00:00We were talking about the wide receiver room, who's going to make the team, who isn't.
00:05So the other thing to consider in terms of the numbers here is, you say, you know, they keep seven.
00:11I think they will as well, although they could very easily keep six.
00:14Can you keep seven receivers and keep four tight ends and keep four running backs?
00:22Because I'm just trying to do the math in my head.
00:25Like, I'm a two-quarterback guy, always have been, always will be.
00:28Like, they're not necessarily a two-quarterback guy.
00:32It's very possible they keep Kaliak-Manis or Hartman.
00:35But just for the math that I'm going to do for the roster, I'm going to say two QBs in.
00:39Okay.
00:41Daniels-Mariota.
00:42Gets a little harder to do that with the Mariota MCL, but it seems like they're not overly concerned, so
00:47there's two there.
00:49Running backs, you're going to keep Bill, Rashad White, and then I would imagine Katron Allen is like the third
00:57guy in.
00:58A fourth would be nice.
01:00Robert Henry Jr. would have been Jeremy McNichols.
01:03I don't think you have to do that anymore, but for the sake of just putting the numbers out there,
01:07I'll say keep a fourth.
01:09And Robert Henry Jr. makes the team.
01:12Now I've got four tight ends, and I'm much more going to go to the mattress and fight for this.
01:19Colson Yankoff, Ben Sennett in as the four tight ends behind Bates and Chig.
01:25So now I'm at four plus four plus two is ten.
01:29Seven wide receivers, 17.
01:31If I keep nine offensive linemen, I'm at 26, which is probably one heavy.
01:37You want to be around 25 on offense, 25 on defense, three on specials.
01:42So I guess I could put Robert Henry Jr. on the practice squad, cut him, get down to 25, and
01:48I probably am in a pretty good place now.
01:50So yeah, I think to answer the question, kind of workshopping this spitball and live, seven receivers, four tight ends,
01:58works if you keep three running backs especially.
02:02Right now there's no reason to believe they have to keep a fourth.
02:05Yeah, McNichols or Henry, maybe you can stick on the practice squad.
02:09Don't you think McNichols is out a few weeks, it sounds like?
02:11Yes.
02:12I think right now you don't have to worry about him being on the roster.
02:14No, no, no, you don't.
02:14I'm just sort of thinking big picture of how this 53 is constructed, but you're right.
02:19It's really about the first part, and then, of course, adjustments will happen kind of throughout.
02:23Yeah, so we always say this.
02:24You've got to take something from somewhere.
02:26You've got to pull something from somewhere else.
02:28If they feel like they need to keep McCaffrey because he was a third-round pick or because they think
02:33more of him than maybe they're showing in this preseason.
02:36So if there's your seven, the four tight ends, that's 11 real quick.
02:40You all of a sudden could go with the three running backs, and now that's 14 total in that space.
02:47Then you do your two quarterbacks.
02:49Then you can maybe add some more depth to the offensive line.
02:53But some of those guys are flexible.
02:55Maybe you can play multiple positions.
02:56But you've had so many guys banged up already, it would seem they'd want to keep as many as possible
03:01on the active roster.
03:02So, yeah, I don't see a path to having less than – you wouldn't have less than 25, but that's
03:07kind of where it is.
03:07To me, the running back spots where they might skimp and they might keep three, because, as you said, they
03:12love the idea, it seems, of keeping three quarterbacks.
03:14To me, they've already proven it.
03:16Practice squad guys, and if those first two dudes go down, then you're dipping into the Josh Johnson tier.
03:239-0 linemen, to me, is the minimum with the Tunsil injury and all the stuff going on with Nick
03:27Allegretti.
03:29I don't think – there was a world where when camp started, I thought about keeping eight.
03:34I think it's more likely you'd keep ten now than eight, for sure, because of all the injuries.
03:39Hopefully, you could get away with nine.
03:41But I'm also banking on 25 on defense, and there's plenty of years that there was a Shanahan year where
03:45they kept 27 on one side of the ball.
03:48So, I guess to make sure this works, let's go through the defense really quickly.
03:52So, on the D-line, I'm really curious about that.
03:55So, Kinlaw in, Settle in, Payne in.
04:00Let's count the edge rushers as D-linemen.
04:03Does that make sense?
04:04Yes.
04:04So, Owe in, Chason in.
04:08Six.
04:08Dorrance Armstrong.
04:10Seven.
04:11Charles Amenahu.
04:12Eight.
04:14Joshua Josephs.
04:16Nine.
04:18And then you're in – now you're in the Barber, Jean-Baptiste.
04:22Yeah.
04:23They're going to keep another one because Newton's hurt.
04:25So, let's say Shai Tuttle.
04:28Is that ten?
04:29That was nine, I think.
04:30Nine.
04:31Okay.
04:32So, nine for Shai Tuttle before you even consider a tent.
04:37And they got a lot of guys that might – like Ricky Barber and Byron Cowart were a couple of
04:40their best players on the field in the preseason opener.
04:42Yeah, didn't even get to him, yeah.
04:43But let's just stick with nine now to see where that gets us.
04:46So, then linebackers – so, you're talking about second level off the ball.
04:49Louvoo, Stiles, Chanel, McGee, Medrano, Cahoe.
04:54Six.
04:55That's a lot.
04:55Yeah.
04:56Okay.
04:56But let's say you keep six.
04:57That's 15 at those two spots, which would give you ten defensive backs, which is about right.
05:02But that means you're going light at one or the other.
05:05So, corner, Amos, one.
05:09Sandra is still two.
05:10Robertson, three.
05:12Douglas, four.
05:13Mm-hmm.
05:14Does Antonio Hamilton make it?
05:16The corner who had the great game against the Dolphins.
05:18So, for now –
05:18I had a hell of a pick today, by the way, at practice.
05:20Hell of a pick.
05:21So, let's say yes now to give you five.
05:22Okay.
05:23Then that means five safeties.
05:25And, by the way, that means no – like none of the other guys, like Darius Rush or Carlin Vigors
05:30or, you know, another of the corners doesn't make it.
05:32Fred Davis, the second.
05:34So, then five safeties left for Cross, Reeves, Quan Martin, Percy Butler.
05:40Harris.
05:41I might only need four safeties because I'm not sure that Harris makes it right now.
05:44So, I could either keep a sixth corner or that's where my tenth D-lineman comes in.
05:48So, I actually think you could do that.
05:50No, I didn't.
05:51Did we mention Tyler Owens?
05:52No.
05:53There's your fifth safety.
05:55There's your five.
05:55Okay.
05:56You need Tyler Owens.
05:57He's in.
05:57He's the first team we're on.
05:58So, it would be five including Harris.
06:01Right, but we didn't mention Tyler Owens.
06:03But you didn't put Tyler Owens.
06:04So, it's four without Harris because you just said that you don't know if Harris makes the team.
06:07I would say right now I would have him out.
06:10So, okay.
06:11So, if he's four, then you can keep your sixth cornerback or you can have a fifth safety that's going
06:18to play teams or whatever in Harris.
06:19Yeah.
06:20So, the battle may be between Harris and, you know, name that other defensive back.
06:24But for safety, we got Cross, Reeves, Martin, Butler, Owens.
06:29That's five safeties.
06:32And five corners.
06:33So, we're still, we're 25 without Harris.
06:35Oh, there you go.
06:36That's right.
06:36See what I'm saying?
06:36Yes, I do now.
06:37Yep.
06:37So, yeah.
06:39I mean, you don't have room for an extra offensive player.
06:42And that's without keeping a tenth defensive lineman.
06:46Yeah.
06:47So, that's the way you had it there.
06:48That's nine defensive linemen, six linebackers.
06:51That's 15.
06:52Cornerbacks, five.
06:53That's 25.
06:54Safeties, five.
06:54Or that's 20 rather than safeties.
06:56That makes 25 total.
06:57Which gives you, again, that's 51 total.
07:01And you still need three specialists.
07:02Is Maurice Hurst not making this team?
07:04He's played in the league every year.
07:06I mean, he's a veteran.
07:07They just signed him.
07:08He came, you know, Raiders, Niners, Browns.
07:12He missed the 22 season with a torn bicep.
07:14But he's a seven-year veteran who they just brought in here at 31 years old.
07:19So, this is not like a random dude.
07:21I mean, he's like a veteran who's put up numbies.
07:24Is he – I would think he's coming in here to make the team.
07:27But, like, guys like him or Craig Reynolds, all these guys they just signed,
07:29we don't have any of them in.
07:31Is that an oversight?
07:32It might be.
07:33But, again, we would learn so much more – I think we'll learn so much more data
07:36after this weekend.
07:37But it's also, again, who plays and what are they asking of these different dudes?
07:41I guess the point of the whole – all of that was to figure out,
07:45can they keep seven wide receivers?
07:47And I think the answer is yes.
07:48They absolutely can.
07:50Because I kept six linebackers, whereas they may not.
07:52I just think after watching practice today,
07:54McGee didn't participate because he wasn't healthy.
07:57But Medrano and Cahoe, who had a pick in the preseason game against the Dolphins,
08:02were both first-team coverage guys.
08:03I could see them keeping six backers, one of them in that Belor special teams ace role.
08:07Yep.
08:08Maybe that's Kane Medrano.
08:09So, what we've got here is 25-25, you're three specialists, there's your group.
08:13Right?
08:13But that's – we only kept two quarterbacks.
08:15They might keep three.
08:16So, who's out in that case?
08:17That's like the roster as we like it.
08:19Yeah.
08:20If they keep a third quarterback, now you're cutting one of the guys that we just said is in.
08:23Yep.
08:23And to your point, there's a bunch of guys that we sort of mentioned at the end.
08:27Hey, what about fill-in-the-blank that we didn't mention Cowart, to your point,
08:31we didn't mention Hurst, but forgotten about that they just signed.
08:34Or Reynolds on offense and maybe a couple other bodies.
08:37I mean, they rave about Lawrence Cager anytime anybody gets in front of a microphone.
08:41Not saying they'd keep five tight ends, but you know what I mean?
08:43Like, there's outside-looking-in guys, too, that might be factors.
08:48The three specialists you can put in Sharpie, because they've only got the three here now,
08:53the kicker, the punter, the snapper.
08:56Otherwise, I do think every single position is probably written in pencil.
09:00I don't know that anything's set in stone, but I really hope this ends with two QBs.
09:05I don't know why they would – like, there's no way Hartman is on this team.
09:10I don't mean the 53, but you wouldn't keep two practice squad quarterbacks either.
09:15I mean, you can't last year, when the game doesn't matter, on Christmas Day against the Cowboys,
09:22have a street-free agent start at quarterback and then bring in – it wasn't even like –
09:27people forget this.
09:28It wasn't like Josh Johnson started and Hartman was the backup.
09:30They also didn't allow him to be the backup in that game.
09:33Do you remember that?
09:34They signed Driscoll to be the backup.
09:36That's right.
09:36So it was Josh Johnson starting at 40 years old, Driscoll as the backup.
09:40They didn't even trust him to, like, be the number two.
09:43And he's still here at practice, kind of supplanted now by Kali Ekmanis.
09:47I don't know how you would keep both of them on the P squad.
09:50What would be the point of that?
09:51I don't know.
09:52I mean, again, that's the friendship one.
09:54Look, you've got to – it's you're throwing a bone to Jaden Daniels.
09:57If that was to happen, you're throwing a bone to the quarterback.
09:59Hey, this is his buddy.
10:00He's great in the film room, and, you know, he brings the donuts and the lattes in the morning
10:04or whatever it is, you know?
10:06That would be the only explanation I could find.
10:08It's not a good enough one for me.
10:09This is a terrible business.
10:10It's football.
10:11And it's, you know, guys are cut and traded and released for a million and one reasons.
10:16Some of them good, some of them bad.
10:17Some of them irrelevant.
10:18But, you know, these roster spots are precious.
10:21Yeah, we'll get to see more this weekend, hopefully.
10:26Noon game against the Lions.
10:27We'll get more insight on how some of the roster battles are shaping up.
10:30All of our camp coverage, by the way, as I'm out here in Ashburn from training camp,
10:34final day of fan access, presented by Paul Henry's window installation,
10:39paulhenryswindows.com, your clear home improvement choice.
10:42In 20 minutes at 4 o'clock, we've got tickets to the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
10:47You've got to be listening to Grant and Danny to win those tickets.
10:49Our double play is next.
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