# Rich Eisen: Eisen agreed Carson Beck is set up to be the first rookie starter, insisted Deshaun Watson will open as Cleveland's starter, named Cincinnati their top sleeper team who could get back to the Super Bowl, and expects Aaron Donald to come out of retirement and rejoin the Rams.

**Claimed:** Aug 10, 2026
**Pundit:** Rich Eisen — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen
**Outlet:** Overreaction Monday (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/overreaction-monday-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/ESP5598359217.mp3

5 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls, 1 conference champion, 1 surprise team call and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.

> I'll just call it here again one more time. Deshaun Watson is gonna start for Cleveland.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Aaron Donald to move to Los Angeles Rams**
  - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Carson Beck to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Carson Beck, Arizona Cardinals
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Cincinnati Bengals to reach the Super Bowl**
  - Kind: Conference Champions · About: Cincinnati Bengals
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Cincinnati Bengals to beat expectations**
  - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: Cincinnati Bengals
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Aaron Donald — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/aaron-donald
- Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams
- Deshaun Watson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/deshaun-watson
- Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns
- Carson Beck — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/carson-beck
- Arizona Cardinals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cardinals
- Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bengals

## What others said about the same people

- Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/005e6ad1-bc95-49da-9db2-3a9da2d5041d (scored 100)
- Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c1faeb3-7adb-456d-bd42-275be95269e8 (scored 100)
- Pete Prisco on Los Angeles Rams: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 92.86)
- Doug Joubert on Cleveland Browns: Joubert picks the Browns to win 28-17, saying the Saints haven't improved over the first half of the season despite Cleveland starting Shedeur Sanders. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1dc26285-5f15-45a0-93a7-62d8bd585adc (scored 26.19)
- Pat McAfee on Cleveland Browns: McAfee picked the Browns, with Shedeur Sanders starting, to beat the Saints in New Orleans. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9d0f9dd7-1016-4f2f-ab92-fe6567b2b0be (scored 0)
- Chris Simms on Los Angeles Rams: Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 92.86)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Jeremy Brener on Drew Lock: Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7eb2d245-63d0-4be0-80ba-3f60197e2b16 (scored 100)
- Jeremy Brener on Jalen Milroe: Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for their first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/42d1bd81-5e19-456e-9f68-b3b135170ec0 (scored 0)
- Nic Bodiford on Joe Fagnano: Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a13b9f29-bb76-4c56-b226-aca74b21f5b7 (scored 100)
- Jacob Herlin on J.J. McCarthy: Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf4a2992-3760-464e-b540-6182ebc4457f (scored 100)
- Jordan Dajani on Drew Kendall: Dajani expects Cam Jurgens to move back to center as the Ravens' starter after the trade, and projects a rebuilt Eagles offensive line for Week 5 with Jordan Mailata, Willie Lampkin, Drew Kendall, Tyler Steen and Markel Bell starting from left tackle to right tackle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cad37b83-7924-4f90-9898-82a22fa12331 (scored 0)
- Mike Moraitis on Tyson Bagent: Previewing the Bears-Packers Week 5 matchup, they state Tyson Bagent will again start at quarterback for Chicago, while framing Green Bay's receivers, pass defense and return game as threats. The rest of the piece is descriptive analysis of season-to-date statistics rather than forecasts of outcomes. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/93e64ea9-eeca-49fa-a8d7-9fadf5a9b982 (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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