Sound Smart: 4 Observations on the Latest NFL Storylines

It’s hope season, when everyone’s team could win the Super Bowl. That hope will only grow from here — all the way up until fans face reality in Week 1 of the 2026 season. For now, this is the first phase of best-shape-of-his-life season. NFL players will soon report to minicamp and some have already reported to OTAs. Rookies have, for the most part, completed their rookie minicamps. And so, if you ask the coaches, every player is in incredible shape — “the best shape of his life.” This is “Sound Smart,” where I try to spin forward, dive deeper and think outside the box. If I do my job, you’ll have a better understanding of what really happened over the past week of the NFL offseason. 1. IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW, IT’S … Aaron Rodgers is back to his same old stuff. Aaron Rodgers was supposed to sign this weekend. He reportedly was going to be in Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers to work out a deal to play his 22nd NFL season. But according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he hasn’t yet met with the team, though his agent may have had some discussions. In any case, there is still no deal coming out of the weekend. Which is just so classic for Rodgers. He has a habit of not doing what everyone expects him to do. Everyone thought he’d finally sign this weekend. He didn’t. And so we’re in another holding pattern — waiting for Rodgers. It’s like this every offseason, with the QB dragging out the process and creating uncertainty, like he did with the New York Jets and like he did last year with the Steelers and is doing now with the Steelers. It’s just more of the same from Rodgers. And this is what Pittsburgh should’ve expected: a long wait. Meanwhile, the Steelers have an offense that’s ready to hum. There’s a nice infusion of experience and youth, like at receiver with veterans DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard. At tight end, there’s up-and-comer Darnell Washington and proven producer Pat Freiermuth. At running back, there’s incumbent starter Jaylen Warren and newcomer Rico Dowdle. The offensive line has plenty of talent, even if it’s not exactly clear yet who will start where. All those guys are waiting for Rodgers. And in all likelihood, he’ll show up — like he always does — in time for training camp. But just because that has happened in the past doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. And the situation got a little murky when new Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur refused to rule out the possibility of adding Rodgers. “We’re focused on the guys coming in,” LaFleur said on the “Jim Rome Show” last week. “We’ve got a [QB] room that we’re excited to work with, and that’s solely where our focus is.” It’s not a yes. It’s not a no. Rodgers is a free agent. He can sign wherever. The Cardinals, like the Steelers, selected a quarterback in the draft. Arizona snagged former Miami QB Carson Beck to work underneath journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Rodgers could easily show up and be QB1 for the Cardinals. And of course, he could easily leave the Steelers at the altar. No one wants to see Mason Rudolph again, but he’s the one who would probably start if Rodgers doesn’t return to Pittsburgh. The Steelers also have Will Howard, a sixth-rounder last year, and rookie Drew Allar, a developmental prospect who landed in the third round this year. I think Allar has a lot of potential, but the team would probably like to sit him for a full year. All that makes Rodgers a crucial part of Pittsburgh’s plan. And as long as Rodgers is out there — undecided — the Steelers are hanging in limbo. They are essentially committed to him, even if he hasn’t officially committed to them. That’s how it always goes with Rodgers. But it’s at this time of year that I always wonder: Why did the Steelers sign up for this — again? Why did Pittsburgh want more of this? Rodgers isn’t anything more than a bridge quarterback at this point. He isn’t what he was. And yet teams talk themselves into another year with the guy. When they do, this is how he repays them. 2. BUY & SELL BUY: Saints QB Tyler Shough Not only was he a pleasant surprise in his rookie season, he also saw the team throw an enormous amount of support behind him during the offseason. New Orleans added RB Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards. The Saints then drafted receivers Jordyn Tyson and Bryce Lance and tight end Oscar Delp. Second-year head coach Kellen Moore is not hesitating to build out a core of playmakers in New Orleans. Shough should play point guard in the middle of it all. SELL: Browns QB Shedeur Sanders If Deshaun Watson has the advantage in the QB competition, then something has gone very, very wrong for Sanders. And if Sanders can’t make things work in Cleveland this year, he might be out of the league by 2028 — and maybe even 2027. BUY: Vikings edge Dallas Turner Minnesota traded Jonathan Greenard, and given the fact that he had 12 or more sacks in 2023 and 2024, the Vikings did it in a relatively quiet way, netting a third-rounder in a package during the draft. That felt like a real show of support of one of the league’s quickly ascending players in Turner. The Vikings also drafted a pair of defensive tackles to work with Turner and help take away some of the attention. It should be a big year for the young edge player. SELL: Cowboys edge Donovan Ezeiruaku Ezeiruaku figures to get more playing time in 2026, but only because the Cowboys did little to bring in competition. In his final five games of the 2025 season, Ezeiruaku managed just 11 pressures. On the season, he finished with two sacks, and he played the most snaps among the Cowboys’ defensive ends. It was a staggering lack of production for a defense that desperately needed edge help. BUY: Eagles WR Makai Lemon With A.J. Brown likely leaving town and the Eagles (yet again) installing a new offensive system, Philly must have targeted USC All-American Lemon in the draft with a role in mind for OC Sean Mannion’s offense. That’s why you trade up for a player you love (which is what the Eagles did). Lemon might have the most catches of any rookie receiver. SELL: Browns WR Jerry Jeudy The Browns drafted receiver KC Concepcion in the first round and then took receiver Denzel Boston in the second round. Cleveland just hired coach Todd Monken, whose background is in offense. When there’s a new crop of skill players and a new coach, those new guys are often going to get every opportunity to succeed. And that means the veteran Jeudy likely will not. BUY: Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa Remember when the Lions traded three third-round picks to move up and get TeSlaa? They loved him in the draft last year. And while he didn’t see crazy volume as a rookie, he had a touchdown on nearly half of his catches. His stat line was 16 receptions for 239 yards and six touchdowns. There’s something there. I bet the Lions try to get more out of him this year. SELL: Saints TE Juwan Johnson I just listed all of Shough’s playmakers and — if I’m being honest — I forgot to mention Johnson. He has, for a long time, seemed like a player on the verge of a breakout year. And he finally got it in 2025. Unfortunately, his successor arrived in the draft (Delp) and the team brought in more pass-catchers to eat into Johnson’s workload. It looks like it’s downhill from here for Johnson. BUY: Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt This dude was supposed to be the next big thing at running back in Washington, especially after Austin Ekeler went down with an injury. The Commanders, however, refused to trust Croskey-Merritt with a sizable workload. But even with Washington throwing darts at running back — adding Rachaad White, Jerome Ford and rookie Kaytron Allen — I think Croskey-Merritt is the most talented, by far. Talent should win, especially in that group of ho-hum RBs. 3. HE SAID WHAT!? “We kind of viewed him as a problem, not a prototype.” Buccaneers edge Rueben Bain Jr. took one of the draft’s most notable slides. Early in the process, he looked like a potential top-five pick — and then his arm length measured shorter than anticipated. At that point, he looked like a top-10 draft choice — but then news broke that he was involved in a 2024 car accident in which a person later died. Whether because of those factors or not, Bain landed at No. 15 to the Bucs. A tough draft day, however, can lead to a long career. Bain is a sensational fit for the Todd Bowles defense in Tampa. “Everybody’s got a prototype. And we kind of viewed him as a problem, not a prototype,” Bucs GM Jason Licht told “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I’ve seen that movie and it’s called: ‘A.Q. Shipley playing a decade in the league.’ Rueben’s arms are a lot longer than A.Q.’s, too — probably by about five inches. … We just saw him as a game wrecker at the college [level].” Bain was a full-time player at Miami, where he had 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last season. He also added an interception for good measure. He’ll likely settle right into a starting role alongside defensive tackle Vita Vea and emerging pass-rusher Yaya Diaby. During the pre-draft process, I spoke with Bain about how much he played in his final college season on the path to the national championship game. “Just want to be on the field at all times,” Bain told me. He should get the chance to do just that in Week 1. Consider him a legitimate option to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. [2026 NFL Draft Superlatives: Who Wins OROY, DROY? Biggest Steal? Best Upside?] 4. OFFSEASON ODDITY The NFL and the officials have a new collective bargaining agreement, and fans should be absolutely thrilled. I don’t blame you for not paying attention to the officiating negotiations with the NFL. I don’t blame you if this is the first you’ve heard of it. Labor disputes don’t make for the most compelling news, particularly when the players aren’t involved. But the NFL and the NFLRA have agreed to a deal that will keep the officials on the field for 2026 and beyond. The NFL product is vastly better when it has its officiating teams in place. Some may remember just how badly and quickly things fell apart in 2012 when the officials staged a lockout. Infamously, that was the year of the “Fail Mary,” where a game ended on a Hail Mary catch that, on the field, one official called incomplete at the same time another official called the play a catch. The touchdown counted, and the Seahawks beat the Packers 14-12. But it was a messy controversy, and the clearest example that the NFL needed its officials back on the field. That’s because the fill-in officials came from all sorts of backgrounds, including the high school level. The training wasn’t enough to prepare them for the NFL game. And their experience came from a version of the game that was much, much slower than the NFL’s product. Bottom line is, this was a massive win for fans. The current officials might not always get it right, but they are — without a doubt — the best referees out there. The NFL is lucky to have them back for years to come.