NFL Notes: Chargers, Cowboys, Panthers

Chargers

• ESPN’s Eric D. Williams expects Brandon Oliver to fill some of the void in the Chargers’ offense left by Danny Woodhead signing with the Ravens this offseason.
• Even so, Williams says that Kenjon Barner will get the first shot at replacing Woodhead’s production.
• Williams could see Andre Williams spelling Melvin Gordon this season on early downs if he’s able to make the 53-man roster this summer.
• As of now, the Chargers have draft picks Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney working with the second-team offensive line at left and right guard. Although, Feeney has seen some time at center.

Cowboys

Cowboys WR Terrance Williams said he declined better offers from other teams to return to Dallas.

“It just wasn’t about money to me,” Williams said, via the Star-Telegram. “There was a lot of money I could have taken, but it’s just the people. The guys I hang around with in my locker room and then the coaches that I have. That’s a bigger price tag on it for me than money.”

Williams made it clear that he’s appreciative for what the team has done for him and how much he enjoys being around his teammates.

“I feel like Mr. Jones took a chance on me and I feel like I got to return the favor to him,” Williams said. “The same with Dez and the rest of my teammates. When you’ve been around certain people for so long, going somewhere else just wouldn’t feel the same if you’re being successful.

“So to go to a different state and come back home when I see my bros, it just wouldn’t feel the same. I just feel like I owed them the respect that they gave me. I know a lot of people [Cowboys fans] didn’t like it, that’s part of the reason too I came back. Everybody thought I was fixing to go off and take something else and most people were mad too so that’s why I like it.”

Panthers

The Panthers are making a transition on defense after Sean McDermott took the Bills’ head coaching job. Carolina now has Steve Wilks coordinating the defense and it sounds like it’s been an easy transition for the defense overall.

“He’s been a great leader for both the players and coaches,” linebackers coach Al Holcomb said, via Panthers.com. “It’s all been inclusive, and that’s the way it was with Sean as well. It’s our defense. Just because he’s now the defensive coordinator, there are no egos in there. He allows us to participate and have input.

“Both Sean and Steve have their own personalities. They are both very intense, both cut from the same cloth. They emphasize great technique and great fundamentals. A lot of the things we’re doing are things we’ve done for the past five years. Not much has changed. But Steve has his own unique way of communicating, and overall, it’s been very smooth.”