The NFL Report: Colts trade Quenton Nelson & DeForest Buckner + Cowboys get in done on MNF

0:03 Coming up on the NFL Report, is everything for sale in Indy the latest on two big trades? And who could be next out the door with a deadline looming? Have you noticed how good the schedule is? Week number eight will tell you how the Lions can take down the Vikings and finally give Minnesota its first loss. Plus, you wrote off the Buccaneers. Are they going to write back?

0:27 Nick is all shook up. It is next on the NFL Report. We are presented to you by Nationwide from the home office today. Hi there. My name is Andrew Siciliano. Yes, the Vikings are undefeated, but should they be number one in the power rankings? Shooky, defend yourself. Coming up next, we begin, however, with what is news to me, and there's a lot of news. We got the deadline coming up on November 10, and today we might have a fire sale in Indianapolis. Two huge trades. That guy, Quentin Nelson, the former sixth overall pick, is going to the Seahawks for a three and a five. Seattle, massive O-line upgrade, and the Colts say goodbye to an eight-time Pro Bowler and one of the faces, again, of their franchise. This guy,

1:14 also a face of the franchise, DeForest Buckner. He is going back to the 49ers, the team that took him seventh overall back in 2016. San Francisco traded him to Indy, and they got a one. Now the Colts trade him back for a four. Both Buckner... and Quentin Nelson, Nick Shook, have expiring contracts. So the Colts, after firing Chris Bauer a week ago, say, you know what? Let's just start moving, guys.

1:43 But these are two massive trades, dude.

1:48 Two massive trades that when you look at this team playing right now, you think to yourself, do they really have a purpose there at this point? If the Colts are going to be struggling, if they fired their GM, if they're entering a rebuild, do they have a place there?

1:58 They don't. And that's why you move them now and get capital.

2:00 But the question becomes, Who else might become available on this Colts roster, given how bad they've been this season? And the first person I think of is Jonathan Taylor, the running back who just signed an extension, but who could also save them some money, $ 11 million possible in savings if the Colts were to move on from him.

2:18 He's not the only one on the list either. Keenan Allen, a veteran that they brought in at receiver. He's one of those guys that, yeah, he's been pretty productive for them so far.

2:25 But ultimately, he could be moved. Sauce Gardner, probably not.

2:28 Going to be moved.

2:28 He's younger.

2:29 He's done a very long contract through 2030. He'll probably still be part of the long-term plans.

2:33 All right, so let's talk Jonathan Taylor here. He's still at his best, right? He's still in his prime. That new contract you just mentioned, it doesn't even begin until next year. They haven't paid the cash on that deal yet. He's fifth in the NFL in rushing, but he is a running back here. What could they realistically get off the top of your head for Jonathan Taylor?

2:57 It's always a matter of give and take, demand versus supply, and I think you have to find a contender that desperately needs a running back. One team that comes to mind is the Seattle Seahawks, whose Jadarian Price experiment has not gone well so far.

3:09 Manny Wilson had a nice game in their most recent victory. but that's not really a long-term plan.

3:13 So I can see them considering it, but it would probably cost them a decent amount given that Taylor is still in his late 20s, still one of the best running backs in the NFL, and if you put him behind an excellent offensive line, going to be one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL. So I would imagine if you're not willing to part with a first-round pick, which is a little high for anybody at a running back position given that their shelf life usually only lasts to 30, you're looking at a trade that could potentially involve a day-two pick.

3:38 And something else along the lines.

3:40 And I think the Colts would only really do that if it was worthwhile in the return.

3:46 Jonathan Taylor himself at one point coming out of Wisconsin, a day two pick for the 49ers. Nick, they could get Nick Bosa back right now. They're on the bye. So you get Buckner, you get Bosa back as well. And they are loading up fresh off their first loss as the Seahawks load up. What does it mean for the Niners?

4:05 I mean, it's a reinforcement that they desperately needed. We know that they've dealt with injuries on the defensive line. They've actually played better than most expected, given how many people they've lost up front. And it's a guy that 49ers fans may still be familiar with. He's a game changer. Put on any Colts game this year and DeForest Buckner is still making plays. He's still popping off the tape, even at this stage in his career. So it's very good for the Niners. It's one of those moves that you make when you're chasing a Super Bowl. And even though they just lost their first game, they are right in the thick of Super Bowl contention.

4:31 All right, dude, stay right there. I want to get in the highlight from last night. Monday night football in the NFC East, which is not nearly as good as the NFC West, but roll it regardless. Cowboys, Eagles, primetime, 33rd time. Believe it or not, they meet in primetime. Dak had himself a night. He threw three touchdown passes.

4:48 Look at this beautiful ball. Walt getting hit back of the end zone to George Pickens. A 21-yard touchdown. Fingertip, toe tap. That is a thing of beauty. Also, fairly nice, this in the third quarter when it's a one-point game, when the Eagles are making it interesting to CeeDee Lamb, a 16-yard score. CeeDee had two on the day. And a career night for Javante Williams, 155 yards on the ground.

5:17 And the Cowboys roll. They get to three and four. They're one game back in the win column behind the Giants. The Eagles fall to two and five.

5:25 Definitely hungry, pissed off. Version of shotty. It's not like he's naive. It's not like he hadn't heard some noise about him. And, you know, whether it's the call in the games or whatever doubt that's been out there. But we've got his back. He knows that. He's a guy that takes a lot of pride in his job, a lot of pride in his team. And, yeah, I mean, everybody handles everything different. And so I don't blame him to an extent. And, yeah, we've got his back. More importantly, it's just about us going out there and executing on Sundays.

5:55 We got ourselves in this hole and it's our job to get out of it. And so, you know, no one's writing off anything. I think the division's wide open. Obviously, it would have been nice to get one tonight in a division game, but, you know, we didn't, and hats off to them.

6:12 All right, Shook, let's go back to what Dak was saying. He was answering a question about his head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, who was not his normal loquacious self on the podium, a winning podium after the game. And remember, last week we played Schottenheimer defending himself because he was asked midweek, hey, you've heard the critics, what do you have to say, and do you hear them? So the offense, I think, heard them.

6:37 Absolutely.

6:37 They heard them, and they went back to what they do best, which is throw the football in. down the field for big gains. It was Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb early. It was Dak Prescott to George Pickens on this catch right here. A beautiful completion. One that reminded me of this offense and how it looked for most of last season. The offense that was supposed to carry this team to contention with a defense that was supposed to be better.

6:56 And you know what? To their credit, on this Monday night game, they were a little bit better.

7:00 They did force a turnover in the second half, but it all came back to the balance of Dallas' offense, which has been missing all season long. Javante Williams going for a career high in rushing yards and bringing A bit of respectability to the running game, which was lacking, and then made it easier for the Cowboys to push the ball back down the field. Dak Prescott had more time to throw, too. He didn't look as frazzled as he had in recent weeks. Overall, you get the complete picture.

7:22 This is what the Cowboys are supposed to be. We'll see if it lasts beyond this week.

7:27 All right, the Cowboys, as mentioned, a game back in the win column behind the Giants and the NFC East. The Eagles have now dropped five in a row. It is ugly. Tanner McKee sure had his moments last night, but who knows if he's the guy or not. Two weeks ago, the Panthers beat up on the Eagles, and they kind of flexed a little bit. Now the Cowboys and Christian Parker, nice for him. He goes back to Philly.

7:46 They get the win. The defense looks better, but I don't know what kind of flex that would be. Where are the Eagles now? Because at one point, they were 2-0.

7:57 The Eagles are now trying to find replacements because they have suffered more injuries even in this game. Damian Pierce, the backup, ends up exiting the game with injuries. Saquon Barkley probably played a little too early in this game, and he exits with an injury as well, a new one to add to the one he was already dealing with.

8:13 And you look at.

8:13 This team in total, the defense has not been good enough. It hasn't lived up to expectation. You don't have your starting quarterback on offense. There's just problems everywhere. You lost your right tackle to retirement. You traded your center who was playing left guard. There's been so much change. The defense was supposed to steady this operation. Instead, it just gave up 38 points to a Cowboys team that couldn't break 20 over the last couple of weeks. So it's hard to find a silver lining and a positive other than that Makai Lemon made some plays. And where do they go from here? I wonder if maybe they start shipping out some players, much like the Colts. Could Saquon Barkley, if he's healthy enough, be on the block? What about

8:48 the uncertainty of Jalen Hurts long term? There's a lot of questions still to be answered in Philadelphia.

8:53 Yeah, you answered my next question. I don't know if it's a fire sale. I don't know if they can do a fire sale thing. I mean, their cap numbers in the years to come are going to be ridiculous here, but it might be time for Philadelphia to start moving. November 10 is the trade deadline. That is the Tuesday after Week 9. We're heading into Week 8 right now.

9:13 Shook's coming right back. Look at the Week 8 schedule. By the way, this schedule is ridiculous. Panthers-Packers on Thursday to open it. Then you get the Ravens of the Bills, the Browns of the Steelers, the Falcons, the Bucks. Those are all 1 o'clock Eastern time games. Also at 1 o'clock Eastern, you've got the Vikings and the Lions. And Minnesota still is the only undefeated team in the NFL.

9:36 And yeah, I know it was Indy that the Vikings beat last week, but they're winning still with defense. And they are blitzing the opposing quarterback into submissions. This week, Brian Flores takes aim at Jared Goff.

9:51 Statistically, he's been one of the best quarterbacks. Not even statistically, period. He's been one of the best quarterbacks. in the National Football League over a good amount of time. Yes, he's grown quite a bit. That's what you expect. As guys get more time under their belt, see more coverages, see more fronts, see more blitzes, Kev. You know, he's seen all the blitzes. You know, he's seen them all.

10:27 Yeah, all the blitzes because every play is seemingly a blitz. They're going at 70% right now.

10:35 70.

10:36 Historical context, that's a lot more than anyone has ever blitzed. Shook last week against Daniel Jones. I assume you know the number. You're prepared. But the average fan doesn't know the number. They blitzed 85% percent of the time eight five and and yes percent means out of a hundred what do the Lions do to beat.

10:58 That well luckily they have the right quarterback for it and they know that this is what's coming they have experience against this Brian Flores defense on the board we just showed three of the four teams where Brian Flores defense is in Minnesota this is not a surprise what they have is a quarterback who's getting rid of the ball pretty quickly he's only holding on to it for four tenths of a second longer than when not facing pressure.

11:18 It's the quickest in the NFL. It's the fifth quickest since 2018. So he sees pressure, he identifies, and he gets the ball out. But what it's going to result in is shorter passes, less of the explosives, more catch-and-run opportunities, which means more Jameer Gibbs. That means more Sam Laporta, who didn't show up in last week's game until the fourth quarter. And I think that ultimately they'll have a plan that's capable of countering Brian Flores, who actually hasn't found as much success against Detroit, especially when Ben Johnson was the O.C., than he has against other teams. You've got to forget, we cannot forget that this is the number two scoring offense in the NFL facing the number one scoring defense.

11:50 It's going to be a heck of a game either way.

11:52 Vikings swept the Lions a year ago. They sacked Jared Goff five times for 10 total. In each of those two victories, Nick Shook is coming right back. We are coming right back as well. As the NFL report continues on a Tuesday ahead of week number eight, is Lamar Jackson back for week number eight? We will try to make sense of what Jesse Minter said on Monday. We'll translate straight ahead. The NFL report continues. The Vikings are the last remaining undefeated. The Chargers are the last remaining winless team. Guess what? They're at home this week. They're not really at home, but they're in their own building.

12:28 They are the road opponent against Sean McVay's three and four and evidently grumpy Rams. Humility is a day away.

12:36 This is a good team.

12:39 The records and stuff with the way that this season and the way that everything's kind of gone in this league, anybody can beat anybody.

12:46 I would hope that we're mature and professional.

12:48 Enough to know that we've got to be able to have the right focus, concentration, level of urgency. This is professional football. They've got great players. They're really well coached. I couldn't care less about what their record is. We'll get humbled if we're not ready to go.

13:03 I totally get why Sean McVay might be a little bit grumpy here. I totally get it. His team is 3-4. And you would understand as well why they're grumpy in Baltimore, because they can't figure out when Lamar Jackson is going to be back. Now, I say they, meaning the media, the fans. Jesse Minter, you would think, would know. Jackson has missed three games. They are 1-2 without him. And the Ravens got another one this week against the Bills.

13:29 Lamar's working his butt off to be back and be out there. I think he was, you know, was able to get in a little bit of work, obviously towards the end of last week. And so I think he'll be in a decent spot, but we'll know a lot more on Wednesday.

13:46 Jesse, not specifically about the injury, but it was described as you guys being shocked that he was unable to play.

13:51 Is that a mischaracterization, would you say?

13:54 I would say a little bit, but again, We kind of had Saturday, you know, that we, you know, got a little bit of working on Friday. Come in Saturday and feel it out and see where it's at and see, you know, how it's going, how it's feeling, how it responded.

14:11 And then what happened, happened.

14:16 Part of the job, trying to figure out why he's all shook up. I love that animation, by the way. Nick Shook is all shook up. And why they can't figure out, or at least the media and the fans there, why Lamar Jackson's going to be back on the field. The last two weeks, they've blown big halftime leads and fallen apart in the second half. Can Lamar Jackson fix that?

14:38 Yeah, that's a big question because I'm not sure that he can. He doesn't play defense, number one, and they've been outscored 48 to nothing in the last two second halves, both losses, both games in which they took double-digit leads in the first half.

14:50 And had nothing more to provide. So you think, all right, well, maybe.

14:53 He comes in and steadies the offense, and they're at least able to compete. But he doesn't play defense, and he can't stop the aerial attack of a team like Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals.

15:01 That's what they dealt with last year.

15:02 If they're going to fix this, they also need to figure out other ways to move the football. Derrick Henry has largely been a non-factor. Zay Flowers has been very productive in the first half, disappears in the second half. I would like to see them turn to him more often. I know defenses like to focus on taking him away.

15:18 But overall, there are a lot of problems to fix. And I don't think the return of your quarterback is just going to be enough for all of it.

15:24 Yeah, I don't remember music last week for all shook up. I truly do like this. Well done, everyone back in the control room. Let's get to the Buccaneers here because the Buccaneers got Baker back and just boat raced the Panthers a week ago. And now they're only one game back in the win column shook. And they get the Falcons at Raymond James this week. Are the Bucs back?

15:46 Are they back?

15:46 Well, their defense, I think, is back because that's been what has really helped them succeed in the last two weeks. It's certainly what stopped. them stop the Panthers offense in that blowout win on Sunday. They were all over Bryce Young. They were forcing turnovers. In the last two games, they've had five sacks in each of the last two games as a defense, and it's been different, guys. Reuben Bain, Yaya Diaby, you can continue to go down the list, even Vita Vea getting a sack right there that you see.

16:11 So it's been a group that's played a lot better. They've been opportunistic. Baker Mayfield threw for 64 yards last week. They won by 30 points. I have to think that maybe, just maybe, they'll get back in this NFC South race because this division is wide open and very winnable.

16:25 Okay, so let's go back to those Baker numbers again. The guy barely threw the ball. He threw for 64 yards. I'm looking at that box score while I'm in Tennessee doing the Browns and the Titans, and I'm like, oh, Baker must be going nuts on his forward team. They barely threw the ball.

16:39 Yeah.

16:41 They barely threw the ball because Bucky Irving was able to pace the ground game.

16:45 It was fantastic. It was fantastic.

16:47 I love that the offense is able to find different ways to succeed. It's not just relying on the quarterback. Jalen Daniels gave it the old college try, but even getting Baker back didn't matter because they ran the ball 40 times. They were just keeping it, pounding it on the ground, dominating up front. When you see a team win the surge up front, that's when I think there's a sign that you're turning a corner.

17:06 Yeah, and again, the Panthers still do lead the NFC South, and the Giants lead the NFC East. Jackson Dart is hurt. They're on a bye this week. Joe Shane, is J.J. McCarthy now the guy?

17:18 Yeah, it's a really good room, I would say. It's probably one of the stronger ones in the league. I mean, Jameis has started six games over two years for us. Five of those games, we had the lead or a tie in the fourth quarter. other than New Orleans game, was the only game that we didn't have a lead or a tie in the fourth quarter. You know, the two young guys with Jackson and J.J. that, you know, both talented players. I mean, it's a good position to be in. It's a good position to be in. And hopefully J.J. and Jameis can stay healthy throughout the rest of this year. And, you know, J.J. can continue to play at a high level. He did a really good job on Sunday. I was impressed with how he played.

17:55 So many ways to go with this. Like, are the Vikings people looking at J.J. last week winning in Houston going, wait a minute, what?

18:03 What?

18:03 And Nick, from a Giants perspective, they still have Jackson Dart potentially coming back next year. I mean, he's under contract. He's coming back next year. And now, JJ, is he it?

18:15 I don't know if he's it in the long term, but he's it for right now. He's it for this season with Dart being out. And what they've done is built a quarterback room with two quarterbacks that are similar. in a lot of different ways. If you throw on the Jackson Dart tape, you throw on the J.J. McCarthy tape, you'll see a lot of shared qualities. But what was most important with J.J. McCarthy was that he was just inconsistent in Minnesota. You couldn't trust him as a passer from one game to the next. Well, he certainly delivered on Sunday. 20-28, 252 yards at Houston, and really forged a connection with Malik Nabors. Malachi Fields, who I think is the real deal. He hits him for a few completions.

18:47 I think that they're capitalizing on their pass catchers because they have a quarterback who's willing to throw them the football, get it out on time, and put it on them accurately, which is what they lacked at times with Jameis Winston.

18:58 So is he the guy long-term? He's the guy right now, and that's really all that matters for the 2026 season.

19:05 Nick, are the Giants good?

19:08 I don't know.

19:08 I can't tell because, I mean, how do you reconcile with their loss to the Saints?

19:14 And then they go out and beat the Texans. Yeah, exactly.

19:16 They live in an alternate dimension in which every game is entertaining, and we can just say that.

19:21 Yes, and I say the same thing about the Browns. Is it sustainable? I don't care. Enjoy it.

19:28 It's fun.

19:28 It's supposed to be fun. Football is fun. Coming up next. The Bengals had fun last week. Where does that put them? In Shook's new power rankings. Don't go anywhere. All right, go get NFL Plus, everybody. With NFL Plus Premium, you get NFL Red Zone, you get all the touchdowns every Sunday afternoon during the regular season. You also can catch game replays. You can track advanced analytics powered by next-gen stats.

19:57 Go get NFL Pro, friends, and do it right now. NFL Plus, I beg your pardon. Sometimes I just cut off my own copy. All right, let's get to the power rankings on NFL.com right now, where you can also get NFL Plus when you go to NFL.com. The Vikings are 6-0. They are up three spots to number one. The Bills, the Niners, the Seahawks, and the Bengals are rounding out your top five. Nick Shook puts these together.

20:27 He welcomes all your comments. You can find him on all your favorite social media platforms. Nick, the Vikings are the last remaining undefeated team, as we've said a hundred times. And so you have a number one. Are they number one because they're undefeated or are they number one because you think they're the best team?

20:46 They're number one because they're undefeated.

20:47 And we're at that point now where we have one team that's left that's undefeated and they have a defense that can win a Super Bowl. It's just a question of whether their offense can hold up their end of the bargain.

20:55 So far, they haven't.

20:56 Needed it to other than I don't know, put 16 points on the board to beat the Colts or, you know, find a little bit of a rhythm in the second half to beat the Saints or, you know, put a few field goals on the board to beat the Bears.

21:06 It doesn't matter.

21:07 This defense is that strong. I expect this offense to round into form eventually. And again, the only undefeated team.

21:12 So that's why they're there.

21:14 Angry Bengals caller here on line two. Actually, angry Jaguars caller. The Bengals are five. The Jaguars are six. The Jaguars beat the Bengals. You have them behind the Bengals.

21:28 Yes, I have them behind the Bengals because let's think about what's happened recently. That game between the Jags and Bengals was ages ago at this point. The Jags obviously on a bye this past week, and they are coming off of a three-point loss to the Texans in a divisional game in a battle that's always very close. So that's fine, but it's what the Bengals have done more than anything, which is overcome a 13-point deficit in the first half and drop 35 on the Ravens. It's a defense that has always had a good defensive front this season, but got production from its second and third levels. That win was so impressive to me that I felt they needed to move up into the top five.

22:01 They've been lurking in this area for a while.

22:04 It's about time, even though they're in a very competitive division, that people pay attention to these Cincinnati Bengals.

22:10 You say ages ago. Like, dude, it's only week eight.

22:14 Feels like ages ago. Trust me.

22:16 I know.

22:17 How is it only week eight? Yet at the same time, how is it already week eight? NFL.com slash power rankings. Go there. Nick Shook, I thank you, my friend. Always great to ride with you. Nick Shook has the power rankings. We have now some quick hits. Another Ravens center is injured. Ridiculous. Venga Ioane, who moved from guard to center, has been playing so well. MCL sprained, according to Ian and Garofalo. Remember, they traded for Cam Juergens, so they seemingly already have an answer in-house. Is there an answer there? For the 49ers at kicker, Eddie Pinheiro has had issues of late.

22:53 But today, John Lynch said he is sticking with them. Also, that Nick Bosa is tracking well to play week nine. Mentioned that one earlier. You're getting Buckner and now Nick Bosa potentially back together again. And now the Eddie Pinheiro story. I got ahead of myself. Sorry about that. Here's the Eddie Pinheiro story. They're going to stick with them.

23:18 Okay.

23:18 Maybe not. There it is. Eddie Pinheiro's story. John Lynch on KNBR says, we don't have a kicker tryout. We have a lot of belief in Eddie. So they're not going to bring in another kicker. You saw the Giants wipe. There we have Giants news for you as well. They, as they continue the running back shuffle, are going to place Tyrone Tracy in. on injured reserve. He has a hamstring injury, so he is out a minimum of four weeks before they could open up that 21-day window to potentially bring him back. We have time now for one more thing before we go. I mentioned the reunion. The 49ers, George Kittle specifically, thrilled with the reunion of not only Brenton Buckner, but getting Kyle Juszczyk, all those three guys

24:08 back together. This was a... An old photo from the Pro Bowl years ago. Remember when we had the Pro Bowl years ago. Yes, such fond memories. All right, that's going to do it for me. This is the NFL Report. We thank you for rolling with this home edition of said report. Tomorrow, back in the building, and I have a promise to make. I'm not going to wear this sport coat. We're going to mix it up. We'll see you Wednesday.