AFC Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay was admittedly caught off guard when Denver splurged to sign RB Melvin Gordon in free agency. But he embraced the challenge, perhaps too aggressively. Injuries and a limited role held Lindsay to just over 500 yards rushing in 2020. 

“This year I am going to take a different approach. I was in battle mode. Everything caught me off guard with my teammate Melvin coming in. You can burn yourself out like that,” Lindsay said in an interview on 104.3 The Fan, via Denver 7’s Troy Renck. “I am going to push myself mentally in different ways. I will get my mind tightened back up, my eyesight and peripheral tightened up. You can overdo a lot of things. When it’s time to play, play. When it times to rest, enjoy your family. I think I am going to have a calmer approach wherever it’s at.”

Lindsay and Gordon both should be back in 2021, though Gordon could be facing a suspension and Lindsay is a restricted free agent. The former undrafted free agent thinks that the team can do a better job of playing him to his strengths next year, as he caught only seven passes and had a career-low in yards per carry. 

“Everybody knows I can run inside well. But come on now, I am 190 pounds, I can’t sit there and run up the middle 24/7. That’s just not my style. I have all this speed and have great vision and I am person who can accelerate anytime. I need to be put in a position at times where you can get the pulling guards, you can get the screens, the draws. That stuff right there accelerates a running back, especially my type of running back. I am not sitting here saying you have to give me 25 carries. It’s about the type of carries you give a running back,” Lindsay said. “It’s the times you give them the carries, the set up of plays. That’s the stuff that elevates a running back and makes them sometimes look better than they are, and other times it showcases their talent. If you are running a play just to run it, it doesn’t work. It will never work like that. On top of that it. It’s about getting involved in the passing game. The fact is how can you say someone can’t catch a ball when you don’t give them enough balls thrown to. It doesn’t matter who it is.”

• Mike Klis of 9news.com mentions that the Broncos can exercise the guaranteed portion of the contracts of LB Von Miller and S Kareem Jackson anytime between February 12th and March 16th.
• This would cost them $7 million for Miller and $1.5 million for Jackson, and the team has already saved more than that by releasing CB A.J. Bouye for $11.7 million.

Chargers

Despite being hired as the Lions offensive coordinator, former Chargers’ HC Anthony Lynn answered questions about whether or not he deserved to be fired by Los Angeles in his introductory press conference with Detroit.

“That’s not my call,” Lynn said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “That’s the ownership call. That’s why Dean Spanos owns that football team and that was his call, and all I know is I’m a Detroit Lion now and I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to this challenge.”

• Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports believes it’s likely Chargers TE Hunter Henry receives another franchise tag this offseason, which would cost them around $12 million fully guaranteed for the 2021 season. 
• Bruce Feldman reports that Northwestern Director of Football Operations Cody Cejda is expected to be hired as Chargers’ HC Brandon Staley’s Special Assistant to the Head Coach, meaning he will oversee analytics among other things for Los Angeles.

Chiefs

Chiefs’ impending free-agent FB Anthony Sherman said that he would willing to accept less money in his next contract in order to re-sign with Kansas City. 

“What I deserve is completely different than what I want,” Sherman said, via ProFootballTalk. “I will probably do whatever I can to get back to Kansas City just because I want rings, and in Kansas City, that’s where you’re going to get them. So I definitely want to go back to the Chiefs and be part of that team.”