large stretches of last season. And that's kind of what Ebiketti will be this year. It's like, oh, if he gets 23 pressures over nine games is like their fourth pass rusher, like, that's pretty good. Like, that's the type of role he should be playing for 4 million bucks.

[Dave]

And I really appreciate bringing him up because the Granard News pushed that completely out of the spotlight. Like, I hadn't thought about Ebiketty since March.

[Robert Mays]

Probably my next one here. I. I mentioned earlier, I'm. I have a couple coaches that I wanted to throw out that I just think are fun curiosities, the one that I'm, like, really interested in. And, and it's in part because I think this team, over the last few years, it's been easy to identify. At least last year it was easy to identify why this didn't happen. But I think the Vikings have really wanted to be a team that runs the ball well, efficiently, on their own terms. It's part of their identity, and I think it's been a consistent pursuit during the Kevin o' Connell era that they've never really figured out. And I think in part last year, just because the offensive line was never healthy and never came Together in the way that they had hoped. But this off season, the Vikings hired Frank Smith as their assistant head coach. And I am very curious to see what bringing in Frank Smith, who, for those who don't know, he was the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins for the last few years with Mike McDaniel. And I am, my understanding is that he is going to be a part of their run game plan in a way where they really didn't have that kind of additional voice over the last couple of years. Like it was just a more traditional pot of people who would plan the run game in Minnesota. And I'm just curious what that looks like. Like, I just wonder what sort of influence that kind of Miami based run game might have and what the Vikings are going to try to do. And so that's one where I wonder if there's like a sneaky impact in the way that the Vikings run game operates because Frank Smith is now there in a kind of like an adverse,

[Dave]

like adversarial role like that.

[Derek]

Because I can't remember that many times being like creatively impressed necessarily by the Vikings run game really at any point over the last handful of years since o' Connell has been there. And so I was pretty high on what they were doing reshaping the offensive line last year. And obviously part of that is gone now that Ryan Kelly has, has decided to retire. But, but bringing in a, a guy who has been around, Mike McDaniel, who, I don't know if he's the best run game coordinator, but he's probably the weirdest. And I do think that like this is a, this is an offense that needs a little bit of that think

[Robert Mays]

and that you, I'm sure some Vikings fan would correct me if I'm wrong, but over the last couple years I don't think they've had a run game coordinator on offense. I think it's just been the offensive line coach that I, I assume that that's kind of overseeing like what the run game looks like. There are some teams that just don't have that role. Like there are. Some have a passing game coordinator role. Like it. Every staff is built a little bit differently. And I don't think the Vikings have had a run game coordinator over the last couple years. So this year Keith Carter is our offensive line coach. He's bounced around. He was in Tennessee for a bit. He was with the Jets. I don't remember exactly where he was last year, but he's now there because Chris Cooper, who was their offensive line coach in Minnesota for the last couple years is now in Philly because Sean Manion was either on the Vikings or on the Vikings staff at some point over the last couple years and I assume work with Chris Cooper when he was there. And so I think overall just the run game brain trust for the Vikings this year is going to look different. And I'm just wondering what sort of impact overall that has.

[Dave]

I just love looking at a coach's resume to see all the different threads. That's what I've been doing while you've been talking. And so Frank Smith worked with Mike McDaniel the last four years going way back. He worked for the Saints from 2010 to 2014, which means he worked under Aaron Cromer. So I'm listening. I'm intrigued by that.

[Robert Mays]

That was. I assume he was working. Joe Lombardi was on those staffs too.

[Dave]

Yeah, he was the assistant offensive line coach and that's another through line. He was with the Chargers in 2021. So all of this makes a lot of sense.

[Robert Mays]

Sean Manion was not coaching for the Vikings because he was playing for the Vikings in 2023. So he was on the team when Chris Cooper was the offensive line coach. He was not on the coaching staff. And the other one that I was reminded of this today in talking to somebody with the team, Eric Studsville, who's the running backs coach for the Dolphins over the last couple of years, he's now the running backs coach for the Bears. And so that like Dolphins run game stuff, I think kind of German like germinating is not, I'm not a biologist, the Dolphins run game stuff kind of drifting around the league and like those disseminators blowing to different places. I'm curious what sort of impact that's going to have have outside of the fact that the Chargers are going to look a lot like that.

[Derek]

Yeah, Ben Johnson already has enough creativity. He almost needs someone to like chill him out every now.

[Robert Mays]

That was legitimately my response today when someone brought that up, I was like, I don't know if this is a good thing. It's like, it's like letting a drug addict like into a pharmacy like this seems like a terrible idea.

[Dave]

And that just brings us back to Xavion Thomas and what the Bears might do with it.

[Robert Mays]

You guys have a couple more?

[Commercial Announcer]

More?

[Dave]

Yeah, I got at least one more and it just happened. So you could say it's not sneaky because it just happened. But I feel like post draft signings tend to fly under the radar and when we get to training camp, a lot of people are going to forget this happened. I was disappointed. The Seahawks didn't really try to add to their edge room in the draft. Getting Dante Fowler for $6 million makes me feel a lot better about that.

[Robert Mays]

There was a lot of smoke about that even before the draft.

[Dave]

They waited until the comp pick thing ended. So you sign him after the draft, you don't have to worry about comp picks. But, and this is the guy I mentioned, I mean, Dallas's defense was abysmal last year. I don't necessarily think that's a reflection of Dante Fowler. I went back and watched him and I was like, yeah, he's still got bend. He's still got a motor. He can still, he, he's, he pursues really well. He's still an incredibly fast player. 30 pressures, three sacks on 358 snaps last year. And that was on an awful defense. Where you lose Micah Parsons right before the season, you don't have a lot of help in that edge room. He's going to a situation where he has all the help he could possibly ask for. If he's a piece of a rotation and a passing down guy, I think that's great. And he, he's played with Adam dirty. The defensive coordinator in Seattle, Mark Demarcus Lawrence, apparently pitched him on coming when he was deciding if he wanted to go there. So fills the boy mafe role. You know, the absence of boy mafe really nicely and you're only spending five or six million dollars on it in the moment.

[Robert Mays]

Right after the draft happened, when I was working through my softening on the jadarium price thing, part of the thought process was when you looked at the available free agents at running back and at on the edge, it was way more options at ED at that point in the calendar than it was to find explosiveness at running back. And so when you looked at just all right, these are all our, these are our alternatives at the position, I actually do think it makes it, it a little bit more justifiable to go the route that they went because there is a Dante Fowler waiting out there in a way. There isn't a running back who can rip off a 40 yard game.

[Dave]

I think it's an important thing to. You have to take off your draft goggles and you, you spend enough months getting ready for the draft and watching these guys, you get excited about options. And I mean we saw all the edge rushers that flew off the board between picks 33 and 55, whatever it was, there were so many of them. And you fixate on what those guys could be. And if you take a step back and take off your draft goggles, you're like, all right, the opportunity cost here is, is fine. Like you can, you can fill this void in your defense very well without spending a lot of money to do it. And you know, even, even if you think Jadarian Price was overdrafted, I think you're right. The lack of that skill set is obvious when you look around the landscape. So I think it, it more than evens out and I think I for, for what the Seahawks lost in free agency, I feel pretty darn good about the work they've done to this point.

[Robert Mays]

I also think it's about timelines and it's about like what are your near term goals? And if you're Seattle and you think you can win this super bowl again, like there's a very real argument that Dante Fowler is going to be a better player for you in 2026 than whatever edge rusher you were going to take with the 62nd pick.

[Dave]

That's a great point.

[Derek]

That probably is true. Even if I would have probably rather have them take an edge player like, like more likely than not. Especially as a pass rusher, maybe not as a run game guy compared to some of these rookies. But like Fowler probably does give you more than almost any of the edges they could have drafted.

[Robert Mays]

You have another one, Derek, one more sneaky addition that you wanted to hit.

[Derek]

The only other small one I'll throw out really quick, quickly was the Jaguars did not have a lot of money to spend this year, but I did like them signing Chris Rodriguez at running back. They gave him like two years. I think it's up to $12 million, but that's probably very incentive based and stuff like that. But, but this was an offense where obviously the run blocking was not perfect last year. But I also think for as good as Travis Hn is, explosive wise, he can still be a little bit hit or miss in terms of getting to the right spots, being able to run through contact, being an efficient runner. Rodriguez is the opposite of that, where he's not really explosive, but he will get to the hole, he will finish plays and get five yards when there's four, just that sort of thing. And I think that this was an offense where I think we all got very excited about the flashes and some of the high end stuff and some of the explosive play design. But I think this is an offense that needed a little bit more meat and potatoes and a little bit more of a floor and Rodriguez does give that to them as like a probably splitting the backfield with Tutin. I would imagine you are just ruining

[Robert Mays]

the hopes and dreams of every person in the fantasy football community that wants to see Bashful Tutin get 20 carries a game next year.

[Derek]

He's listening. I'm sure he'll get a lot of run a lot. That many carries for a guy his size. I don't know.

[Robert Mays]

It all comes back to sizes and that's what it all comes back to at the end of the day. That's. That was my list. I had a couple other smaller ones, but we think we hit a good chunk of those guys. You remember anybody else?

[Dave]

I think I, I'm, I'm debating whether I think does it count as sneaky and a. And also what does it mean? Because I think you could make the argument Christian Kirk is washed, but I tend to trust a guy that lands in a place like San Francisco. Like again, fair or unfair, much like Brian Flores with corners. If Kyle Shanahan thinks it's worth it, it, I feel better about it. And so Christian Kirk hasn't produced at a high level recently, but I think that's an advantageous landing spot. They didn't give him a lot of money either. And I feel like when we talk about the Niners, Kirk doesn't come up as. Obviously he's not going to come up as often as Mike Evans. But you know, I'm, I guess I'd say I'm hopeful that he's. He's got one more, one more good ride left at him.

[Robert Mays]

I guess we didn't mention them yesterday, but we easily could have talked about the Niners wide receivers in the remade position groups thing. I mean, last year, year Juwan Jennings and Kendrick Boren were their two top snap getters at receiver. They had like 1600 snaps between them. Neither of those guys is on the team anymore. And so now it's Stribling, Evans, Kirk, and then the greatest receiver in the NFL, Ricky Pierce Hall. We're going to see a very different sort of makeup.

[Dave]

You say that tongue in cheek, but I'm. If he could stay healthy, I'm. I, I want to believe.

[Derek]

So sick.

[Robert Mays]

Every time I say it, I'm like, only like, like sort of kidding, 40 kidding. Like it's, I've made the joke before. It's like it's the 30 rock line where Tracy goes, vampires are the greatest golfers of all time, but they never get to prove it. Like, that's how I feel about Ricky Pierceau. Like he's the greatest player in the NFL, but we'll never get to show that he is.

[Dave]

Yeah, that's.

[Derek]

We're.

[Dave]

We're banking on older guys keeping it together and, and obviously you. You want Pearsall to stay healthy, but I'm. I'm intrigued by this.

[Robert Mays]

Niners receivers, just the hamstrings in that building are just going to be in pieces by the time we get to

[Derek]

like don't cobble together two healthy ones and they'. Okay, I do. I will say quickly though, I love that Dave says you have to trust Shanahan here because I think especially coming out of draft season, we always make the jokes of like you can't trust Shanahan with like when he drafts a running back, but with receivers he's been nails basically every single time. Like vets drafting guys, whatever. Like the hit rate is. It's pretty absurd. So I actually do kind of trust that he could get something left out.

[Marketer/Advertiser]

Are you.

[Dave]

Is that you weighing in on the stribling pick, the most controversial thing in NFL Twitter right now?

[Derek]

I. It's one of those things where it probably is a reach but like I kind of trust Shanahan with the receivers, man. Like he's. It like Piersol felt like a reach in the moment and he ended up being pretty good. Like he's just. I think he has a very clear vision for these guys in a way that for whatever reason he does not with his running backs.

[Robert Mays]

I will say there are limits to this. Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing have not been overwhelming contributors there. And then the exact.

[Dave]

Cowing's a fourth round pick.

[Robert Mays]

That's fourth round. And sure there's a limit to the. This the guy who was drafted higher than that that has now worked out a receiver. I think there's a reason for this. Jaylen Herd was like half running back.

[Derek]

Yeah.

[Robert Mays]

And so bit of the running back is getting on Jaylen Hurd in a way it doesn't with the receivers.

[Derek]

Ex. That's exactly right. Like it's you. It has to be full receiver or it just doesn't count.

[Robert Mays]

On that note. All right, what about Danny Gray was picked outside of the top 100. We're now we're making up arbitrary things.

[Derek]

Right. Right.

[Robert Mays]

All right. That is all we've got for today. We will be back tomorrow, I think buying and selling some off seasons. Right Katie? Isn't that what we're doing tomorrow? So we got two more of those. Very much looking forward to that. For now, that's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you very soon. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to hit that subscribe or Follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, please like comment and leave a rating. We'll see you next time.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Take this as your sign to go. Just get out there and go this summer at Best Western get 1,000 bonus points and a chance to win 250,000 bonus points. Life's a trip. Make the most of [e-mail] no additional purchase necessary for sweeps. See bonus points, TNCS and Sweeps Rules for details.

[Boost Mobile Announcer]

Unlock the savings at Boost Mobile and save up to $600 a year I've been scouting these big carriers for a minute now and I've seen them pull the same play a thousand times. They promise you the world, then hit you with a price hike right when the game gets tight. But Boost Mobile, their 25amonth unlimited wireless plan, is the most consistent player on the floor. No contracts and no price hikes. Unlock the Savings [e-mail] Unlock based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile unlimited wireless plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit Boost Mobile

[Narrator/Advertiser]

on We're lost and kickoff's coming up. I don't want to miss the lineup. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the stadium.

[Dave]

Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road. Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

How is there signal out here?

[Dave]

T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Actually, can you pull up the way to a T Mobile store?

[Commercial Announcer]

America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available at US Cellular stores in Hermiston. Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklo Speed test intelligence data second half of 20245 bigger network the combination of T Mobile's and US Cellular's network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk, text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details.