AFC Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Broncos LT Garett Bolles offered his support for former OT Ja’Wuan James after James sustained an injury away from a team facility this offseason, and was subsequently released.

“Ja’Wuan’s injury was terrible,” Bolles said, via BroncosWire.com. “I don’t wish that upon anybody. My thoughts and prayers are with him. At the same time, I knew he was training hard to come back to help us build a special o-line up front. The way he went down is terrible. You have to realize we are professional athletes. We train a certain way to put our bodies through [the] hell of a season. The more that I train the way I do, I feel like it puts me in the best position to keep my muscle mass and weight throughout the whole season. It keeps me fast and explosive.”

James was working at an off-site location following the recommendation of the NFLPA to skip voluntary workouts at team facilities this offseason. Bolles offered advice for what he believes may have gone wrong, while wishing “nothing but the best” for James.

“I try to stick to the same program, and I feel like that the best thing for me. Every person is different. They’re on their own individual plan. If it’s here or outside the building, just stick with one thing. When you start to do different things, that’s when things happen — fluke things happen all the time. I love that kid. I hope nothing but the best for him.”

• Per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the Broncos will clear $10 million in cap space from James’ contract coming off the books as a June 1 cut. He notes James will still count for $6 million in dead money against Denver’s cap in 2022. 
• He adds Denver elected to make James a June 1 cut in order to maximize the cap savings, taking into account the veteran’s likely grievance that would subtract $6 million in savings until the case is resolved. 

Chargers

Chargers HC Brandon Staley said he is excited to work with CB Michael Davis.

“I’m really excited about Vato. This guy has a lot of tools to work with. I think that he’s just entering the beginning of his NFL career, in my mind. This guy has a lot of confidence. I feel like he has really been able to thrive in our DB environment. This guy can press. He can playoff. He can judge the ball deep,” Staley said, via Chargers Wire.

“He can really run, as you guys know. Another factor that we’ve been really impressed with is the way that his brain works. This guy can think the game. He can see the game. A lot of it, when you’re playing corner in this league, is playing that chess match against whoever you’re facing, knowing that now all of these people that you’re going against are the same. We’re hoping to be partnered up with him for many years.”

• NJ.com’s Mike Kaye named the Chargers as a potential suitor for Eagles TE Zach Ertz. He would fill a need for Los Angeles and give QB Justin Herbert another weapon. 
• Kaye adds the Chargers have plenty of cap space to absorb a deal for Ertz and the veteran would likely welcome a return to the West Coast. 

Chiefs

Chiefs’ OT Orlando Brown says things have been going well since he was traded to Kansas City by Baltimore.

“It’s been going great. It’s different, obviously, with this being a new team for me,” Brown said, via a press conference with the media. “But [there are] a bunch of great men in this locker room. A lot of good leadership, a lot of men who have played good ball for a long time, been around the game. I’m just being a sponge, soaking in as much as I can from some of these older guys in this locker room and all the knowledge that they have, and experience that they have, and things that they’ve been through here in Kansas City or in the pros, period. So it’s been great. The team has taken me in, the coaches have taken me in. I’m just working every day.”

• NJ.com’s Mike Kaye named the Chiefs as a potential suitor for Eagles TE Zach Ertz. Ertz could work in two-tight end sets with Travis Kelce and Kaye thinks HC Andy Reid would be creative enough to make good use of him as another weapon in the offense.
• While the Chiefs don’t have the cap room to take on Ertz’s $8.5 million base salary, Kaye suggests Ertz could be amenable to taking a pay cut to chase a Super Bowl ring with Kansas City. 
• Another way the Chiefs could free up cap space for Ertz or other moves is releasing LB Anthony Hitchens, per Fansided’s Matt Lombardo. The move would save $6.44 million in cap space now that it’s after June 1 and Kansas City has used second-round picks on linebackers in consecutive drafts.