S.I.’s Albert Breer Talks Kyler, Browns, Falcons, Aaron Donald & More w/ Rich

Albert Breer was standing in Vikings camp when Adam Schefter reported that Kyler Murray had been told he is the starting quarterback. Breer did not sound surprised.

"I think this is the way it's been trending for a while," Breer told Rich, noting that camp "hasn't looked great" and that Brian Flores' defense is brutal to face in practice. Kevin O'Connell wanted whoever landed the job to earn it, and the roster is built to win now. Breer ran the list: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Christian Darrisaw, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones. Those veterans won 14 games two years ago, then watched last season get "kind of sabotaged by the quarterback situation."

There is also a sequencing logic Breer thinks applies in more than one building. "If you go with J.J. McCarthy now, it would be tough to go back to Kyler Murray. Whereas if you go with Kyler Murray now, I think it's easier to go to J.J. McCarthy if it doesn't work."

Atlanta is different. Tua Tagovailoa is a known quantity. Michael Penix is not, and Breer noted this is not his first ACL. For a first-year regime of Kevin Stefanski, Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham, the season is partly about gathering information on Penix "whether he's the starter week one or not."

Cleveland runs on the same math with a bigger invoice. Three first-round picks and $230 million are already spent on Deshaun Watson, and Breer's read is that the worst outcome is writing that off and watching Watson thrive elsewhere in 2027. Dillon Gabriel was a third-round pick, Shedeur Sanders a fifth. Watson went 12th overall and was one of the best quarterbacks in football for a stretch.

"If I had to put my finger on it right now, I'd say Deshaun's a little ahead," Breer said. If Sanders clearly wins the job, he added, "then it's black and white," and Todd Monken does not seem afraid to pull that trigger.

Then, the show's running segment: is he back yet? Aaron Donald is not back, but Breer thinks the end of this week is in play now that the Rams are home in Woodland Hills. The return would not be improvised. Donald and Sean McVay are close, and Breer said a detailed plan already exists, built partly on how the Rams ramped him up in 2017 and 2018 when he missed camp. He was Defensive Player of the Year both times. With Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Tyler Davis on hand, Breer guesses a rotation of 30 to 40 snaps a game.

Nobody is recruiting him. McVay, Les Snead and Chris Shula told Donald he is welcome, then left him alone. The last thing the Rams want is Donald sitting there in November wishing they hadn't talked him into it.

On Patrick Mahomes, Breer left no daylight. "There's zero chance he's not back." Andy Reid gave the answer you'd expect, but Mahomes attacked offseason rehab at regular-season intensity, was cleared for full participation, and has taken every first-team rep in camp. He has also heard everything said about him and his team.

The rest of the injury board: Breer is sure on Daniel Jones, who pulled the ball down in a scrimmage for a 40-yard touchdown and hit 19.5 miles per hour on his GPS, then got grief from teammates for not hitting 20. George Kittle is trickier, older and at a harder position, but it sounds good. Micah Parsons is a lock for PUP and the first four games, with a return window around week five. Week six, as Breer noted, is Dallas.