AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos executive VP John Elway said recently that they haven’t decided whether they’ll pick up OLB Shane Ray‘s fifth-year option.

When asked about Elway’s comments, Ray told reporters that he isn’t worried about it and expects them to exercise the option before the upcoming deadline.

“I’m not concerned. I love being a Bronco,” Ray said, per Nicki Jhabvala. “John’s got a lot of things to deal with, and whether or not he picks up my option, it doesn’t say anything about what I’m going to be for this team, my role for this team. I’m just excited. I wouldn’t look into too much. I think that it’s going to get picked up. I think that I’m going to be here and I’m just looking forward to this opportunity.”

Chiefs

Chiefs GM Brett Veach made it clear that changes are coming to the team’s defense in 2018.

“I don’t think as an evaluator, as a personnel member, you’re ever happy with your team unless you win a Super Bowl, so we’re going to look to improve the defense,” Veach said, via the Kansas City Star. “We’re going to look to make changes.”

Interestingly enough, Veach said they’re prepared to trade up for a player if the right guy drops in round one.

“I think all cards are on the table,” Veach said. “If there’s that guy who we thought was a top-10 pick and he’s there at 28, we have to be a least prepared and we have to have dialogue throughout this process. That’s why we have to start calling teams now and letting them know that we’re always open for business.”

Raiders

Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal points out that the Raiders currently 76 players under contract and 11 draft picks to work with this year, which means they would only have three roster spots available to sign undrafted free agents.

Last year, the Raiders signed 17 undrafted rookies, so assuming they use more or all of their draft picks, it’s likely the team will make some roster cuts in the coming weeks.

On Friday, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie stressed that they’re focused on carrying the best 90 players, but also admitted that they may need to free up some roster spots.

“What we’re going to do is evaluate all those free agents after the draft,” McKenzie said. “If we feel like we can upgrade, we will. So that’s not going to hinder us to go and find some players. We’re just going to have to compare to what we have. We’re going to bring in the best 90. If we only have ‘X’ amount of roster spots, then we have to create some.”