Preseason depth charts; Brandon Aiyuk news + more (Full PFT PM) | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Intro oh it is a great day to be alive really any day you're alive is a great day especially when you go through an experience that makes you think you're about to be not alive it's PFT PM not PFT live that's still back on Monday assuming that I can continue to function this is an experiment for me I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to do this because if you noticed on Twitter Mike describes his bout with vertigo yesterday while I was sleeping Monday into Tuesday excited to have another pfpm with Chris Sims who was going to join me we're going to talk about all sorts of things and around the NFL I woke up and I'll never forget this number 239 a.m. eastern because that was the first time in my life that I thought my life was ending I woke up in the entire world was spinning like this just doing it is making me have flashbacks and I didn't know what was going on I couldn't make a sound I thought this is what happens when you die and then after about 10 seconds it felt like 10 days it went away so I got up went to the office felt fine once it stopped Googled sudden dizziness while sleeping and the first result was something called be B ppv which is a benign form of vertigo that should resolve fairly quickly hopefully will but I spent nine hours in the emergency room because I thought I'm not going to just assume this is not serious because I've never been through anything in my life that felt more serious so it got worse when I got there there's something they call an Epley maneuver that they use to both diagnose it and treat it it's as low Tech as low Tech gets it's a series of sitting you up and putting you down and twisting you around and looking at your eyes because when you have it your eyes go all googly and crazy once they put you in the right position and that made me feel awful the medication they gave me at one point made me feel awful I couldn't move I was freezing I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom I couldn't walk that's how bad it was and it eventually improved to the point where I could walk from and I had them and you know we're riding in the wheelchair out of the hospital it feels incredibly lame but when you can't walk it's kind of why they have it so I made it from the wheelchair to the car wife drove me home I went straight to sleep I slept a lot into Tuesday afternoon Tuesday evening into this morning went back to the ENT this morning and did the full it's called the Epley maneuver I did the full Epley maneuver a couple of times and I think they got it fixed what happens is if you've never had it you've got little crystals calcium crystals deep in your inner ear that regulate balance and if they trickle out of where they're supposed to be it messes up everything so the challenge is to get those little crystals to go back into where they're supposed to go in this Epley maneuver which is completely non-invasive which feels like you're going to a chiropractor they move you around they have you stomp down on your heels they have you do all kinds of crazy but it apparently works so as long as don't move my head I'm fine when I move my head it feels like somebody's grabbed my shoulders and jerked me and it takes me a second or two to reorient so it's not extreme dizziness like it was hopefully it's getting better hopefully we can get through PFT pm today as I continue to prepare for the return of PFT live in only five days and hopefully five days from now I'll feel a lot better than I did yesterday I want to start with the reality that right now Teams release preseason depth charts in the NFL the thing we're seeing from all teams either online or in weekly releases that they're sending out their original unofficial or for some the word unofficial isn't even applied depth charts the Steelers don't have the unofficial caveat on theirs other teams do and we've heard this for years coaches like to downplay these depth charts because the NFL requires them to do them and oh it's just something our PR staff puts together well I'd like to think that you know the pr staff has a pretty good idea of what the coaching staff thinks and that the pr staff would have its finger on the pulse of the team given that the pr staff is you know around the team all the time so the more they try to tell us how meaningless they are the more I'm convinced they are very meaningful they are all we have they are the only way to begin to put together a pecking order as to where the players fit and from inside the building that's significant they know who's rated where and outside the building that's all we have now you could argue well the guys inside the building really know because they're at practice they know who's getting the reps with the first team well okay but even then if I'm a guy that's getting the predominant share of the Reps on the first team and I look at the depth chart and I see that I'm second string I'm wondering what the hell's going on because I'm gonna hear from F uh family members and Friends questions about why the hell I'm on the second team and not on the first team so the more they try to tell us it means nothing the more convinced I am it means plenty it is the only guide we have to go by until it's time to play the games that count so yes it means something and I'm sure coaches have used it in the past to send messages to try to put a foot in a guy's ass the farther you are down on the dep the chart especially if you've been around for a while I'll give you an example the Giants we just posted this today Malik neighbors listed as a starting receiver good news for him bad news for Allan Robinson veteran receiver who was cut by the Steelers in the offseason signed with the Giants after the draft He's listed as a third Stringer behind neighbors and Isaiah Hodgins well a 30-year-old veteran isn't going to be a third Stringer a 30-year old veteran is a third Stringer is a guy who has to play on every special team to justify his existence on the roster they're not going to have Allan Robinson do that so if he's lower than second string when it's time to cut the roster to 53 he a going to be on the team so those things are very significant and again the harder they try to get us to say nothing to see here the more inclined I am to say there's something to see there's been something to see for a while now with the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Brandon iuk and one of the reasons I feel bad that we missed yesterday in part because the reason we missed is I felt like complete and total for you know the entire day oh by the way kidney stone vertigo kidney ston still worse but it didn't last as long so kidney stones 1A vertigo is 1B but for the vertigo would have had a good chance yesterday to talk Brandon Aiyuk latest to Chris Sims about what's going on with receiver Brandon iuk and there's been some fascinating reporting specifically from Mike silver the San Francisco Chronicle the holdan is working for Brandon IU because in part it's exasperating Kyle Shanahan and I hadn't really thought about this but when your entire football program is premised upon having a collection of guys who will roll out a bed and run through the wall if you have one guy there who's not rolling out of bed and running through the wall it can be an irritant it can be a distraction it can be something that makes it harder for you to implement and impose your will on the guys that you want to mold into a group that will at the snap of a finger go and that's one of the things I think that between Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch they've come together and created this band of badasses who will just go they don't need to practice tackling in training camp and pre-season and offseason workouts they will go tackle you anytime any place anywhere when they're told to go tackle somebody that's the mindset that these players have and having a guy there that isn't practicing Cuts away at that chips away at it I think makes it harder to get all your guys on board with the the very Stark on off on off on off and they flip it on and they go then they flip it off and they wait they wait and they flip it on and they go when they're flipping it on at practice and Brandon iuk isn't practicing that becomes an issue now where's it going to be traded the Patriots reportedly out because iuk doesn't want to go there reportedly Browns reportedly he doesn't want to go there either the Steelers I think are the destination but here's what I'm told here's where I'll give you a little bit of news a little bit of something you may not have known the Steelers aren't offering as much for trade and as much for money as iuk and the 49ers want but if iuk doesn't want to go anywhere else and he doesn't want to stay in San Francisco if he wants out and he wants to go to the Steelers the Steelers may be the offer that he has to take and the 49ers have to take the other possibility and Kyle Shanahan alluded to this yesterday there's still a scenario where he stays with the 49ers and yeah it's not crazy because at some point and we've been making this argument for weeks now ever since I found out there were five teams five that made offers to Brandon iuk before the draft after the 49ers and auk's agents decided hey go ahead and see if there's someone out there that'll pay you what you want it was 28 million per year at the time probably higher now five teams are willing to do it they wouldn't couldn't work out a trade with the 49ers 49ers wouldn't accept whatever was offered so at some point the 49ers have to say to themselves if there are all these teams out there that are willing to pay this guy what he wants and give us something of value in return for his contract maybe we should just pay the guy and keep him maybe we should make him our number one receiver maybe we should trade Debo Samuel instead remember before the draft at one point it pivoted from possibly trading iuk to trading Samuel I think as we get deeper into Camp that's less likely but still there's a scenario where the 49ers work this out and keep iuk because if him not practicing is irritating Kyle Shanahan well paying the guy and getting him to practice is the thing that will plate Shanahan's concerns so we'll see but the Patriots reportedly out Browns I think hanging by a thread Steelers may win this thing just by virtue of being patient being very Resolute with what their offers are and maybe the 49ers end up taking less than they want and iuk ends up taking less than he wants and the Steelers have another receiver in the mix there and then the challenge will be to get him up to speed in Arthur Smith's offense ASP I was happy to see this morning that the NFL has finally decided to NFL fines Giants, Lions 200K each for fights at joint practices exercise the jurisdiction it should have been exercising all along over joint practices that has driven me crazy in recent years Aaron Donald rips off a Bengals players helmet and starts swinging it around like a madman a couple of years ago and the NFL doesn't get involved to impos OS discipline on Don Donald or anyone else the Rams handled it yeah you know how the Rams handled it hey Aaron try not to do that again that's how the Rams handled it the NFL needs to be responsible for joint practices and we're going to see more and more joint practices as the preseason shrinks it's gone from four to three and we know it's going to go from three to two when they get to 18 regular season games it's just a matter of time the NFL needs to be responsible for this the NFL can't just say this isn't our thing that's baloney that's crap it's good to see they've decided it's their responsibility to impose penalties because the teams aren't going to do it you're not gonna punish your own guy for getting into a fight now you don't want to see it happen but it's amazing to me that these teams are willing to let it happen you're G to get one of your own guys injured I know on one hand you want to go out there and prove you're tough and it's good for camaraderie you know the Giants were all happy with with Daniel Jones Brian Burns was going on and on about Jones going out there and mixing it up yeah but if somebody gets hurt then it's a problem we've seen these in the past where they almost spill over into the fans that are watching I remember a fight a few years ago where that almost happened you can't have this the NFL has been asleep at the switch deliberately I give them credit for stepping in and finding both the Giants and the Lions $200,000 it might need to be more than that we'll see if it works they sent out a memo in the offseason telling teams Thou shalt not fight during training camp practices and right away the Giants and the Lions put the league to the test good for the league to do something about it I don't know that the fine is the answer might just be a cost of doing business the way they want to we know all the time and we say it all the time draft picks are the way to get the attention to teams when you're trying to change Behavior but this is better than nothing taking this action against the Giants and the Lions is good and this is a weird disconnect for fans because fans get fired up it's like seeing a crash when you're watching a race on TV it's great it's interesting yeah it's not real interesting if you get a guy seriously injured because of it that's not interesting and it was gon to happen and that's what this is what I thought was going to occur the NFL would continue to keep its head in the sand until somebody got seriously injured during one of these fights and the NFL would act like it's the biggest problem they've ever encountered they need to solve it right now the NFL is always reactive not proactive I got to give them credit for being proactive I got to give them kudos for making it clear to teams this is no longer going to be tolerated before somebody got seriously injured by a swinging helmet okay next topic I'm getting there I'm I'm holding it together as long as I don't move my head very much everything is fine it's Jim Harbaugh given 4 year “show cause” by NCAA for COVID recruiting violations not fine for Jim Harbaugh at least as it relates to the NCAA Harbaugh has got two predicaments not that he cares very much because he's left Michigan he's got the issue with the recruiting violations during the co Dead period and he's got the Connor stallions sign sealing sign stealing excuse me situation the NCA has spoken as it relates to the covid Dead period recruiting violations and remember this was a situation where there was a tentative resolution reached between Harbaugh and the NCAA he was going to be suspended I think three games to start the season the easy games the pre Big 12 Big 12 Big 10 Big whatever I don't I can't keep anymore the pre- Big 10 games they had an agreement the NCA ultimately decided it wouldn't approve it Michigan decided to Curry favor with the NCA to have Harbaugh sit out a couple of games but that still wasn't resolved the punishment of harau for the covid recruiting Dead period stuff wasn't resolved that's now been resolved with a fouryear show cause order and what that means when you have a four-year show cause order that means for the next four years if anyone within the NCAA structure hires Jim Harbaugh to be the head coach they have to show cause as to why they shouldn't be punished as an institution so it's basically a four-year window where he can't be employed by an NCAA team it's basically a four-year suspension and that's without the Conor stallion situation the unanswered question here is now that we know that harah has been essentially suspended for four years by the NCAA will the NFL do anything about it I've asked the NFL and I haven't heard back yet but remember when Ohio State coach former Ohio State coach Jim Trestle was suspended by the NCAA he went to work for the Colts and the NFL essentially imposed that suspension on him Terrell prior a hust State quarterback suspended five games went to the supplemental draft after he was picked by the Raiders in the third round in 2011 suspended five games for the NFL for manipulating the eligibility rules or some nonsense like that they were they were what's the word I'm searching for here duplicating simulating the NCAA suspension for both guys really and remember it was the NFL's in-house media conglomerate that reported last year that Harbaugh won't have the easy out to go to the NFL that this will follow him in some way now that was focused more on the Conor stallion situation but regardless we've got a four-year show cause we've got the stallion situation still an expectation there'll be a level one violation for Harbaugh there at what point does the NFL take action against Harbaugh and I got a problem with it if they do I had a problem with it when they did it de prior and Trestle because it has nothing to do with the NFL but the NFL wants to Plate those responsible for the free farm system that is college football and so ultimately as I said the other day the NFL will do whatever it wants to do if the NFL wants to suspend har ball it will if it doesn't it won't but this NCAA situation can't be entirely ignored again we've asked the league and we'll see what they have to say about it there Report: Jalen Hurts/ Nick Sirianni disconnect in 2023 helped lead to Eagles downfall was a report today from espn.com about the dysfunction in Philadelphia we know something went on last year when the Eagles fell apart down the stretch there have been all sorts of reports as to what it was at one point I think it was Derek Gunn who reported that the absence of big Dom from the sidelines for the balance of the regular season after after he was ejected during that 49ers game for putting hands on Dre green law the 49ers linebacker that that was in some way a factor in the collapse this ESPN article puts it squarely on the relationship between coach Nick serani and quarterback jayen Herz I'll defer the article we've written to try to summarize the high points of the ESPN article sometimes these articles I'm trying to be nice since I just went through a near-death experience some sometimes they're longer than they need to be so one of our functions is to read the whole thing so you don't have to and boil it down to the most important stuff which is fine it's fine some people want to read the long articles some people just want to know what's in the long articles so we try to and we give full credit and we run the links back if you want to read the whole thing but we try to look at it and apply our own spin as to what's going on and what may happen in the future and look we know there were a couple couple of days where we wondered whether Nick serion was going to be fired after they got embarrassed by the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round and one of the things I pointed out in the off season and this sent a bunch of Eagles fans into a tizzy but the way that Jaylen Hertz contract was structured if he wanted out after last year his contract was tradable if somebody wanted to step in the shoes of the eagles post 2023 and pick up that contract from 2024 onward it was tradeable they could have moved on from either guy they decided to keep both even though this Espin report makes it clear that it's a dysfunctional relationship between the two and it ends with something like are they going to have dinner together probably not but you know they're able to work together I wouldn't call it hatred I mean that's not exactly the kind of ringing endorsement that you want to have in place between coach and quarterback and the quarterback probably thinks I will outlive the coach because I've got the contract with all the guarantees and whatnot I don't know maybe both are gone after this year I don't know there's a lot of pressure this year clearly on serani and definitely on Herz to live up to the contract to get the team to where it needs to be to find a way to work with the coach the next coach may not want him every GM wants his own coach every coach wants his own quarterback that's how it works when new hires are made if there's a new head coach next year is there any guarantee the new head coach wants jayen Herz I don't know and this year will be a factor in that one of the things I thought was fascinating and Herz was asked about it today at the press conference after the regular season ended and before the playoff game he called up wink marale the Giants defensive coordinator to try to figure out what def defenses were doing against the Eagles I mean kind of going beyond the chain of command you're going outside the coaching staff it just was something that seemed unusual on one hand you can say hey the guy's just being thorough but it tells you at a certain level that you don't think you're going to get the answers you need by keeping it in house so you're seeking out answers away from the building we'll see how it plays out this year tons of pressure on everyone in Philadelphia to put that team back to where it was last year through 11 games and to finish the job they were the best team in football through 11 games and then it all fell apart you know you could just say hey they got their asses kicked by the 49ers and they never quite recovered from it maybe that's it but ultimately it's on the coach at some point to hit that reset button to get them to stop digging and to turn around and get out of the hole they found themselves in and they never were quite able to do it even in the postseason when they still were favored to beat the Buccaneers they were still regarded as one of the best teams in football and they were embarrassed and outclassed by the Buccaneers and and I was surprised that serion wasn't fired and replaced with Bill bich and this year that's going to loom over Philadelphia bellich che's presence and we've seen more and more media Outlets he's going to be working for during the season he is going to hover over three teams in the NFC East the Cowboys the Giants and the Eagles and when you go back back to the ESPN long read about what went wrong with belich in Atlanta and why he wasn't hired it is corroborated in there that there was interest in bellich in Washington the commanders might ultimately regret not hiring bellich now because he could land with one of their three division Rivals as soon as next year all right one more topic before we answer just a few questions today trying to keep this fairly short Vikings ownership said yesterday that they're not going to do anything Vikings won’t discuss contract extensions with HC Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah until after 2024 season with the contracts of Coach Kevin oconnell or GM qua Doo Mena until after this season that's significant because both men are signed through 2025 two more years and on one hand that's not unfair it's not like either guys in a lame duck season and on the other hand you're disrupting the vibe that they're trying to create by not taking care of the guys who brought in Kevin o connell's handpicked qub back of the future in JJ McCarthy but let's just give it a year and see what happens let's give it a year maybe they decide to keep one and move on from the other after this year maybe they decide to move on from both after this year maybe they decide to extend both this year I think is an important year for the Vikings because they've been riding this every other year roller coaster ever since Mike Zimmer became the head coach one year good one year crap one year good one year crap trp I think they'd like to see a little consistency like I think they'd like to see reason to believe that they're going to be every year good and one of these years great this gets back to my criticism of the Vikings and other teams that good enough is good enough compete contend make to the playoffs every other year sell tickets sell jerseys generate interest have high ratings but never really go get the brass ring I think the Vikings need to decide is this Duo ad DOI Mena and okono is this a Duo that is equipped to work together to go get the brass ring we'll see we'll see but uh I got no problem with ownership waiting a year but after this year they got to make some decisions about the future extend or move on I'm not a fan of the lame duck situation in any setting don't be afraid to pay a guy not to work for you if you are not ready to extend him as he's entering the final year of his contract that goes for both ad doam Mena and okono so we'll see what happens with the Vikings after the season obviously if they have a big season there's a good chance both guys stick around if it's kind of a mixed bag if it's a wild card birth and one and done maybe one stays maybe one goes maybe oconnell stays maybe they get a new GM maybe the GM stays maybe they hire a new coach we'll see how it plays out after the season all right a couple of questions before we wrap this up this comes from TZ Mike PFTPM Mailbag how do you think the Dolphins are justifying all the money being spent on the offensive side of the ball especially when the defense is lacking any real big-time players do you think their track team can keep up all season I think you got to have a defense that's able to make a stop at some point and they also have to have a defense that's willing to and able to impose its will on the opponents we've seen some chatter from players about the dolphins being bullies this year there was a practice fight recently Tyreek Hill loved it there's been some quotes from defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and others about this mindset we asked Mike McDonald Mike McDaniel Mike McDonald Kevin oconnell Mike McDonald Mike McDaniel my brain is impaired we asked Mike McDaniel about it at scouting combine this perception that there's a toughness that the Dolphins are lacking you can't be finesse only there's got to be a moment where you kick someone's ass it's a violent sport it still is despite all the safety changes despite the NFL's effort to deemphasize The Brute Force required when you're lined up across from someone who's going full speed at you when you go full speed at him you need guys who can do that you need that edge you need that attitude to be a team that wins in the postseason so I mean the offense is still going to be good they just need to to have a little more of a rough and tumble Vibe on defense and I'm not saying do anything beyond the rules I'm just saying play through the whistle play hard maybe talk a little bit maybe show show other teams who's boss cuz that's still a factor in a sport like football that physicality intimidation it's a factor and it feels like the Dolphins haven't had it under Mike McDaniel another question Jason folz would an 18 Game season mean higher salaries Andor expanded rosters will the league report on the accuracy effectiveness of electronic yard markers that's two questions in one let me take the first one um if there's an 18 Game season I fully expect more roster spots there definitely will be higher pay because the league and the union split the total revenue roughly 5050 so if you play an extra week of games you're going to make more money that's going to be more money that's shared that's more money for the players under the salary cap there'll be an issue with the extra game check they resolve that when they move to 17 they'll probably do the same thing when it goes to 18 you just take the salary I think they had they they did some formula to come up with the game check I need to go back and see what it was there was some back and forth but I think the fairest thing to do is just give each player another game check at the rate of pay that applies for the 17 games they were already due to play as relates to the accuracy and effectiveness of the electronic yard marker I never count on the NFL to be transparent except when it's in their interest to be transparent I just hope they perfect the technology the the the years of two sticks and 10 10 yards of chain in between should be over and Technology should be fully embraced and they should have a system that works effectively to tell us when a first down has been achieved when a touchdown has been scored when a ball is inbounds or out of bounds full Embrace of technology is imperative we've been saying it for years and it's good to see the NFL busting open the piggy bank and inching in that direction one more question we're going to call it a day Tom Marshall could it be better for Dak Prescott to decline any offer from the Cowboys and just get to the market the fact that the Cowboys can't use the franchise tag or the transition tag next year gives Dak Prescott that leverage he can say no thank you no thank you no thank you and then get through the season and then find out what else is out there and this is a situation where I think it's in the Cowboys best interest for other teams to Tamper because the sooner the Cowboys know whether or not they're going to have Dak or not have daak the better off they're going to be they don't want to wait for his contract to void when it voids it's going to dump 54.5 million I believe into the cap for 2025 they're going to want to redo that contract before it voids and they have that 54.5 they can't escape you can at least manage that a little bit if you sign them to a contract before then so I'd like to think that right after the season there's a way for Dak Prescot to find out what else is out there a way for the Cowboys to make a final decision as to what they're going to offer and then Dak makes his move and everyone knows and everyone can move forward with their planning for 2025 and I think it comes down to this the Cowboys know that someone out there will offer Dak more than what they'll pay is it so much more the Dak is willing to take that in lie of playing for the Cowboys being the Cowboys starting quarterback and everything that goes along with that up to an including Waltzing right off of the field and in do a broadcast booth and making huge money with one of the networks which look at all the former Cowboys who have made their Mark in broadcasting and it helps to have that widespread introduction that comes from being a quarterback or a high-profile player on a team that is watched more than any other we've got Troy Aman we've had Jason Whitten we've got Tony Romo all the way back to Da Meredith really before America's team was America's team a lot of great players have parlayed their status as a high-profile member of the Cowboys roster into a great post playing career even Roger stabach who didn't get into broadcasting but got into real estate and can't hide money Roger Starbucks done pretty well for himself so that's a question that Dak Prescott's gonna have to ask himself how much less do I take from the Cowboys and I can get from someone else while still having that Cowboys helmet on and everything that goes along with being the cowboy starting quarterback I think the sooner that gets resolved after the coming season the better off everyone will be and I think that's how it's going to play out I don't think they're gonna sign him to an extension before the season starts but who knows crazier things have happened and we see with the Cowboys they drag their feet they drag their feet they drag their feet and then all of a sudden they get it done maybe they'll get it done before week one first they got to take care of CD lamb then the question becomes what can they do with Dak Prescott if they get Dak Prescott taken care of they better just turn around and use that cap space on Michael Parsons because that's the one that surprises me the most in Dallas that he didn't hold out and that he's all in with playing the fourth year of his rookie contract for peanuts relative to what he's worth taking a significant physical risk every time he goes on the field Sims and I said it throughout the offseason Michael Parson should not step foot on a practice field or a game field until he gets his new contract but he did maybe they can do it maybe they can surprise us all you know they're not they didn't go all in with free agents but if they could get CD then Dak then Micah done before week one that would be reason for a little optimism for the Cowboys this year all right I have a little optimism that maybe I can do this again tomorrow because I was able to do it today and I've only gotten a little bit better and a little bit better and a little bit better since yesterday's nightmare so my goal is to be ready to go 100% for two hours on Monday with PFT live I hope I can do it I think I can do it as long as I sit as still as possible possible it's not an issue I'm going to now Glide up the stairs as slowly as I can and lay down for a little bit and let the crystals settle isn't it weird that we've got crystals in our brains did did you know that we have crystals inside of our brains that if they move a little bit can mess with this worse than anything you could imagine now you know the more you know is that NBC thing all right that's it for today thanks for some of your time thanks to all who wished me well what's the elain quote what's the toast here to those who wish us well and those who don't can go to hell have a great day see you tomorrow hi it's Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on YouTube hit subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro football talk