Broncos
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton is already noticing that things are feeling different in Denver now that QB Russell Wilson is a part of the team.
“We all can feel it,” Sutton said, via DenverBroncos.com. “The juice is just different. I wasn’t around when Peyton came or was here, but from what I’m hearing from everyone who was here when Peyton was here, the juice and the energy is pretty similar, knowing we have a guy that has been at the top of that mountain before, has won a Super Bowl before, [who] does know what it’s like to be at the highest level for his position and to lead a team to a Super Bowl.”
“Everyone in the building understands the expectation, the standards, are being risen to everyone’s best — from the cooks to the equipment guys, video — everyone in the building understands that we have to operate at a different level, operate at a different standard,” Sutton added. “It’s Russ, plus coach (Nathaniel) Hackett and the new coaching staff. Everyone is bringing that new juice, that new energy into the building. I think everyone is buying into it and understanding what the standard is.”
- KUSA’s Mike Klis reports that the Broncos hosted Fresno State CB DaRon Bland for a top 30 visit on Tuesday.
- Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton has visited the Broncos for a top 30 visit. (Jeremy Fowler)
Chargers
- Wisconsin CB Faion Hicks said that the Chargers were among the teams he spoke to following his Pro Day: “It was crazy … I had a lot of teams come up to me.” (Bally Sports Wisconsin)
Raiders
Like the rest of the AFC West, aside from the Chiefs, the Raiders have been mega-aggressive this offseason. The big headliner was trading their first and second-round picks to the Packers for WR Davante Adams and signing him to a new big-money extension, continuing a recent trend of teams being more willing to give up first-round picks. The Rams are cited as the pioneer of that movement but some executives in NFL circles think teams trying to copy them will be disappointed.
“The Davante Adams trade, the Tyreek Hill trade, giving up a ton of draft picks to get guys and then signing them to top-of-market deals, I feel like teams are trying to copy the Rams’ model of using picks for established players,” an exec said via the Athletic’s Mike Sando, “but I think they learned the wrong lesson. The Rams weren’t even the best team in the NFC last year. They were probably, at best, third. And they won their last three playoff games by three points each. If any of those had gone the other way, they would be a cautionary tale rather than someone you are trying to emulate. I think the Rams understand that, but then the Raiders and Dolphins might not.”
On the flip side, another exec pointed out the Raiders were a drive away from beating the Bengals who went all the way to the Super Bowl.
“The Raiders went down to the last play with the Bengals in the playoffs,” another exec said. “The Bengals went to the Super Bowl. Everybody is so close. The Bengals got there, so why not us? Even moreso, in that division, if you don’t keep up with the arms race, you probably are the fourth-best team and you are not sniffing the playoffs.”
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