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00:00Quarterback competition can be fun.
00:03Quarterback battles, though, when the options aren't necessarily
00:06the most optimistic-looking on paper.
00:09Not great for NFL franchises at this time of year, early in the offseason.
00:15DRS, of course, the big news yesterday, or throughout last week,
00:19in Indianapolis for the Colts, entering mandatory minicamp this week.
00:23Head coach Shane Steichen entering his third year,
00:26telling everybody that Anthony Richardson would not throw at minicamp,
00:30dealing with a shoulder issue.
00:32And they were hopeful, hopeful he would be back and ready to go
00:37for training camp in late July.
00:40Shane Steichen telling reporters yesterday that AR visited Dr. Neil Elitrash,
00:45who, of course, if you follow sports medicine, you know that name,
00:48in Los Angeles, to get a second opinion on his shoulder.
00:52Steichen says nothing had changed,
00:54and the plan is just to rest his shoulder for now.
00:58There's no official timetable on a return.
01:02So, as we talk quarterback battles,
01:05a big update to the week one starting quarterback odds,
01:08courtesy of our friends at the Canadian FanDuel Sportsbook.
01:12As of this time last week,
01:14Anthony Richardson was greater than a minus 250 favorite
01:17to be that week one starter,
01:19with a ton to prove entering his third NFL campaign,
01:23but with some questions and an uncertain timetable around a shoulder injury
01:29that, of course, caused him to play only four games in his rookie season two years ago.
01:34That has completely shifted.
01:36Daniel Jones, signed earlier this offseason,
01:39is now that minus money.
01:41Odds on favorite to be the Colts starting quarterback week number one at minus 166.
01:47Yeah, I think it looks like they're giving up on Anthony Richardson at this point.
01:50I do, because now you're seeing, like, sometimes there's explanations of injuries,
01:54and then there's the way the organization's explaining, like, yeah, no timetable.
01:57It's almost like, just, when he comes back, he comes back.
02:00We're not even focused on this guy at this point right now,
02:01and maybe rightfully so, where you do have to understand what's at stake.
02:05If you're a coach in Shane Steichen, which I think's a pretty good coach,
02:08I can't just get my signal caller.
02:10Like, I'm left with Daniel Jones.
02:11I'm left with a rookie in Riley Leonard.
02:12Or if I'm going to go with Anthony Richardson, he can't stay healthy for more than a game and a half.
02:16And when he is healthy, he runs around too much
02:18and causes so much exhaustionness to come off the field.
02:21So he's getting a raw deal.
02:22But it's a shame, too.
02:23Like, it's a good offensive line.
02:25It's Jonathan Taylor in the backfield.
02:26You get one of the most sensational tight ends over the past decade, decade and a half
02:29in college football is now your tight end now.
02:32You still have Michael Pittman, Jr., wide receiver,
02:33and a couple other pieces that fit really well.
02:36And now you sit back and say, I just need a quarterback that can throw the football.
02:39And your answer is going to be Daniel Jones, who can't throw the football.
02:43It just doesn't make sense in Indy right now, where the optimism has to be at an all-time low.
02:48But having said that, I do agree with some of those odds that FanDuel Canada is putting out right now
02:52by saying, you know what?
02:54It's not going to be Anthony Richardson.
02:55And if you were to ask me three weeks ago before we were talking about shoulder injury,
02:58I would have said Anthony Richardson at minus 1,000 will be your starter because he has to be.
03:03You have to see what he has.
03:04And if he just can't be the quarterback over the first three weeks of the season,
03:07then at least you know.
03:08But it looks like now, Ben, they're not even going to try it
03:11because you can't even get him on the field in the offseason to take those reps.
03:16Come on now.
03:17It's a disaster.
03:19It's really good context, DRS, in the entirety of the AR conversation.
03:24This is not a guy that in his first two years has even been out there all that much.
03:2915 total games in his first two NFL campaigns.
03:32Only four before he had shoulder surgery that ended his rookie campaign in 2023.
03:38Only 11 last year in 2024.
03:41Some of that was injuries, taking big hits.
03:44Other was some of his performance that was incredibly subpar, leading to Joe Flacco starting some games last year in Indianapolis.
03:53DRS first two years under Shane Steichen, 9-8 in 2023, 8-9 last year.
04:01Flirting with .500, but really not much to show for it.
04:05I'm sure Shane Steichen, the offensive whiz he proved to be in Philadelphia,
04:09was excited at bare minimum at the prospect of crafting Anthony Richardson,
04:14a developmental piece coming from his time with only one full year as a starter collegiately at Florida.
04:21And there were issues with Richardson during his college days, DRS, in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and completion percentage.
04:29And that is always the scare, and that has been realized here in the NFL.
04:34Again, Anthony Richardson is not some proven commodity that is dealing with health issues.
04:39So whenever he returns, even if that timetable is uncertain, he's the guy 100% face of the franchise.
04:46He had so much to prove this year after a completion percentage of 47.7% in 2024.
04:58Worst among qualified quarterbacks in the NFL.
05:02He played in 11 games.
05:04Donnie, he was the only NFL quarterback a season ago to play double-digit games
05:08and have a completion percentage worse than 60%.
05:12And his was worse than 48% at 47.7.
05:17The fourth overall pick in 2023, it seems as though his time in Indianapolis
05:23and maybe his NFL career to begin has hit a very, very big road bump.
05:29Yeah, he was overdrafted.
05:30He's an unbelievable talent.
05:31He's never going to be anybody's franchise quarterback,
05:34but that doesn't mean he can't play a good NFL player.
05:37You put him in one of those positions in short-yarded situations as a quarterback
05:40and a number two on your roster.
05:42He can help your football team.
05:44He can't lead your football team, but he can help here.
05:47So the Colts probably will just throw him away, and rightfully so, the expectations are bad.
05:50But the next team that gets him, you can use him in certain third down and short areas
05:54inside the red zone, inside the five-yard line.
05:56This kid is a weapon.
05:58He just can't be your every-down quarterback.
06:00So, DRS, 7.5 is the win total in Indy this offseason.
06:05Even juice on both sides.
06:07Minus 110 over, minus 110 under.
06:10Year number three under Shane Steichen, and more than likely Daniel Jones,
06:14going to start week number one for Indianapolis.
06:18What's your outlook on the Colts?
06:20Again, it's kind of funny.
06:21Like, oh, 7.5 now that Daniel Jones is starting.
06:23Daniel Jones might be the better starter overall than Anthony Richardson,
06:26which means that you might be getting the better quarterback now,
06:28which is crazy to say with Daniel Jones.
06:30He will probably give you competency because he's with a good offensive coordinator.
06:34He does have some weapons.
06:35But if you're looking to get to the next level where Daniel Jones is throwing
06:38over two touchdown passes a game, that's not happening here.
06:41And it's tough because, as I said, I like the offensive structure from the game plan
06:45and also from the players that they have.
06:47They just don't have the quarterback here.
06:49And sometimes a coach just gets a bad deal.
06:51Like, hey, if I had a good quarterback, look what I can do like I did back in Philadelphia.
06:55I have bad quarterbacks all along here in India.
06:57I can't do much.
06:59Yeah, it really is a fascinating situation, DRS,
07:02because he almost gives Shane Steichen the benefit of the doubt
07:05because as long as he has been in Indy, Anthony Richardson has been that perceived guy.
07:09And yet, whether it's health or a lack thereof or a lack of development,
07:14he's got to be hindered.
07:15Cleveland in the quarterback battle next.
07:17A very, very, very crowded quarterback room in Cleveland
07:27as we update the odds for the QB battle for the Browns this offseason,
07:33courtesy of our Canadian friends at the FanDuel Sportsbook.
07:37DRS, some interesting movement, and I look forward to your reaction on it.
07:41Joe Flacco has been the favorite.
07:43The veteran, the 40-year-old for Cleveland, who, of course,
07:46started the tail end of the season in 2023,
07:50leading the Browns to 11 wins in a playoff spot two seasons ago.
07:55He is back under the command of Kevin Stefanski,
07:58and he is the short favorite.
08:00But it was plus 116 yesterday.
08:03It's minus 102 on this Wednesday morning,
08:07as minicamp now underway in the land.
08:10Kenny Pickett, who was acquired this offseason via trade,
08:14second-best number at 2-1,
08:16and rather hefty prices on both Shador Sanders and Dylan Gabriel.
08:20Sanders has actually moved back.
08:22He was plus 310 yesterday afternoon.
08:25Gabriel was plus 1060, both the Rooks at a plus 680 price.
08:31That is what the odds say, DRS, about the Browns' QB battle.
08:35What do you say?
08:36Who should be the starter for Cleveland come week number one?
08:40I love this, too, because first day of OTAs,
08:43everybody's paying attention to the depth chart,
08:45and everybody's paying attention to which snaps these guys are taking here.
08:48So the fact that Shador Sanders doesn't get a lot of snaps,
08:51ah, he's not playing here.
08:52Look, that's day number one.
08:53There are no pads.
08:54Things are going to figure themselves out over the next month and a half
08:57until we get up to game number one.
08:59We understand that.
09:00But if I look at the odds here, for me,
09:01just understanding what's the most healthy point for your franchise.
09:06It's not starting an aging quarterback day number one on the roster.
09:10Now, you might say, let's just say Kenny Pickett wasn't on the roster.
09:14We're going to bring in Joe Flacco.
09:15We're going to draft a couple quarterbacks who are young.
09:17If we feel they're not ready to play,
09:19we don't want to hurt their career by putting them out there too soon
09:22because then it might damage some goods,
09:24which means it might be leading them into some bad tendencies they might not have
09:27when they're actually ready to take the helm as a starting quarterback.
09:30But the fact that you went out and got Kenny Pickett,
09:32and we're not saying Kenny Pickett is a great quarterback,
09:34but Kenny Pickett was a high draft pick.
09:36Kenny Pickett is much younger.
09:38Kenny Pickett has been in big situations,
09:39like with the Philadelphia Eagles playing a couple games there
09:41and just being in that organization,
09:43and then with the Pittsburgh Steelers trying to make the playoffs.
09:45He does have a pedigree of playing games in the NFL,
09:48and then you have Shador Sanders and Dylan Gabriel.
09:51So Joe Flacco being the favorite at minus 102,
09:53it's like me saying, what are we doing in Cleveland?
09:56Like, your offensive line is average at best.
09:58We know Flacco can't move at all.
10:00David Njoku's a good tight end.
10:02You draft Fannin Jr.
10:03Jerry Judy's starting to come into his own as a younger wide receiver into his prime.
10:07We know you got Deontay Johnson, but also Quinshon Judkins in the backfield.
10:10Isn't this the perfect time to let a younger quarterback sort of mesh with these guys
10:13and grow with these players here as opposed to having Joe Flacco,
10:16who you know isn't your franchise guy?
10:19I just want to say, like, look, I understand.
10:21If Kenny Pickett can't play, why did you get him there?
10:24But also if the two young quarterbacks aren't ready,
10:25yes, you're going to start Joe Flacco, but he can't be the favorite.
10:28He should be your emergency option.
10:30Like, Joe Flacco should get the least amount of snaps in OTAs and training camp
10:34because you know what he can do.
10:36Let the other kids eat to see what they can do.
10:38Flacco starts game number one.
10:39That's just a travesty by the Browns.
10:42Yeah, I'm not exactly sure why you would do that either.
10:45You are looking for an answer in the quarterback room.
10:48You clearly did not believe in Shador or Dylan enough to draft them early,
10:53but Dylan Gabriel was even drafted in the tail end of round number three
10:56before Shador Sanders was taken in round number five.
11:01I do not believe either of the two rookies, despite the notoriety around them,
11:05will start week number one for Cleveland.
11:07Like UDRS, I think it should be Kenny Pickett, but I kind of agree with the odds.
11:13All indications is it's going to be Joe Flacco.
11:17Of course, ESPN Cleveland, the radio affiliate in the land,
11:21has made some news throughout this offseason already,
11:25tracking the quarterback stats, completion percentage, touchdowns,
11:28and INTs throughout voluntary OTAs,
11:31and now after day number one of Browns minicamp.
11:35Joe Flacco did not throw yesterday in the team's seven-on-seven
11:38and 11-on-11 drills.
11:41Hey, he's 40 years old, right?
11:42He's already racked it up enough.
11:44Shador Sanders, 10-of-12, two touchdowns, no interceptions.
11:48Kenny Pickett, 6-of-10, three touchdowns, no interceptions.
11:52Dylan Gabriel, 7-of-18, a touchdown and no picks.
11:57It will be very funny to watch the QB tracker
12:00provided by the stats of ESPN Cleveland
12:02and see if it has any impact whatsoever
12:05on those quarterback battle odds.
12:08Exactly, and we'll find out.
12:10And again, they're just reactive to day one or day two of the OTAs
12:13based on who's getting those reps first
12:15because if Gabriel's getting reps before Sanders,
12:17then of course he's going to be moved up
12:19because the perception in Cleveland then would be
12:20is he's a better quarterback.
12:22But everybody knows nothing happens
12:24until the pads get on there
12:25and you'll see some of these guys separate from themselves here
12:28once that time takes place.
12:29So I'm not reading into any quarterback competitions
12:31with the young quarterbacks this early in OTAs.
12:34Nor should you.
12:35The Browns' win total is 5-and-a-half.
12:37The under is juiced at minus 160.
12:40It's the worst in the National Football League.
12:42More on the early line next.
12:46We continue discussing the quarterback battles
12:49around the National Football League
12:50and teams to know throughout this offseason.
12:53Of course, DRS, the story in the Big Easy
12:56under rookie head coach Kellen Moore
12:58was kind of thrown into a circus
13:00after Derek Carr announced his retirement
13:03about a month and a half ago.
13:05So we thought Derek Carr was going to be the starter
13:08in 2025, maybe to at least begin.
13:11But now he is no longer playing football.
13:14The Saints' quarterback room a little bit thin.
13:17And after being drafted early in round number two
13:19with the 40th overall pick,
13:21the rookie veteran, if you will,
13:24who turns 26 in September, Tyler Shuck.
13:27Now the hefty favorite to be that starting quarterback
13:30for the Saints come week number one.
13:33Minus 310 the price on Shuck
13:35to be that starting quarterback in New Orleans.
13:39DRS, do you take any issue with the price
13:41being that strong on Tyler Shuck
13:43to be the starting quarterback for the Saints?
13:45No, because you don't have anybody backing him up.
13:48Like Spencer Rattler, sure, has some talent here,
13:50has played some NFL football,
13:51but he's not a franchise NFL guy.
13:53He's not going to battle for that starting spot,
13:54at least right off of the bat.
13:55The same thing with Jake Hayner,
13:57which we've seen him perform as well.
13:58Not all that good.
13:59Now it's not an old quarterback room
14:01as opposed to if you want to say,
14:02is the oldest quarterback, by the way,
14:03Tyler Shuck in that room?
14:04Is Hayner younger than Shuck,
14:06which we've kind of amazed like,
14:07hey, the rookie is the oldest guy in the room?
14:10It doesn't even make sense,
14:11but that could be the way it plays out.
14:12But he should be the starter.
14:13You're trying to get a new regime down there, right?
14:15New head coach that's going to put in his guy
14:17that he drafted, of course,
14:19he is going to be the starting quarterback week number one.
14:21That's the way it should be.
14:22I don't have high expectations
14:23for the New Orleans Saints,
14:24but if you're going to have lower expectations,
14:26you might as well get some reps there
14:27out of your young slash old rookie quarterback
14:30at this point for me.
14:32Yeah, DRS, no.
14:33Tyler Shuck is not the oldest,
14:36but he is the second oldest.
14:37Jake Hayner is already 26.
14:39His birthday was in early March.
14:42Tyler Shuck's birthday coming in late September
14:45at the age of 26 years old.
14:47Spencer Rattler is 24.
14:50I take no issue with the minus 310 price on Tyler Shuck.
14:53Frankly, even if Derek Carr was there,
14:55but dealing with the shoulder issue throughout the offseason,
14:58I might make an argument that Shuck should be the starter
15:01under Kellen Moore in the rookie head man.
15:05Now, here's the interesting question for me, DRS.
15:07Five teams around the NFL have a win total of five and a half
15:11based on number,
15:12all sharing the smallest win total
15:15or the worst win total
15:17around the National Football League this year.
15:19But again, based on the juice,
15:21where the chalk and the vig is,
15:23that's how things change.
15:25Two teams have hefty juice on the under,
15:27minus 160 for the Browns,
15:29around minus 145, minus 150 for the New York Giants.
15:33Cleveland technically has the worst win total
15:36in the National Football League,
15:38expected to be the worst team in the NFL,
15:41have the worst record,
15:42so on and so forth.
15:44Two teams have the juice on the over,
15:46the Titans with Cam Ward,
15:48the New York Jets now with Justin Fields.
15:51The Saints' win total is five and a half,
15:53even juice on both sides,
15:55minus 110 over,
15:57minus 110 under.
15:58Let's say, DRS,
16:00that New Orleans is one of the worst teams
16:03in the National Football League.
16:04Let's say that the Saints are drafting in the top three.
16:08You've got a lot of players early on
16:11in the projected 2026 NFL draft class
16:15that would make a ton of narrative sense
16:17in New Orleans.
16:18The two best prices to go first overall,
16:21Arch Manning,
16:22of course the Manning name,
16:24the name Arch or Archie,
16:26in New Orleans means a lot.
16:28Manning himself,
16:29from the city of New Orleans,
16:31played his high school football
16:33in New Orleans.
16:34The second best price,
16:36Garrett Nussmeyer,
16:37the quarterback currently at LSU.
16:40Garrett's father, Doug,
16:41now the new offensive coordinator
16:43in the Big Easy under Kellen Moore as well.
16:46Yeah, and look,
16:47that's options that you're going to have on the table.
16:49Do you remember Josh Rosen
16:50got drafted high by Arizona?
16:52They slipped into that number one spot.
16:53They took their quarterback
16:54that they figure is better.
16:55You can't have a good franchise
16:56unless you have your quarterback.
16:58And the shame of it is,
16:59is you got to win right away
17:00or at least show the team something.
17:01Like if Tyler Shook plays well this year
17:03and they win four games,
17:04they'll probably say,
17:05you know what?
17:06We've got a high draft pick.
17:07We don't need our quarterback.
17:08We think we have our quarterback in the future.
17:09We're not going to use any extra draft capital
17:11for let's just say in the two, three, or four spot
17:13where Arch Manning would go number one.
17:15You'll stick with it here.
17:16But if you have an underwhelming rookie season
17:18as Shook,
17:19which means you won two to three games,
17:21then you're going to be drafting number one overall
17:23and you're going to take that quarterback.
17:24And it's not a bad thing.
17:25Oh, it was a wasted draft pick.
17:27No, it isn't.
17:27You have to try as many quarterbacks as you can
17:29that you feel have a pedigree.
17:30And obviously they think down there
17:32with Kellen Moore
17:33that the pedigree is coming
17:34from Tyler Shook at this point.
17:35And rightfully so.
17:36We'll see how he performs.
17:37But this is a quick hook league, man.
17:39If you're really bad your rookie season
17:41and there's dominating quarterbacks
17:42that you feel can help your franchise
17:43and you have the ability to take them,
17:45you're going to take them here.
17:47So this isn't like,
17:48hey, we're going to give him three years
17:49to see if he's the quarterback of the future.
17:50No, you're not.
17:51You're giving him one year.
17:52If he shows something,
17:53he's your quarterback.
17:54If he doesn't,
17:55you could move on.
17:56I think that's well said, DRS.
17:58A second round pick
17:59is not insignificant
18:01by NFL draft cycles
18:03in terms of capital and investment.
18:05But it wasn't like Tyler Shook
18:07was a top five or top 10 pick.
18:09I know it might sound negligible,
18:11but that really is part of the conversation.
18:14How about the New York Giants?
18:16Russell Wilson is a minus 1,600 favorite
18:18to be that week one starter.
18:20Jameis Winston, of course,
18:21also signed this offseason.
18:24And the Giants traded back in
18:26to round number one
18:27to take Jackson Dart at 25th overall,
18:31a 12-1 price on the Rook
18:33to be that week one starter.
18:35Now week one starting quarterback, DRS,
18:38Russell Wilson, a hefty favorite.
18:40Is Russ going to start right away
18:41for the G-man?
18:43Russ is going to start right away
18:44for the G-man.
18:45That's the plan.
18:45That's the way it should be.
18:46The Giants aren't a good franchise right now,
18:48and you don't want to ruin the process
18:50of having your quarterback sit,
18:52watch a little bit of football,
18:53then get entered into the situation.
18:54Because whether he starts game one
18:55or game 15,
18:56I don't think the Giants
18:57are going to make the playoffs this year.
18:58And as we said multiple times,
19:00they opened up in some books here
19:01at three and a half as a team total.
19:03That lets you know exactly
19:04what some of the pundits think.
19:06Now, they do have more talent this year
19:07than they do last year.
19:08A couple decent free agent signings here,
19:10a couple good moves there in the draft,
19:12and Russell Wilson, you hope,
19:13can hold down the floor.
19:14Here's the question for me.
19:15When is the time that you pull the plug
19:17on Russell Wilson?
19:17Because understand this.
19:19If the Giants aren't going to make the playoffs,
19:21I don't think they will.
19:22The point of having Russell Wilson play
19:24on a seven-win Giants team
19:26late in the season,
19:27that doesn't make any sense.
19:28Like, Jackson Dart has to get in there,
19:30which makes me a little bit nervous.
19:31Like, I want a couple wins early in the season,
19:34which look at that schedule.
19:35I don't know how early those wins
19:36are coming for the Giants,
19:37because if you have,
19:38let's just forget about the end of the season,
19:39the six-win Giants, right?
19:40That would catch a ticket
19:41for most people out there,
19:42even with the updated numbers,
19:44at five and a half.
19:45But what is the point of you
19:46to have Russell Wilson
19:47if you're one and six to start the season?
19:50Because you like him,
19:50and he's a team leader,
19:51and you're saying, like,
19:52well, I'm going to get fired as Brian Dable.
19:54General Manager Joe Shane,
19:55he's going to get fired as well.
19:56So you might as well see at least
19:57what you have on the kid,
19:58and then you can sell that Bozo owner on,
20:00hey, man, we only won two games,
20:02but you see what Jackson Dart did
20:03in week 17 here in a game that meant nothing?
20:05They could probably sell him on that.
20:06That's the interesting point.
20:08Week number one, it will be Russ.
20:09But it's week eight, Russell Wilson.
20:11For my ticket, I actually hope it is,
20:13but for the goodness of the Giants
20:15and what they're looking to do in the future,
20:17he better not be your quarterback in week eight
20:18if you're one and seven.
20:20So those are the week one
20:22starting quarterback odds.
20:23Yeah.
20:24What if I asked Donnie Wright's side
20:25to post a favorite for the week 18
20:28starting quarterback odds of the New York Giants?
20:31Who has the shortest price?
20:36It's got to be Dart, right?
20:38I mean, what are we doing?
20:39I'm telling you right now,
20:40please let this scenario play out
20:43where Mara has no idea what he's doing,
20:46and the Giants win week 18,
20:48which causes them to fall
20:49from the number two draft picker,
20:50number one, down to six or seven.
20:52And Mara's like, I like what we got going on here
20:55in the offseason going forward.
20:56Like this, from upper management
20:58to general manager,
20:59they are a rudderless ship right now,
21:00which probably will win games once again.
21:02We wouldn't be having these conversations
21:03with Jackson Dart
21:04had they not beaten the Indianapolis Colts
21:07and they have a brighter future now.
21:08But they won the,
21:09and Mr. Mara, we beat the Colts.
21:11It's like, yay, team.
21:13You're coming back next year.
21:15Love it, man.
21:15Giants are such a mess.
21:16So that is the incredibly interesting context
21:20to this entire conversation
21:22of who starts week one, week seven, week 13, week 18.
21:27Brian Dayball and Joe Shane
21:28are quite literally coaching
21:30and executing for their jobs
21:33this upcoming year in 2026.
21:36Are they going to try to win as many games
21:38to try to provide promise
21:39to the Mara family to return,
21:42or might they turn the keys over to Jackson Dart
21:44come week number nine
21:46to have a couple of glimmers of hope
21:47and maybe an upset win or two down the stretch
21:50to say, hey, we've got our quarterback of the future.
21:53We didn't draft Daniel Jones.
21:54We weren't the guys here
21:55when that decision was made.
21:57It's going to be a fascinating year
21:59for the G-men
22:00who have the hardest schedule
22:02in the National Football League in 2025.
22:05J-Y, what's next?