AFC Notes: Antonio Pierce, Spencer Rattler, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

The Broncos selected first-round QB Bo Nix in the draft, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes they had a legitimate interest in fourth-round QB Spencer Rattler. Had Denver not gone with Nix in round one, Schefter feels Rattler could have gone earlier than round four.

“You know what I think it was with Spencer Rattler more than anything else? The two teams that liked him most in my mind, based on the people I spoke to, were the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons,” Schefter said, via Wes Mitchell of on3.com.

“I think they had a mid-second to early third-round grade on him. Spencer Rattler’s big problem there was that the Broncos went with Bo Nix at 12, and the Falcons went with Michael Penix at 8, and his two best options closed up immediately, which left him sitting on the board longer than a lot of people [expected].”

Chiefs

Mike Sando of The Athletic cites an anonymous NFL executive who expects Chiefs’ first-round WR Xavier Worthy to open up the field for Travis Kelce. 

“They won the Super Bowl, but they should be blowing dudes out like they used to,” an executive said. “Xavier Worthy will make it easier to do that with the tight end (Travis Kelce) getting older.”

Another executive considers Worthy as a similar weapon to Tyreek Hill in HC Andy Reid‘s offense. 

“They kind of know how to build a team there,” an executive said. “Andy is like, ‘Yeah, that was a pain in the ass without Tyreek Hill, so let’s go get a guy who is faster than Tyreek, see if we can take the top off.’ And ‘Spags’ is like, ‘What about corner?’ And Andy is like, ‘Yeah, figure it out, blitz more.’ That is what it seems like.”

Raiders

The Raiders brought in QB Gardner Minshew in free agency despite QB Aidan O’Connell leading them to wins in the second half of the 2023 season. Las Vegas HC Antonio Pierce stated O’Connell deserves the first chance to start but loves what competition can do for the organization.

“Aidan’s earned the right to go out there and earn the first snap,” Pierce said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “What he’s done this offseason — changing his body, his work ethic, being here every day, blocking out the outside noise. He’s not worried about anything. I’m excited.”

“Then you bring Gardner in here … talk about personality. … It’s great. It’s great for our building. It’s great for our quarterback room. And if you got competition in the quarterback room, what does every other room look at?”