AFC Notes: Chargers, Jets, Raiders

Chargers

After an injury-filled rookie season, Chargers’ 2017 first-round pick WR Mike Williams says he’s 100 percent healthy and looking to dominate.

“I’m excited about this year to not only prove to everybody else, but prove to myself that I know who I am and what I can be,” Williams said, via Chargers.com. “I’m real confident in my abilities. I wasn’t capable of doing what I can do last year because of the injury. This offseason, I feel 100 percent. I’m ready to go out there and dominate. Everyone faces adversity. It shows what kind of player you are when you can bounce back from adversity. I’m looking to redeem myself and show everyone what I’m capable of doing.

Williams, who dealt with knee and back injuries last season, said his body feels “a lot different” after being limited in his ability to play vertically in 2017.

“It’s totally different right now. My body feels a lot different. I’m excited to keep getting out there with my teammates and with Philip [Rivers]. We want to get that connection down. Last year, I was able to go out there and play, but I wasn’t the Mike Williams I am used to being. I was limited in doing what I can do, and especially limited in what I do best, which is go up and get the ball. My back limited me from doing those types of things. Now my back is right, I’m healthy and feeling great. I’m ready to go out there and show everyone they’ve got a great player.”

Jets

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan explained that they’ve done “quite a bit” with analytics in recent years and he expects their department to have to expand and grow moving forward.

“Analytics, I think, is something that every team has used. We’re no different,” Maccagnan said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “We’ve done quite a bit. We’ve used it both on the pro and the college side.

“As this expands a little bit, there may be other ways, whether it’s coaching or scouting, to make ourselves more efficient or more effective at what we do,” he continued. “We’re like every other team out there. We have an analytics staff and department, and I would think, as things move forward, we’d probably expand and grow that.”

Raiders

• Raiders HC Jon Gruden said that CB Gareon Conley (shin splints) and S Obi Melifonwu (hip) are “really close” to returning to full-health and participated in a portion of Monday’s practice: “They’re really close. They participated in morning session. For obvious reasons, we’re being really careful.” (Vic Tafur)
• Gruden added that he is excited to work with Derek Carr and create an imaginative offense with him at quarterback: “I got really excited out there today. You can have a really active imagination with him at QB.” (Vic Tafur)
• According to Scott Bair, Raiders LT Donald Penn is still recovering from foot surgery and is not expected to participate in offseason practices “for a while.”