Broncos
Broncos new RB Samaje Perine said HC Sean Payton was “upfront” about his playing time expectations next season.
“What it came down to, really, was how upfront Denver was with me as far as playing time and what Coach Payton wants to do with me, personally, and what he wants to do as an offense,” Perine said, via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. “The first time I talked with Coach Payton when everything opened up — that first day — the thing he really emphasized was his history of using multiple backs, using two backs in his time with the Saints and going through the history of the backs he’s had. That made my decision a tad bit easier.”
Perine said it was a difficult decision to leave the Bengals.
“It was a tough decision because obviously I loved my time in Cincinnati and I’m very appreciative and I love everything they’re trying to do over there,” Perine said. “Coach (Zac) Taylor and his supporting staff is great and it was hard to leave them and a well-established organization.”
Perine is confident they will have a dangerous running attack once RB Javonte Williams (knee) returns.
“When Javonte does come back and he is fully healthy, I’ve seen him on film and I’ve seen the kind of runner he is,” Perine said. “And a full game’s worth of two backs who run the ball physically, straight down your throat? That’s going to be, in my opinion, pretty dangerous. With (QB Russell Wilson) and everyone around it, I feel like we have the potential to be a pretty dangerous offense. It’s pretty exciting and I’m excited to get up there and get to work and let things fall into place like they should.”
- ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds the Ravens have been thorough in exploring their options to add at receiver, looking into the trade market for Broncos WR Courtland Sutton.
- Arkansas State OL Jordan Rhodes has a top-30 visit with the Broncos. (Aaron Wilson)
Chiefs
The Chiefs had hoped to re-sign WR J.J. Smith-Schuster after he had a solid season for them as their top receiver in 2022. Evidently, they had a lower price in mind than the three-year, $25 million deal he got from the Patriots. Kansas City used a second-round pick on WR Skyy Moore last year, and while he played sparingly as a rookie, Chiefs HC Andy Reid highlighted him as one of their top options to step up at receiver.
“We are expecting Skyy Moore to step up,” Reid said in an interview with NFL Media’s Steve Wyche. “We’ll just see how everything else works. We got the same guys coming back that we had, and we like that group with the exception of JuJu. Mecole was banged up a little bit so he didn’t have a chance to play as much as he would have wanted. We’ll work out the thing without JuJu. Somebody will have to step up and take that spot.”
There are a few big-name receivers still available who have been connected to the Chiefs, including free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. When asked about signing him, Reid didn’t tip his hand either way.
“Odell is a good football player. Yeah, he does a nice job. So, we’ll see how all that goes,” he said.
- Western Kentucky CB Kahlef Hailassie will take a top 30 visit with the Chiefs. (Ryan Fowler)
- The Chiefs are hosting SMU WR Rashee Rice for a pre-draft visit, per Billy Marshall.
Raiders
Raiders GM Dave Ziegler said signing QB Jimmy Garoppolo does not prohibit them from selecting a quarterback at No. 7 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“If we have an opportunity to draft a young quarterback there that we think, obviously, is a potential starter at that spot, I think we would do it,” Ziegler said per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “What Jimmy’s signing does is it probably does something psychologically for you in trying to stay true to the process, not trying to create a prospect because you need one and convince yourself. It allows me to feel like we can go through the process we can do it the right way, we don’t have to feel the pressure of manufacturing something that may not be there, but you want it to be there, so you manifest it to happen.”
- The Raiders recently had a private meeting with Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell. (Tom Pelissero)
- The Raiders had a meeting with Louisville OT Trevor Reid at his pro day. (Aaron Wilson)
- According to Justin Melo, Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott has met with all 32 teams at some point this offseason and had a formal meeting with the Raiders at the NFL Combine.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
