Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Enjoy a Sunday Divisional Round playoff double-header from the NFL The NFL playoffs continue today with two Divisional Round games. First the Rams will play the Eagles, followed by the Ravens at the Bills. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Do you think the Cowboys will bring back Jourdan Lewis? The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of free agents who will officially hit the open market in a little over two months. Of those, six or seven were significant contributors in 2024, meaning the Cowboys have some difficult decisions ahead of them in the next two months. We continue our free agent profile series by examining a player who was one of Dallas’ best performers in 2024, cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images 2024 Regular Season Stats: 16G, 52 Tackles, 24 Defensive Stops, 48 Receptions Allowed, 488 Receiving Yards Allowed, 5 PBU, 79.0 Coverage Grade Year Review: To the shock of many, the Dallas Cowboys brought cornerback Jourdan Lewis back last spring, signing the veteran to a one-year, $2.8M deal. Lewis’s return to Dallas came as a bit of a surprise, and there was not much faith in him before the start of the season. So much so that coming into training camp, there were questions about Caelen Carson potentially starting at outside corner, moving DaRon Bland back inside, and sending Lewis to the bench. Carson struggled early on, and Bland ended up getting injured before the season started so that theory never got a chance to play out. The Cowboys are lucky it didn’t because Lewis turned out to be by far the best cornerback on the roster in 2024. The 29-year-old had a career year, recording the highest coverage grade of his career (79.0) via Pro Football Focus. Lewis held opponents to three or fewer receptions in 10 of the 16 regular season games he played in and had nine games where he held opponents to fewer than 20 receiving yards. Lewis played some of his best football against some of the most talented offenses Dallas’ defense faced. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, the veteran did not allow a single reception. Lewis achieved the same feat in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons and once again in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles. You could make a solid argument behind Micah Parsons, the former third-round pick was the best-performing player on Dallas’ defense last season. Bringing Lewis back for a little under three million turned out to be one of the Cowboys’ best bargain contracts in recent memory, and the veteran set himself up nicely to get a big payday hitting the open market after his breakout year. Free Agency Outlook: After the season he had, Lewis will make the $2.8M deal he signed last offseason look like peanuts this spring. While the veteran’s size limits him to playing mainly in the slot, you can’t find many slot corners who put together a better year than Lewis during the 2024 regular season. Last March, nickel corner Taron Johnson signed a three-year, $30M contract extension with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was coming off being named an All-Pro during the 2023 regular season, and his performance during his contract year was similar to what Lewis did before entering free agency. Many believed Lewis should have earned All-Pro honors this year, and the contract signed by Johnson will likely serve as a ceiling for what Lewis hopes to gain on the open market. At age 29, the veteran likely won’t get a deal with as high of an AAV as Johnson did, but a team will almost certainly be willing to give him three years. Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Carolina Panthers that need cornerback help could be interested in acquiring Lewis’ services if the Cowboys let him hit free agency. Cowboys Verdict: A few weeks back, Lewis spoke publicly about his desire to remain in Dallas despite being set to hit free agency. “Always,” he said. “Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We’d love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it. “But I know it’s a business, and we don’t know what the front office needs.” It sure seems like Lewis would be very interested in working out a contract where he can return to Dallas, and the Cowboys could benefit significantly from bringing him back. Dallas has DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson, and Trevon Diggs under contract for the 2025 season. Diggs, who suffered a serious knee injury that ended his 2024 campaign early, will likely miss at least half of the 2025 regular season. That leaves Dallas with two healthy cornerbacks, one of which had an extremely disappointing rookie year. You could argue that cornerback is currently the thinnest position group on Dallas’ entire roster. Re-signing Lewis would give the Cowboys’ cornerback group a massive boost and allow them the flexibility not to be forced to spend a premium draft pick on a corner. All in all, a return to Dallas makes too much sense for both sides for it not to happen. Lewis wants to be here, and the Cowboys need him back, so the two parties should be able to work out a deal, hopefully before the start of free agency. Prediction: Jourdan Lewis signs a three-year, $19.5M contract with the Dallas Cowboys

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports There is definitely a camp of people who want to see Kellen Moore return to the Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are searching for a new head coach and one name that has gained a lot of traction is their old friend Kellen Moore. Not everyone welcomes bringing Moore back as some distinctly remember the bad stuff. From being bludgeoned by all the curl route rhetoric to seeing Ezekiel Elliott playing center on the final play he ever called, it doesn’t bring back great memories. While those are things that people bring up, there’s a lot more to this. Regardless of what some fans think of him, many people hold him in high regard. And one of those people is Jerry Jones. Should the Cowboys run this thing back and give Moore the keys to this football team? Here are some things you should consider before hashtagging NoKellenMoore. Moore’s time in Dallas was interesting. Despite an underwhelming audition at quarterback late in the 2015 season, the team wanted to keep him around. A training camp injury ended his season in 2016, and he hung out on the practice squad in 2017. Even though his on-field performance wasn’t up to snuff, the Cowboys didn’t want to get rid of him. All the talk around the organization was about how smart this guy was, so it surprised no one when they made him the quarterback coach in 2018. After just one year of NFL coaching, Moore was promoted to offensive coordinator, where he immediately transformed the Cowboys’ offense. Dak Prescott went from a “game manager” to airing it out. Suddenly, this 227-yards-per-game quarterback was averaging over 300 yards per game. We saw things from Prescott that we hadn’t seen before. In the first year with Moore as their offensive coordinator, the Cowboys had the most total yards and the best passing efficiency in the NFL. Before Moore’s arrival, the Cowboys’ offense had not led the league in total yards on offense since the ‘70s. Now, they have done so in two of Moore’s first three seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator. In 2021, the Cowboys scored 530 points, the most in franchise history. 2022 was a weird season. Prescott missed five games, but the Cowboys still finished fourth in the league in points scored. What is even more impressive about that is they did it with Noah Brown as the team’s WR2. In the end, Prescott threw too many interceptions and Mike McCarthy wanted a more controlled offense that complemented their defense. And just like that, the Kellen Moore era had ended in Dallas. Moore took over as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers where everything was bad that season. They dealt with several injuries as he lost his WR2 Mike Williams early in the year and all their offensive stars (Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler) missed time. On top of that, the Chargers’ defense was terrible so it was an uphill battle for the young play-caller. The Chargers reset their coaching staff, so Moore moved on to Philadelphia. While the Eagles are having success, it’s hard to determine how much of a role he plays in that. They have the best rushing attack in the NFL, but Saquon Barkley is a big part of that. He’s finally had some good luck in the health department and shown what he’s capable of doing. They also have Jeff Stoutland, one of the best offensive line coaches in the league. That’s not to say Moore is just a bystander, but it’s unclear how much of their success is attributed to him. What isn’t an unknown is what he means for Dak. These guys were once backup quarterbacks to Tony Romo and have partnered together for most of the post-Romo era in Dallas. Prescott loves him and it’s easy to see why. With Moore by his side, Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. When trying to solve problems, one way to determine how much of a factor a variable is to the final result is to conduct a design of experiments. Between all the different blocks of data of head coaches, offensive coordinators, and quarterbacks, we now have enough data to show the Cowboys were better at scoring points with Moore calling the plays. Are there other factors that come into play? Absolutely, but this analysis at least helps position us in the right direction, and that direction is – the Cowboys were better with Moore calling the plays. Think about how Moore used pre-snap motion, not just more frequently, but how well it helped Prescott figure things out quickly and isolate the matchups he wanted. He took more downfield shots, used swing screens to get his receivers a running start, and utilized players in ways that some defenses weren’t ready for. He was employing CeeDee Lamb in the backfield before it was cool and used double hand-offs with Zeke pitching it to Tony Pollard in those must-have fourth-down conversions. Moore’s offense just provided more opportunities. While he might be a better play-caller than some would acknowledge, we don’t know what type of head coach Moore would make. Some are apprehensive because they view him with no leadership ability. He is “soft” because he’s soft-spoken. Can he even get guys to listen to him? People forget he’s commanded the huddle every time he stepped on the football field. He’s no stranger to getting players to follow his lead. The real measure of that will come in the decisions he makes. If he’s helping his players succeed, the respect will follow. Anyone the Cowboys hire will be a gamble. There are no sure-fire winners. Moore offers greater complexity to the offense, which can be good if the team can execute it, but troublesome if they can’t. McCarthy’s schemes were simpler for Dallas which worked at times, but he ran into problems against better-coached teams. Moore will face those same challenges, except there is the

Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning news. Cowboys Rumors: Lions’ Aaron Glenn ‘A Name to Watch Closely’ for HC Opening – Zach Bachar, Bleacher Report Cowboys could look at one of their ex players (no, not that one) to be their new head coach. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is considered “a name to watch closely” for the Dallas Cowboys head coaching vacancy, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Per Schultz, a league source mentioned that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones holds Glenn “in especially high regard.” Dallas is looking to bounce back from a 2024 season in which it finished at 7-10 before moving on from former head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys announced that McCarthy wouldn’t be returning to the team on Monday, with the timing impacting their ability to pursue Glenn. Schultz previously reported that by waiting to part ways with McCarthy, Dallas is unable to interview Glenn as well as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson until after Detroit’s season comes to a close. The fourth-year defensive coordinator is one of the top candidates during the current hiring cycle. Glenn has already interviewed with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. He also turned down a request from the New England Patriots before the team eventually hired Mike Vrabel. Before Glenn took over as Detroit’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season, he previously spent five years as a defensive backs coach with the Saints and two years as a defensive backs assistant on the Cleveland Browns. The Texas native also played in the NFL for 15 years, spending two seasons with the Cowboys in 2005 and 2006. The Lions’ defense has continued to improve under Glenn, owning the No. 7 scoring defense in the league by allowing just 20.1 points each week during the 2024 regular season. What would a Cowboys offense under Kellen Moore look like this go-round? – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire If the Cowboys hired Kellen Moore, what would look different about his offense this time? The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new head coach and the candidate who leads many odds lists at the moment is Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for the Eagles. Cowboys fans will obviously remember Moore for his eight years playing and coaching in Dallas. From 2019 through 2022, Moore served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. During that time he led the Dallas offense into the top 10 on three different occasions. His offense led the NFL in total yards two different times and the team posted 12 wins two different times. With a healthy Dak Prescott, Moore had the Cowboys consistently positioned in elite territory. The two years that followed his departure from Dallas, Moore served as coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia Eagles (2024). He led the Chargers offense to a No. 17 ranking and the Eagles to a No. 6 ranking (EPA/play). At age 35, Moore is one of the brightest young minds in the NFL today. To Jerry Jones and his coaching search, he’s a familiar face with upside. Cowboys fans haven’t generally been excited about the proposition of a Moore reunion. Citing the many curl routes to nowhere and underwhelming route combinations, they would rather look at new blood for the head coaching position than bring back someone who, in their eyes, already tried and failed. Other Cowboys fans, those who remember the times of plenty under Moore, are excited about the idea of their old coach coming back. They see what he’s accomplished with the Eagles this season and would love nothing more than to repeat that success in Dallas. Determining which side of the fanbase is right and which side is wrong would probably be simplifying a rather complex issue. Moore isn’t the same coach he was when he left the Cowboys back in 2023, just like he’s wasn’t the same coach he was with the Chargers when he went to Philadelphia, nor will he be the same coach he’s been with the Eagles if he comes to Dallas. Burning questions the Cowboys need to ask all head coach candidates – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star It’s not easy being the big man in Big D. Here’s what the Cowboys should be asking all their head coaching candidates. How Will You Get the Best Out of Dak Prescott? Whoever wants to be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys will need to know that QB Dak Prescott is here to stay. Prescott signed a new 4-year deal worth $240 million just hours before the season kicked off in Cleveland, and although the contract received mixed emotions from fans, Dak isn’t going anywhere. A slow start to the season added fuel to the contract fire, and an injury to Prescott shelved him for the majority of the season. Dak will come back this summer to a new coach, new offensive coordinator, and a new offense to learn. Prescott has gotten to a point in his career where he knows what plays he likes to run, so the new coach should give him some freedom. Like most quarterbacks, Prescott has played his best football when he has a strong running game because he is the best version of himself when play-action passes are working. The new coach should put an emphasis on the rushing attack from a quality standpoint. More rushes doesn’t mean a better run game. An efficient run game should be the goal, and Prescott can take care of the rest. How Will You Help Take Attention Away From CeeDee Lamb? WR CeeDee Lamb is the Cowboys’ biggest weapon, and they have done a much better job of exploiting his talent on the field over the past couple of seasons. So many times we complained about Lamb’s usage, begging the Cowboys to scheme him open instead of relying on him to win one-on-one reps on the outside every snap. They finally listened to us and

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys now have the longest NFC Championship Game appearance drought. The Washington Commanders shocked the world on Saturday night and went to the Motor City and delivered the top-seeded Detroit Lions a loss in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. You would have thought that exclusive rights for a silver and blue squad to underwhelm so badly in the round in question would belong to America’s Team, but clearly not. That it is a “shocker” that the Lions of all teams will not be in the NFC Championship Game is still quite the reality to live in. Detroit has significantly turned around their culture and finally reached the penultimate game of the season last year. They were one of two teams who held a longer drought than the Dallas Cowboys do. Obviously they put an end to it. That left only a single team with a longer drought than Dallas in the Washington Commanders. They had not reached an NFC Championship Game since 1991… until now. You know what that means. The Dallas Cowboys now have the longest NFC Championship Game appearance drought. Last NFC Championship Game appearance Dallas Cowboys, 1995 Chicago Bears, 2010 New York Giants, 2011 Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Carolina Panthers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2015 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Minnesota Vikings, 2017 New Orleans Saints, 2018 Green Bay Packers, 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2020 Los Angeles Rams, 2021 Philadelphia Eagles, 2022 San Francisco 49ers, 2023 Detroit Lions, 2023 Washington Commanders, 2024 Among the more depressing elements of all of this is that the second team on this list has a drought half the size of Dallas’ given that the Chicago Bears last reached the title game in 2010; their streak will turn 15 next season when they have a chance to end it. Dallas’ streak will turn 30, by far the elder statesman of the group. Perhaps the only way that this whole thing could become even more depressing for the Cowboys is if their former coach in Mike McCarthy gets the Chicago job and ends that streak before Dallas does with whoever takes over as his successor. For now, the Dallas Cowboys stand alone. In the worst possible way. Washington made it back before them!

Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys can now request to speak with either of Detroit’s coordinators. A team wearing silver and blue embarrassed themselves as big-time favorites in the Divisional Round and what do you know, it wasn’t the Dallas Cowboys! The Detroit Lions talked a lot of talk for a very long time only to lose to the #6 seed Washington Commanders as the top one in the NFC. It is possible you enjoyed watching it from afar, but allow me to remind you that Washington advancing to the NFC Championship Game means that the longest appearance drought for that particular stage now belongs to the Cowboys themselves. As things relate to the Cowboys righting that wrong in the immediate future the first thing that they are going to have to do is get a new head coach in tow. To date the Cowboys have conducted two interviews officially. They were with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (who obviously has a history with Dallas) and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. They reportedly have another interview set with former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. While the Cowboys coaching search has been underway for about a week and there have been a lot of names connected to it – including current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders – two names that have drawn little (still some) rumors are Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson (offense) and Aaron Glenn (defense). Dallas has definitely been mildly connected to Johnson and Glenn in certain ways, but they have not put in an official request to interview them yet because they couldn’t. As we noted right after the Cowboys parted ways with McCarthy, the window for Dallas (or anyone) to interview Johnson or Glenn virtually was during the week before and leading through the Wild Card Round specifically. This was true for exclusively Detroit and the Kansas City Chiefs as they were the top seeds in their respective conference. The Cowboys are not able to speak with Lions or Chiefs staffers until their seasons are finished. While the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game (their seventh straight) on Saturday afternoon, the Lions failed to reach the NFC side as mentioned. Detroit’s season is done. Dallas can now request to interview Johnson or Glenn. They are fair game. Do you think they will? Do you still want them to after Saturday night?

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Do you think the Cowboys will add at tight end this offseason? It is no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys have a wide variety of needs heading into the 2025 offseason. With substantial changes coming on the coaching side of things and plenty of familiar faces expected to leave in free agency, there will be no shortage of holes to fill via the NFL draft and NFL free agency. One position that is being slightly ignored is the tight end position. Starting tight end Jake Ferguson is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and is coming off the worst season of his young career since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Ferguson battled through multiple injuries in 2024 and was unable to build the same connection with Cooper Rush when he was able to get back to full strength. In 14 games, Ferguson posted 494 yards, on 59 receptions, and zero touchdowns on the year. Jake Ferguson of Dallas had the lowest TE DYAR ever, while Elijah Moore had the third-lowest WR DYAR ever. Read more here. https://t.co/GXEeT6r4qO — Aaron Schatz (@ASchatzNFL) January 8, 2025 The Cowboys also just drafted Luke Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan but have yet to see much production out of the 6-foot-6, 250-lb tight end. In his two years in the National Football League, Schoonmaker has hauled in 35 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns. The interesting thing here is Schoonmaker has been labeled as a guy former head coach Mike McCarthy campaigned for on draft day, making him a possible trade candidate this offseason if the new coaching staff is not a fan. Dallas has two respected tight ends currently on the roster, but with Ferguson having a down year and Schoonmaker struggling to produce, could the Cowboys look to add to the room with one of their three top 100 draft picks? In what seems to be a loaded tight end class, there should be plenty of options to add to the room on day one and day two. Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the consensus TE1 in this class, with Michigan TE Colston Loveland, Texas TE Gunnar Helm, LSU TE Mason Taylor, and Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. all expected to go inside the top 100. While it is tough to foresee the Cowboys spending their first-round pick on a tight end, there is a scenario in a trade-back where Tyler Warren could be the best player available on the board. Outside of Warren, this draft possesses some interesting options at tight end in the middle rounds. Players like Loveland, Helm, and Fannin Jr. are interesting day two options, but the day three tight ends could add some much-needed juice to the tight end room that could benefit Dak Prescott and the Cowboys passing game. Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson, Georgia Tech TE Jackson Hawes, Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsen II, Iowa TE Luke Lachey, Georgia TE Benjamin Yurosek, and Clemson TE Jake Briningstool are some intriguing options that could be had on day three that could provide a TE1 ceiling at the NFL level. With so many holes at important positions for the Cowboys heading into 2025, it is quite easy to look past the tight end position, but it is a position and a class that could provide the Cowboys with an upgrade whether that comes at the TE1 spot.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images There are two NFC East teams playing in the Divisional Round. No Distraction: Eagles Kellen Moore “Has Team Ready” For Rams – Ed Kracz, Sports Illustrated The Eagles current OC is focusing on the task at hand. Moore, though, is a different story. He has three interviews lined up before Sunday’s kickoff. He is scheduled to talk with the Jaguars, Saints, and Cowboys. Meanwhile, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has decided not to invite distraction and has declined all interview requests. Sirianni himself did the same thing when he was in Indianapolis. The Browns wanted to talk to him about their vacancy after the 2020 season, but the Colts were in the playoffs at the time. They ultimately lost, but Cleveland hired Kevin Stefanski. There’s no right or wrong answer as to what assistant should or shouldn’t do when it comes time to determining their future. This is how the NFL has it set up, so there’s no getting around it. Sirianni said there is time for coaches to talk with other teams who request interviews, usually on Friday and Saturday afternoons. “Those are the times, in these scenarios, guys have earned the right to interview for jobs,” he said. “We’re not the only ones in this position. There are a lot of teams still going this weekend that are having guys do this as well. Kellen’s ready. He has our team ready. He’s handled it big time all week, which I really never thought he wouldn’t. He’s handled it like a pro.” Game status | Bobby Wagner active vs. Lions in Divisional round – Zach Selby, Commanders.com Washington will have their defensive leader on the field against Detroit. The Washington Commanders are getting their Hall of Fame linebacker for their biggest game of the last 20 years. Bobby Wagner will be available for the Commanders’ playoff game against the Detroit Lions in the Divisional round. Wagner was out on Tuesday and Wednesday with an ankle injury, but head coach Dan Quinn dismissed any speculation that he would be unable to play on Saturday. “No,” Quinn said when about any concerns for Wagner. “He did a good job on the rehab part of it. … He looks strong.” Wagner has been the Commanders’ emotional and statistical leader all season. He led the team with 132 tackles during the regular season — he’s had at least 100 in each of his seasons as a pro — and had eight tackles with a quarterback hit against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wagner supplied one of the game-changing plays in the 23-20 Wild Card. He fell on a fumble by Baker Mayfield in the fourth quarter, setting the offense up at Tampa Bay’s 13-yard line. The Commanders scored and took the lead on a five-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin four plays later. “He is a rare competitor,” Quinn said of Wagner in his postgame press conference. “So much of his success is unseen work. I’m in early. He’s already there. He’ll be the first one in tomorrow. I’m certain of it. He’s just that type of competitor that he doesn’t back off of it.” The Commanders will need more of that against the Lions, who boast one of the best offenses in the league. They ended the regular season ranked second in yards per game, first in points and fourth in third-down conversion rate. Quinn also said there was no concern about Zane Gonzalez, who appeared on the injury report with a hip issue. Gonzalez hit the game-winning field goal against the Buccaneers that sent Washington to the Divisional round for the first time since 2005. Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers bonded before rookie record chase – Dan Salomone, Giants.com New York’s WR1 bonded with a draft classmate before they broke their respective records. No school. No sports. No combine prep. For the first time since he was 11, Malik Nabers has a break. And the wide receiver has plenty to reflect on in the downtime between now and the start of spring football. “It never really hit me,” Nabers said during a sit-down conversation with Giants.com. “I’m sure it will later on when I’m thinking about it. I’m still taking it all in.” Nabers, whose rookie year coincided with the Giants’ 100th season, broke the franchise record with 109 catches, two more than the previous mark held by Steve Smith since 2009. At the same time, he was in a race with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers to rewrite the NFL rookie record of 105, which was held by the Rams’ Puka Nacua and stood for just one season. Bowers ultimately finished on top with three more than his old lifting buddy. Nabers, the eventual sixth overall pick who capped his college career as the all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards in his backyard at LSU, struck up a friendship during prep for the the NFL Scouting Combine with Bowers, the 13th overall pick and Georgia product who grew up in California wine country. As football players tend to do, they got to talking – and competing – in the weight room, where the 6-foot, 200-pound wide receiver wanted to keep up with the tight ends. “I’m lifting with Cade Stover (fourth-round pick by Houston) and I’m lifting with Brock, and I don’t want to keep taking the weight off,” Nabers recalled. “They’re like, ‘You can lift this?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ They’re like, ‘No way.’ And I was lifting with them. They’re like, ‘All right, cool.’ That friendship became a little bond through the weight room. We’d always see each other and have laughs. Brock is a funny dude. Him and Cade together are funny dudes. It’s great making friends around the league. Those tight ends, though, they like to lift a lot. I was keeping up though.”