AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos’ new HC Nathaniel Hackett mentioned that he wants a lot of running back options on his roster. 

“You want to have as many (running backs) as you can,” Hackett said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. 

Hackett mentioned that he’s typically worked in systems that had two running backs sharing the load throughout his career. 

“Actually a lot of the places that I’ve been, there has always been kind of two guys,” he said.

Hackett added that RB Javonte Williams is “still learning” and they want to split carries with him and other running backs. 

“You want to have a guy that you can feed and make sure he gets a lot, but (Williams) is still a young player and he’s still learning,” Hackett said. “You want to be sure that you split as much as you can.”

Broncos GM George Paton had high praise for Williams’ skills as a runner, receiver, and pass-protector. 

“He can do it all,” Paton said. “He’s a really good runner as we know. In the pass game, I think he’s one of the better pass protectors, especially as a rookie, but (the focus is on) keep improving his hands and route-running and all of the nuances that it takes to get better.”

Chiefs

• Chiefs RB Ronald Jones‘ one-year, $1.5 million deal includes a $250,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $1.25 million with $500,000 guaranteed. He can also earn up to $3.5 million in several incentives, including playing-time, playoffs, rushing yards, receiving yards, touchdowns, playing time in playoffs, and Pro Bowl. (Aaron Wilson)

Raiders

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said the team prioritized running back during free agency because that position tends to deal with injuries and they don’t want to have to scramble during the middle of the season in order to fill the role:

“That’s a position that’s hard to stay healthy, it just is,” McDaniels said, via Raiders Wire. “They touch the ball more than everybody but the quarterback, and they get hit more than anybody. We have a couple of guys that are rehabbing now and so to have depth in that room is important because if you don’t have quality depth in the running back room today in the NFL, a lot of times you’re going to run into some issues and some injuries you know, and then you get caught in trying to make a quick transaction during the middle of the season. So, we’ve always tried to have as much depth in that room as we can. I think it’s a position that it’s really critical to have good players, but it’s also really good to have good depth that you can plug in there and they can serve a lot of roles.” 

• Georgia OL Jamaree Salyer recently worked out for the Saints, and he has a workout upcoming with the Bengals. Salyer also met virtually with the Packers and Broncos, amongst other teams. He’ll also meet with the Raiders. (Justin M)
• UTSA CB Tariq Woolen says he’s had a top-30 visit with the Raiders. (Billy Marshall)