ESPN breaks down NFL Cut Day: Malik Willis to the Packers, Brandon Aiyuk is a pain in the rear

it is post four o00 which means NFL rosters have made their Cuts in terms of who's going to be on that 53 and one of the more notable names that we are following is cadarius Tony who has been cut from the Kansas City Chiefs according to volto reports if you remember he had notable drops during his time in KC but he also won two championships everyone remembers that fourth quarter punt return he had in the Super Bowl as the Chiefs beat the Eagles two seasons ago but uh when they brought in J Smith huster that certainly made things look a little different in that wide receiver room so here's some of the more notable names we've been following throughout the day of course Desmond Ritter coming earlier in the afternoon he was cut from the Cardinals after being traded there from the Falcons just a few weeks ago kicker Andre Carlson out of the Packers did not have the rookie year people expected him to have so he is now out Frank Gore Jr uh sad to see his name on this list after a proud weekend for his dad but nonetheless it is that time of of the NFL season back here on CBS Sports HQ Haley Seton alongside our NFL analyst Le doable Pete prisco we're also bringing in our former GM Rick Spielman to talk about all things NFL Cuts gentlemen I want to start right there with cadarius Tony obviously I don't think this was a surprise really for anyone we kind of all saw the writing on the wall there but still it's a big name leaving a team looking for their third consecutive Super Bowl Le I'll come to you first here just your thoughts on the Move yeah again I think this was a long time coming in regards to cadarius Tony you named some of the things that he went through with the Kansas City Chiefs the drops that he had the pivotal drop in week one versus the Detroit liines and also we can all remember when he didn't line up on the line of scrimmage and negated one of the best touchdowns we had seen in NFL history in regards to Travis Kelce having a heads up play and finding him down the field and lateraling it so uh there was also some things off the field that he was dealing with with the Kansas City Chiefs so I just think the direction the chiefs were heading in and you could kind of see last year when they didn't dress him for games down the back stretch stretch of the Season that this was ultimately going to happen yeah uh I agree with you J he when he came out of Florida he had one Big Year a lot of people saw the speed saw the athleticism but really question was he a true receiver or not or was he just a gadget guy he reminded me a little bit of when we drafted Percy Harvin although Percy Harin turned to being a pretty good player but he could never see mclick whether he was with the Giants or or with the Kansas City Chiefs and if you can't click with the Kansas City Chiefs then you have an issue because he is a talented athlete he just has too many off field concerns too many durability concerns and that's probably why they weren't able to move him today yeah and once they went down and got Juju Smith Schuster back you knew the handwriting was on the wall I thought migle Harman would actually be in trouble as well there was some thought that he could be in trouble they end up getting rid of cadarius Tony they didn't draft him and sometimes when you draft a guy you hold on to him too too long it's easier to cut a guy when you don't draft them and we see that go on week in and week out especially this time of the year guys you draft you're kind of prone to keep them uh they didn't draft them so it's an easy decision to make and and I'm not surprised you drafted those speed guy you got worthy you signed Hollywood Brown you have speed guys so I I don't think it's an issue yeah we were seeing reports that the Chiefs are going to carry seven wide receivers on the roster Justin Ross was another name that was also cut today from that wide receiver room so uh uh do with that what you will we are lucky enough here though to have a former GM who has been through and had these conversations before about getting your roster ready for the upcoming season so Rick put your GM hat back on us for a second just take us through the process of what it's like from the front office perspective to have to build a roster that is going to compete in in the upcoming season yeah no you go through it just like a draft meeting with the coaching staff you hear their opinions on the players you hear the Personnel opinion on the players and you have to make tough decisions whether you're going to keep a guy that is younger you're going to move on from a vested vent because you don't want to pay him for the year of he's on the 53 man roster but you're also if we expose this young player is he going to get claimed because that's the biggest thing that most front officers are scared about losing a young guy that you put out on the waiver wire and someone else claims them that's why I think you're also seeing a lot of these trades these uh tit fortat sixth for seventh rounders and flopping picks because the teams at the bottom of the claiming order which goes by draft order but Chicago doesn't have the first uh claiming pick it's the Carolina Panther so throw out all the trades that happened before the draft now goes just by how your team finished and if you're in the 20s you know a good player comes out or a young player comes out that everybody's going to be interested in then that's why you're seeing a lot of these trades happen right now I thought when you were introducing him as R GM I thought you were saying he knows what it feels like to be cut by an NFL team I do that was I was cut by the LA Chargers and I was cut by the Detroit Lions and you were cut by the Minesota Vikings a couple you were cut by the Minesota Vikings a couple years ago goodness going the he just had to get that little dig in there didn't he let's actually though go to the player side of this though Le because as I mentioned off the top here this is you know it's an exciting day for some because your dreams are coming true you've made that 53 but for others those dreams you're going to have to go different way to get to that dream so uh in terms of the player perspective here what is that day like for players yeah for players that are fighting for the bottom of the roster like it's a tough day right because uh Pete we talked about this a lot of guys kind of already know where they fit in regards to the roster right now there's a few guys that are probably in that range from like 65 to 53 that are most likely going to be back on the practice squad and they'll be okay and be able to continue that dream that you talked about Haley but for guys that are like the 52 or 53 man on the RO like they're shaking today like I've been in that scenario my rookie year when I was with the New York Giants not knowing like waiting for the time to go by I remember my D line coach said I sent you a message so you didn't have to worry I was like well what number do you had and he had a totally wrong number so you just imagine sitting in your hotel room for like 12 hours on Cut Down day wondering if you're going to get that call that says you know we need you to come in bring your iPad the head coach and the GM want to talk to you so I've been in that scenario so I feel for those guys going through this but for a majority of the guys they kind of know they fit in regards to the roster but it's it's a tough day for guys that who had a dream in mind that their dream ends today when I go to camp training camp I always look around and I'll talk to GM or somebody I'll say I could cut your team right now basically you can they know yeah they within within four or five to eight guys they know you can cut you can cut the team but more than that this is the cruestv I'm sure Rick had to deal with that a bunch because you tell a guy he's all happy he made the team he comes in and then you got to tell him he didn't make the team that's cruel well perfect example uh my second year in the league I made the Giants originally on the 53 man roster after week one we had three running backs go down so they had to go claim a running back and bring a running back in so they cut me so I know Rick was already talking about some of the gymnastics that happens the roster gymnastics that happen now you can actually put two guys on IR before you had to put him on the 53 then convert him to IR well now you can put two guys on ir and save them for four weeks while you probably put somebody else on a 53 man roster while you try to hide them and then convert them to practice squad Rick did you want to add anything there yeah just real quick I would tell these young guys just because it's past 4:00 and you're on the 53 don't call your mama or your dad or any family member hey I made a 53 man roster because there's going to be another wave that comes after these claims there's going to be other players that get cut and then they move on and then you get an opportunity to claim more guys so don't celebrate and call your mom and just say hey I just made a 53 man roster because that can change in a second yeah this is the time when everything is changing got to keep your head on a swivel uh even for fans trying to figure out who's going to be on their favorite roster let's get into some winners and losers and I hate this terminology because you know like it's already such a tough day but that's what we're calling it uh Pete I'm going to come to you first here who won the NFL cut day in your by the way let me just give some life coach here talk here if getting cut from an NFL roster is the worst thing that happens to you in your life you had a hell of a life so look at it from that standpoint great Point um give us your winners now it's tough when you going through it though I get it I get it it's a tough day but you basically like I said most of them know you're a realist it is a tough day but if that's the worst thing that happens to you you had a hell of a life uh as far as winners the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and and the reason I say this Jason light has done a hell of a job with that roster and what he's done with that roster he had to deal with Tom Brady's money too so it kind of restricted them a little bit every single draft pick made the roster everyone that team is Young they're getting athletic they're getting fast and they still have a nice mix of veterans guys like Levon David and Mike Evans I think Jason light has done a fantastic job he's he and the Buccaneers are big Winners but more than that I think Malik Willis is a big winner he goes from being a third string quarterback because he was behind uh Mason Rudolph in in Tennessee will Levis now he's the back up quarterback in Green Bay so he has a better chance to play if there's an inj you never want to see anybody get hurt but you have a better chance to play so those are my two winners as far as the losers let's go to the quarterback class of 2021 and 2022 oh my God they're all with a few exceptions you know Brock pie in the one draft class is still with his team Skyler Thompson still with the dolphins as a backup but the rest of that class terrible Trevor Lawrence the only one from the one class so it just gives you that saying that you never really know with any position but you never really know with the quarterback position yeah it's interesting when you guys were going through that list as we were sitting here I was like oh you're right oh you're right like they just you know it's been tough so hopefully it's a good home for um Malik going forward but I want to get into some current news that we're talking about now that we've kind of got the rosters out of the way there's of course still several players looking for contract extensions and 49er land shout out to the Cowboys for getting the deal done with CD so I can rest uh but Rick I'll come to you here first on this this one because obviously two key pieces to that San Francisco 49ers team and Trent Williams and Brandon IU both still don't have deals we know that Brandon has been you know shocked out as a potential trade Target for some teams but nothing has developed there meanwhile Trent Williams wants more money so from the front office perspective here what is missing for the 49ers to get one both of these deals done at this point uh maybe C room and money I don't think it's about money or cash but I do think think that auk the Market's been set on where the receiver Market is and you saw CD lamb come in you saw Justin Jefferson it'll be interesting to see if Jamar Chase gets done but I got to put auk right up there with those so they know what it's going to cost and I think they'll get something eventually done because if they weren't they would have traded him by now the one I'm majorly concerned about is prent Williams who to me is still one of the best if not the be the best left tackles in the league right now he's not coming in and he doesn't care he's a vet he knows how important he is to that roster he has plenty of money he doesn't care about the F so that's the one if I'm sitting there in John Lynch's shoes I'm very worried and want to make sure that I can try to get that done but that's going to be tough to do because I know Trent Williams has no hesitation at all about holding out until he gets his deal done yeah yeah and that's what has surpris me guys like nobody's talking about this Trent Williams hold out like he hasn't done this before Rick right he did it with the Washington Redskins he held out so he has no qualms about sitting at home I know P you always say players will show up and play he's one of those guys where it's the asri he will sit out and we know how important he is for this San Francisco offense I mean just look at the first five games of the season last year Chris mcaffry averaged over 102 yards rushing the next three when Trent Williams Miss he never eclips 55 yards rushing so we've also seen Brock py be under the rest the the last two preseason games with that offensive line with Trent Williams not in the full so Trent Williams knows how important he is to him he wants more guaranteed money because if you look at his current contract there's no more guaranteed money on it so he just wants to be paid for how important he is on the team so I know brenon IU because he's the receiver has got all the headlines but the piece like Rick said that I'm more concerned about is Trent Williams potentially not being there for the San Francisco 49ers yeah Trent Williams is more valuable I think to that team the way they play and you look at the rest of that offensive line there's some questionable guys on that line without Trent Williams and so when he's not there it's a big hit here's the difference between Trent Williams when he did hold out and Trent Williams now he's older the earning years are going byby it's hard to leave money on the table when you're earning years are going byebye so every week he doesn't play that's a check that he's leaving on the table that can come back and bite you so I think ultimately they'll work it out they'll get him back in there they need him they know that he knows that and they'll be fair to him auk is the challenge because Brandon auk isn't as good as CD lamb he's not as good as Justin Jefferson so how do you slot the money in there he's close but he isn't quite there so I think that could be a tough one yeah I think I'm more just interested to see where he's going to play like if it's going to be in 40 in the 49ers or with someone else obviously something we'll have to watch out for as the season creeps closer of course there are two other teams still looking for their starting quarterback with a little over a week to go before the first game of the season of course talking about the Steelers and uh the Patriots here Pete I kind of want to ask you when you're in this situation at this point of the Season you still aren't confident in naming a starting quarterback here like where's the Panic meter I guess we'll start with the Patriots where's your Panic meter of not having a starter named at this point of the Season that one's a little different because you got a rookie draft pick and and are you sitting there probably in that meeting room with the coaches saying do we need to protect him a little bit our offensive line isn't very good are we going to throw him out there I'm not a believer in this but I know some coaches are that if you throw him out there and you look at that line it's it struggled the other night and and you look some of those guys weren't there and aren't there Andrews didn't play the other night strange is there but when they're healthy I think they'll be okay but do you want to put them out there right away and I say you know coaches always say well we might mess his psyche up if you mess his psyche up he drafted the wrong guy I mean if you put a quarterback out there and he doesn't respond no matter what happens then you drafted the wrong guy because everybody learns every quarterback I've ever talked to said they learn more playing in a half than they do watching an entire season so I think they should play Drake may I don't think they will I think they'll play brassette I would play Drake May uh but but I I I think ultimately they're going to be safe and that's kind of like the belich way you take you play it safe and I think Gerard Mayo comes from that tree Rick from your perspective at this point of the Season still no starting quarterback maybe leaning towards that rookie guy but how how involved are you in these decisions and how do you feel about not having a quarterback here with week one right around the corner finally I can disagree with Pete because it was driving me crazy I was kind of agreeing with him but you got to go with Jobe brassett it's a no-brainer to me you don't want to throw Drake May out to the Wolves even though you watched him in the preseason he's got better through each preseason game but he's not ready to play the NFL one of the things is just his footwork in its pocket and he takes hitches by that I mean Step Up Step Up step up and if when the varsity starts playing he's going to get hit in the mouth he doesn't have a great offensive line like Pete pointed out he doesn't have great receivers so why throw him out to the Wolves you can always go to him at some point during the season let Jobe brasset go out there in play if they're struggling there's a point that Drake May will come in and take over but it's a lot different if you have to bench Drake May because he's struggling and putting in jacobe Bret instead of going the other way play the veteran if it's not going well I don't think anyone on ass set think they're going to be competing for a Super Bowl this year or even an AFC East Championship so put the old guy in there at some point put Drake May in and then move on but don't do it the opposite way I disagree with Pete hold heartedly wholeheartedly my goodness he's entitled to his wrong opinion fellas I thought there was no way that Drake May was going to start this season but Pete as I watched the preseason games and some of the things that you talked about Rick right were my concerns for him right this top half matching the bottom half the footwork in the pocket I saw him get progressively better each week and have more confidence and be able to maneuver in the pocket so I'm with you usually always say go with the veteran guy I think Drake May should play Just because I've seen the progression now I know what you're saying Rick we don't think this team is going to be any good the offensive line it's been a Turn Style you know Michael wnu is going to play right tackle is he going to play Right Guard they don't know yet they don't even know who their starting five is up front but I love the way that we saw Drake May maneuver in the pocket him keep his eyes down the field be able to go through his progressions where which was a question for me coming into this year I'm like you Pete the only way to get better is to actually get the Reps right so why not put him out there now I do agree it is easier to go with the veteran guy and then put the rookie in right but at this point to me the only way he's going to get better is to actually get reps and that's the way Drake May is going to get better I think he needs to go ahead and start I think Jobe brassette for the way he's played throughout preseason made this a competition I don't think it was a competition heading into preseason but the way jakobe brette has played and the way that Drake May has played has made this a competition here's the other thing well if you sit and you learn you look look at Aaron Rogers sat behind he had Brett Favre in front of him Jordan loves that he had AAR Rogers in front of him I mean these guys have guys in front of them they don't Ms had Alex Smith they have nobody there's nobody in front of him Kobe brets a stop Gap he's a backup quarterback in the National Football League you know that get on with it find out what Drake May is the sooner you get that going back in early so you know if he has a weakness if he's going to make mistakes early in the season so then you bring in the backup obviously there's couple of different opinions but uh producer Bon is telling us we got to go so we got to move on to our last topic here of course the Steelers to situation with the quarterbacks there Russell Wilson pole position is the term that Mike Tomlin keeps using but obviously it's closer maybe than what we thought it came down to this past weekend Rick I want to give you last word here what do you make of the situation in Pittsburgh and who do you think should be the starter this year no question hands down Russell Wilson because it's easier to go to Justin fields of Russell Wilson struggles I don't think it was a competition maybe it was but when Russell Wilson had that calf injury missed all that time all of a sudden it made it a lot closer than apparently was in my opinion go with Russell Wilson see how he does I think he's going to fit in Arthur Smith's scheme I think they're going to be more physical at least a better show to be more physical than what they've shown in the preseason so far as running the ball but if Russell Wilson struggles then you can go to Justin Fields I think the bringing in Russell Wilson you probably sold him on he's going to be the starter I think he could still play at a high level if he gets in the right opportunity in the right situation I think that opportunity is right in Pittsburgh so I would go with Russell Wilson well you got a big old thumbs down from our guy Pete prisco over here to my left neither one of neither one of opinions [Music] Rick's foree spee s for speech forign speech foreign foree [Music] yeah fore [Music] [Music] foree for foree oh good fore [Music] fore fore spee speee fore now 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