Which young player do you predict will break out this season?
Arian Smith. No hesitation there. If you’ve been watching us the last few seasons, you know he’s been right on the edge of exploding. Every time he touches the ball, something electric happens—he’s got that rare combination of speed, vision, and after-the-catch creativity that makes defenses panic. The highlight plays speak for themselves, and the only thing that’s ever really slowed him down has been availability. If he stays healthy, we fully expect him to be a huge reason we’re still playing meaningful football come January.
And look, we’re not the only ones who see it. We get trade offers for Arian constantly because of the other elite receivers we have on the roster. But those calls don’t even last long—we just laugh and hang up. Arian is ours, and we know exactly what we have in him. This is the season he takes that next step and becomes a name everyone in the league has to game-plan around.
How did your rookies perform in the preseason games?
We were really happy with how our rookies stepped up in the preseason. Trey'Dez Green got a ton of snaps, and he made the most of them—found the end zone a couple of times, showed off his size and athleticism, and gave us even more confidence in what he brings to the table this year. We also had a pleasant surprise with UDFA linebacker Whit Weeks. He made the 53-man roster and earned it—he’s going to give us valuable reps both defensively and on special teams. The guy’s got a motor and an edge we love.
It was unfortunate to lose HB Carson Hansen to injury during the preseason, but he got solid reps in the first two games and looked great with the ball in his hands. We’re excited to get him back in the rotation once he’s healthy. Overall, it was a preseason that gave us a lot of optimism about the young talent we’re developing.
What was the highlight of your team's offseason?
The highlight of the offseason was really two-fold—we kept the core guys we’ve seen grow and develop here, and we added real firepower to the tight end room. Bringing in rookie Trey'Dez Green through the draft was huge. He gives us a unique weapon we can move around and create mismatches with. He’s already shown flashes of what he’s capable of, and we think he’s going to be a difference-maker right out of the gate.
Then, adding C.J. Donaldson in free agency gave us another versatile option at the position. He’s a physical presence who can block, catch, and create after the catch. The combination of those two has given us more flexibility in our offensive sets and red zone packages, and we’re really excited to see how it plays out during the season. It was one of those offseasons where we didn’t just maintain—we leveled up.
