Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
If you're a longtime reader of this newsletter, then you might know that it was originally created to promote the 'Pick Six NFL' podcast here at CBS Sports. Of our six daily topics that we cover here every day, one of them was always the podcast. However, you may have noticed that it's now been nearly two months since we've mentioned the podcast here in the newsletter and that's because it has been sent off into retirement. We even gave it a gold watch.
Starting with the 2024 season, the Pick Six podcast is no more, but don't worry, you'll still be able to get your NFL fill in podcast form here and that's because we're introducing a new NFL podcast. The new pod will be debuting on Monday, but we're going to have a sneak peek today.
With that in mind, let's get to the rundown.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. CBS Sports sneak peek: Introducing the 'Pushing the Pile' podcast
There's a new NFL podcast here at CBS Sports and it's arriving just in time for the start of the 2024 NFL season. The new show will be kicking off on Monday, but I've got a sneak peek for you today.
The podcast is called "Pushing the Pile," and starting next week, it will be coming to you every Monday through Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET (You can watch the show live here).
- The show is being co-hosted by three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Long. The former Bears offensive lineman will be co-hosting the show and he'll be bringing seven years of NFL experience with him to the table. Long's NFL career started in 2013 when the Bears made him a first-round pick and he was a dominant force almost right away with three Pro Bowl appearances in his first three seasons. Kyle knows more about football than almost anyone, so when he talks, it's smart to listen. Kyle is a jack of all trades for us here at CBS as he also serves as a studio analyst on CBS Sports Network's "That Other Pregame Show."
- Long will be joined by Mike Renner. Even if you don't follow sports, you might know Renner's name, and that's because he was a CONTESTANT on Season 14 of the Bachelorette. Sorry Mike, we had to mention that. When he's not trying to woo the ladies, Renner spends almost every other free moment in his life consuming football. He spent several years breaking down the NFL at Pro Football Focus, and now, he'll be breaking things down for listeners of the podcast. You might have actually heard from Renner already here at CBS and that's because he was on a several episodes of "With the First Pick" with Ryan Wilson over the summer.
For today's sneak peek episode, the two guys did a snake draft of MVP candidates. Long got the first pick and then Renner took the next two. Let's check out the top four picks in their MVP Draft:
1. Patrick Mahomes (Long)
2. C.J. Stroud (Renner)
3. Jordan Love (Renner)
4. Josh Allen (Long)
The most surprising pick here is probably Stroud and Renner explained why he took him with his first pick (and second overall pick in the draft).
"If he takes any sort of leap, he's an MVP, because that's how good he was as a rookie, one of the best rookie seasons of all time," Renner said. "And, oh, by the way, they added Stefon Diggs this offseason to an already loaded wide receiving corps. They didn't lose anyone from it this offseason. The O-line looks solid, they added Joe Mixon, who's a great pass-catching back. There's really no reason that this guy shouldn't be in the MVP conversation at season's end."
Renner also pointed out that Stroud is the perfect candidate to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, who both won MVP during their second year in the league.
If you want to listen or subscribe to the podcast, you can do that here. I would highly suggest you do so. You can also watch the sneak peek episode here.
2. Predicting the final record of every AFC team
After going through the entire NFC on Thursday and predicting the final record for each team, Will Brinson is back today to make his AFC predictions. And I have to say, after going through Brinson's picks, I feel like there's a good chance that he's going to be getting a lot of hate mail from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Here's how Brinson has the AFC will shaking out this year:
*make playoffs
AFC East
1. *Bills: 10-7
2. *Dolphins: 9-8
3. Jets: 9-8
4. Patriots: 5-12
AFC North
1. *Ravens: 12-5
2. *Bengals: 11-6
3. Browns: 7-10
4. Steelers: 6-11
AFC South
1. *Texans: 10-7
2. Jaguars: 9-8
3. Colts: 8-9
4. Titans: 6-11
AFC West
1. *Chiefs: 12-5
2. *Chargers: 9-8
3. Broncos: 7-10
4. Raiders: 6-11
AFC playoffs: 1. Chiefs; 2. Ravens; 3. Bills; 4. Texans; 5. Bengals; 6. Dolphins; 7. Chargers
NFC playoffs: 1. Rams; 2. Lions; 3. Cowboys; 4. Falcons; 5. 49ers; 6. Packers; 7. Eagles
Although Brinson gave us his playoff teams, he won't be making a Super Bowl prediction until we get closer to the start of the season, so you'll have to wait patiently.
3. One thing to watch in every Week 2 preseason game
Over the next two nights (Saturday and Sunday), there will be 15 preseason games and if you're trying to talk yourself into watching all 15, you don't have to do that because Jeff Kerr is going to do it for you. To preview the second week of preseason play, Kerr came up with one reason why you should watch each game.
Let's check out what he had to say for a few of the upcoming games this weekend:
- Bengals at Bears: Caleb Williams is expected to play. "Williams finished 4 of 7 for 95 yards with a 101.8 passer rating in his two series in the preseason opener, as the Bears scored six points on his two possessions. It will be interesting to see if Williams can build off that in his second game."
- Bills at Steelers: Can Russell Wilson take command of the starting QB job? "Wilson was held out of the Steelers' preseason opener, leaving Justin Fields to take the QB1 snaps. Two fumbled snaps didn't help Fields' case, even if he finished 5 of 6 for 67 yards in his few series. Wilson will be starting on Saturday, according to Mike Tomlin, and has an opportunity to solidify the starting job. ... If Wilson takes care of the football in his efficient on his throws, he can take the upper hand on the starting quarterback job. Not aggravating his calf injury will help, too."
- Packers at Broncos: Can Bo Nix get closer to winning the starting QB job?. "JJarrett Stidham is still the front-runner to be the starter come Week 1, but Nix significantly closed the gap in the preseason opener. Nix was impressive, finishing 15 of 21 for 125 yards with a touchdown (1-yard pass to Marvin Mims). Nix looked strong outside the pocket and showcased how starting 61 games in college football can benefit a young NFL quarterback. "
If you need a reason to watch any or all of the 15 games being played this weekend, Kerr's got you covered here.
The only Week 2 game that's already in the books happened last night in New England with the Eagles topping the Patriots 14-13. If you want to know how Drake Maye played, then be sure to check out our full takeaways here (Spoiler alert: Maye scored his first career touchdown).
4. Rookies to watch during Week 2 of the preseason
The NFL is not paying me to do this, but once again, we are going to try and convince you to watch every game of the preseason, but this time, we're going to do it by giving you a list of rookies that you need to keep an eye on this weekend.
Josh Edwards came up with at least one rookie who will be worth watching from each game this weekend:
- Browns WR Jamari Thrash (vs. Vikings). "Coming out of Louisville, Thrash was regarded as a route technician and that was validated with his play in Week 1 of the preseason with three catches for 43 yards."
- Cowboys EDGE Marshawn Kneeland (vs. Raiders). "With pass-rusher Sam Williams already lost for the season, Dallas is searching for depth to go along with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. The team's second round pick, Kneeland, is a viable candidate to fill the void left in Williams' absence."
- Commanders CB Mike Sainristil (vs. Dolphins) "Sainristil is a savvy cornerback capable of controlling the middle of the field and giving new head coach Dan Quinn accountability in the secondary. Washington's draft class will ultimately be defined by the success of quarterback Jayden Daniels but second-round defensive tackle selection Jer'Zhan Newton and Sainristil can bring stability to the defensive unit."
Josh has a list of 15 rookies to watch this weekend and if you want to know every name on his list, you'll have to read his full story here.
5. 10 players who could be traded next
We already saw one big trade go down this week with the Patriots shipping Matthew Judon off to Atlanta and it won't be surprising if we see another trade or two go down before the start of the regular season.
With that in mind, Cody Benjamin decided to take a look at 10 players who could get dealt between now and Week 1. Here are three players who Cody has on the trading block.
- Eagles QB Kenny Pickett. "The Eagles are always in the business of collecting/flipping quarterbacks, and third-stringer Tanner McKee has shown enough poise to warrant No. 2 consideration."
- Cowboys QB Trey Lance. "The luster has worn off Lance quite a bit in recent years, with the former No. 3 overall draft pick struggling to secure the top backup job for the Dallas Cowboys."
- Chargers WR Quentin Johnston. "Chargers brass probably isn't quite ready to pull the plug on the TCU product, who arrived as the 21st overall pick just a year ago. But the current regime wasn't responsible for that pick, and the big-bodied wideout has reportedly struggled to make headway even in a stripped-down receiver competition."
If you want to check out Cody's full list of players who could be traded next, be sure to click here (and yes, Brandon Aiyuk and Haason Reddick both made the list).
6. Extra points: Chargers won't be hiring Colin Kaepernick
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Jim Harbaugh offers update on Colin Kaepernick situation. The former 49ers quarterback might one day serve on Harbaugh's coaching staff, but it won't be happening this year. "I love Colin, but he's not going to be on the coaching staff, which is set for this year. And he's not going to be playing on the roster either," Harbaugh said after Thursday's practice, via the AP. The Chargers coach had offered Kaepernick a spot on his staff earlier this year, but apparently, it wasn't meant to be.
- Nicolas Cage to play John Madden. Hollywood has decided to make a movie about the legendary NFL coach and it looks like Cage will be playing Madden. I actually don't hate the casting choice and there's a 100% chance I'll see this movie at least five times. You can check out more details here.
- Falcons signing Justin Simmons. The Falcons made two big defensive moves this week and they did it less than 24 hours apart. First, they added Matthew Judon in a trade, and now, they're signing former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons. The Falcons are starting to feel like an under-the-radar team that we should be keeping an eye on this year.
- Matt Milano could miss the season. The Bills linebacker will be out indefinitely after suffering a torn biceps in practice. There's a chance that Milano could return in December, but it's also possible that he ends up missing the entire season. Milano missed 12 games in 2023 after fracturing his leg. It's a brutal loss for the Bills, who watched Milano turn into a star with an All-Pro season in 2022.
- Sean McVay benching himself for second preseason game. The Rams will have a new coach on Saturday against the Chargers. For this week's preseason game, McVay has decided to bench himself and hand over the head coaching reins to Aubrey Pleasant. You can read more about the Rams' unique plan here.
