NFL Insider Adam Caplan Talks Touring Training Camps
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00:00Adam Kavlin is our NFL insider and he's on his tour to Pharrell of training camps.
00:09And today he was in Virginia hanging out with the commanders and Mr. Quinn.
00:17And it'll continue through the next few weeks.
00:19He's going out to the West Coast as well.
00:21So we're getting great coverage.
00:23So you were at the commander's camp today.
00:26Where do they stand?
00:28It's the first time you haven't seen Snyder around.
00:31They have to be relieved of that.
00:33Yeah, so it's funny you say that.
00:35So this is their first year, really.
00:37This is Josh Harris, the new owner.
00:39So this is his first full year and his ownership group with the commanders.
00:43So yeah, and I'll tell you what, the sort of the Paul that would come over this team.
00:50Like the, just the stanch of Snyder and the negativity is gone.
00:55As one, someone with the, someone high up at the commander said to me,
00:58oh, it's a new beginning.
01:00You've got, as you mentioned, Dan Quinn and the head coach.
01:03New offensive, defensive schemes.
01:05You've got a new quarterback, Jay Daniels, who will be the start of week one.
01:08They haven't named him that, but he's going to start against Tampa Bay.
01:10We'll get to their schedule, some other stuff that I learned today.
01:13But yeah, it's definitely, that cloud is gone.
01:17There's no question, there's some optimism.
01:18But I do get the sense that they're not calling a rebuild,
01:22as this person said, new beginning.
01:23They kind of knew who they are.
01:25They're not starting over.
01:27They have some good young players, but they understand,
01:29like this is not a Super Bowl team.
01:31Don't need to say it.
01:32I can tell that they know kind of who they are.
01:34And what I find interesting is, you know, this is the team that a lot of fans point
01:40to in social media about, oh, this could be this year's Texans.
01:43I don't see that.
01:45The last year's Texas roster, yes, we didn't know, Scott,
01:48about C.J. Stratton, how great he would be.
01:50But the Texans had drafted well.
01:52They had a good mix of veterans and young players.
01:55Here with Washington, they've got Daniels, yes.
01:59They've got a very average offensive line.
02:02Remember now, the commanders did talk to the Niners about Brandon Ayuk during the draft.
02:07They've got a new defensive scheme in here.
02:09They don't have a lot of pass rush.
02:11Remember, Scott, last year at the trade down, they traded both starters at defensive end.
02:16They've got sort of a rebuild secondary here.
02:17They're kind of in a retooling of the roster.
02:20But I do like that they brought in Bobby Wagner.
02:23Guys won a Super Bowl.
02:24Zach Gertz has won a Super Bowl.
02:25Austin Eckler is going to be a good veteran backup running back for Brian Robinson.
02:30But they kind of knew who they are.
02:31This is a team that knows that they're kind of on the way up here.
02:36But the odds makers clearly, Scott, are telling you the way it is.
02:39It's 6.5.
02:41The over is minus 125.
02:42But the over, Scott, if you look at the over at 7.5, it's plus 165.
02:48So the odds makers see it like I do.
02:50I see this as a 6 or 7 win team.
02:52They're not a playoff team.
02:53To win the NFC East, they're plus 1100.
02:56But just talking to people there, they like that they had all these draft picks.
03:02Had to get a lot of new talent on both sides of the football.
03:05But they're going to be coached up, and they've got a long way to go here.
03:09Well, look, I believe in Dan Quinn.
03:12I think he's a good coach.
03:13But all I need to know, and I heard it right out of your mouth,
03:16is that they don't have an offensive line, and their pass rush is terrible.
03:22So they got rid of their two best pass rushers.
03:24So the NFL is one in the trenches.
03:27So when you have a terrible offensive line and no pass rush,
03:30they'll be lucky if they win six games.
03:33Yeah, I don't say it's terrible.
03:33I think it's very average.
03:35But I'll tell you what, they love Brandon Coleman, their third round
03:38pick out of TCU, who's going to start at what, whether it's guard or left tackle,
03:41he's going to wind up starting.
03:42But yeah, it takes time.
03:44One thing you have to understand in the NFL,
03:46you can't solve every issue one offseason.
03:49Remember being in John Lynch's offense many years ago, the GM of the Niners,
03:52and he's got this placard that says you can't solve every issue one offseason.
03:56You can't.
03:56Remember Adam Peters also.
03:58The front office is brand new.
04:00Peters came in from the aforementioned Niners.
04:02He's got a job on his hands here.
04:04But they've got their quarterback.
04:05There's no question about it.
04:06And how about in hard knocks?
04:08The Giants made it clear.
04:09They talked about it.
04:10If Jaden Daniels was close to them, they would have traded up and tried to get him.
04:15Well, look, I think Jaden Daniels is a very exciting player.
04:19And from what you're telling me, he's going to be running for his life.
04:25Well, no, he will run.
04:26But it's funny you say that because with Cliff Kingsbury,
04:29their quarterbacks will run.
04:30There's no question about it.
04:31And by the way, Marcus Mariota, another running quarterback,
04:34is going to be their number two.
04:35But this is going to be a slow build here.
04:38They've addressed their secondary.
04:41They addressed the running back position with Eckler,
04:43addressed the tight end position with Zackert, who I mentioned.
04:45Ben Sinnott, a second-round tight end who I saw at the Senior Bowl from Kansas State,
04:49who I really like.
04:50Great Senior Bowl week.
04:52They're going to be a team the fans are going to be excited about because there are
04:54a lot of good young players.
04:56But again, you've got to let this team have time to gel here.
05:00And that division now is so top-heavy with the Cowboys and, of course,
05:04the Eagles.
05:05And the linesmakers, given the Eagles, they're clear favorite about minus 120.
05:09So talk to me about what they're doing defensively if they don't have a pass rush.
05:15I know they're going to kind of a 3-4 with Quinn.
05:19And we already have seen him coaching the Cowboys' defense.
05:23So what is their plan if they don't have a pass rush?
05:26What's the rest of that defense look like?
05:29It's actually a 4-3, but as you mentioned, elements of a 3-4.
05:32They're going to stand up their pass rushers.
05:33I saw that today.
05:35This is what DQ did with Micah Parsons.
05:37He moves his linemen around.
05:39He does a really good job of doing that.
05:41They're going to be very strong at the safety position.
05:43They had Quan Martin last year as the second round of Illinois,
05:46who could be a nickel if you play safety.
05:48Sandstrill from Michigan, who's the second rounder this year,
05:52who's very talented.
05:53I like that.
05:54And DQ's good at using personnel.
05:56But a cornerback that just could be OK.
05:58Again, the pass rush, Dorrance Armstrong,
06:00comes over from the Cowboys, who DQ coached with the Cowboys.
06:04And Cleland Farrell, by the way, this is an underrated sign.
06:06Cleland Farrell, who was their very big reach,
06:08as we know, with the Raiders many years ago,
06:10as a first-round pick, should have been a first-round pick,
06:12should have been a late first, early second.
06:14But it kind of revived his career
06:16with the 49ers last season.
06:17It's probably going to start for Washington here.
06:20It's going to have a chance to kind of further his career
06:22here.
06:23But yeah, it's, look, again, next year in the draft,
06:25they're going to have to continue
06:27to address the offensive line and get more pass rushers.
06:29Probably going to have to address corner.
06:31They're going to be decent at wide receiver.
06:33But I'm interested to see how Kliff Kingsbury kind of
06:35structures this offense.
06:37He likes a running quarterback.
06:38We've seen this with Kyler Murray with the Cardinals.
06:40We know what's coming.
06:41We saw that in college with Mahomes.
06:44So this is going to be a fun offense to watch here.
06:48But the bottom line is it's going to take them a while
06:50to be a winning team here.
06:52I don't see this as a winning team in year one.
06:54So Thursday, you're going to see the Ravens and Eagles
06:57practice together in Pharrell, Adelphia at the link.
07:01And then Saturday, you're going to be in Irvine
07:07with the Saints and the Raiders in Costa Mesa.
07:10You're going to do that both on Saturday.
07:13Is that the plan?
07:13And then Sunday, you're with the Chargers
07:15and their new building, the Bolt.
07:18Yeah, yeah.
07:19So basically, here's actually the way it's going to go.
07:21I'm going to be with the Ravens in the afternoon.
07:23Drive from Owens Mills in Baltimore area to Philly.
07:27The Eagles are going to have a night practice at the link.
07:30And you're right, I fly to LA on Friday.
07:33And then Saturday morning, the Saints, by the way,
07:35so the Saints, because their cafeteria is not
07:37to be done back in Metairie in Louisiana.
07:41So the Saints are practicing this week,
07:43or actually this month at UC Irvine.
07:45So I'll see them in the morning.
07:47And then in the evening, I'll see the Raiders.
07:50And then the next morning, yes, the Chargers
07:52will be hosting the Rams.
07:54Now, the Chargers finally have their own facility
07:58in El Segundo at the Bolt. Yeah, and it's,
08:00I'm loving what the Chargers are doing there.
08:03The odds makers are super gaga over the Chargers.
08:06I'm looking forward to being with the Chargers Sunday.
08:09I got to see this.
08:10I don't know why, I get it.
08:12Harbaugh is a winner.
08:13We all know that.
08:14He's won everywhere he's been.
08:14Niners, University of San Diego, Stanford.
08:18The Niners, of course, where he made the Super Bowl,
08:19probably should have won it against the Ravens.
08:21But man, a lot, but the odds are favoring the over.
08:25It's just, it's hard to believe at eight and a half.
08:26I don't see them as a winning team,
08:28but the public certainly sees them as a winner.
08:30I don't see it for year one.
08:32So Thursday, you're going to see two teams,
08:34the Ravens and Eagles, both working.
08:35And then Thursday night, Texans and Bears
08:39play in the Hall of Fame game in Canton.
08:42Yeah, that's fun.
08:43You know, I've been to the Hall of Fame game
08:45many, many years ago, and usually the starters don't play.
08:49But, and I know Caleb Williams, by the way,
08:51wants to play, but it doesn't sound like
08:53it's going to be much, if at all.
08:54But that is another hype team.
08:56That is the hype team this year, is those Bears.
08:59And you and I talked about it.
09:00How about Matt Iberflus?
09:02The pick by many to be coach of the year.
09:04I get it.
09:05There are way more talent than they have been
09:07in recent years, but Scott, that's a big hit there.
09:10I can't see it with Matt Iberflus.