AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

As OLB Von Miller was saying his goodbyes and wrapping things up following his trade from the Broncos to the Rams, he specifically highlighted seventh-round OLB Jonathan Cooper as someone who gave him confidence Denver would be just fine and their season wasn’t over. At one point, it didn’t even look like Cooper would play after he had to have heart surgery this summer. But in the Broncos’ first game with Miller, Cooper notched two sacks in a resounding, 30-16 win against the Dallas Cowboys. 

“The fact that he saw me in that way and in that sort of light meant everything,” Cooper said via the Athletic’s Nick Kosmider and Jourdan Rodrigue. “It showed me that I should have that confidence in myself. If he saw something in me, I should definitely see something in myself. … I just feel very humbled because we didn’t even play a full season together. For him to bring up my name meant a lot to me.”

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler say the Broncos are one of the teams people in the NFL are keeping an eye on for a potential coaching change at the end of the season. 
• Fowler points out, though, that Broncos GM George Paton really likes HC Vic Fangio and is known as a loyal person, so it’s not a given that he looks to hire his own head coach. Denver is also currently 5-4. 
• Broncos RB Melvin Gordon said that second-round RB Javonte Williams has unlimited potential. “You’re really in your bag [in Year 2], and he’s only a rookie. My second year, I went to the Pro Bowl, and it was just crazy, I just figured it out, it clicked. It clicked. And it seemed like it clicked for him a little earlier than it did for me, but the sky’s the limit. He’s just so hard to tackle.” (Albert Breer)
• A total of 38 NFL scouts and executives will be in attendance of Saturday’s game between the University of Pittsburgh and North Carolina, including Paton. The main attraction presumably includes Pittburgh QB Kenny Pickett and North Carolina QB Sam Howell. (Johnny McGonigal)

Chiefs

• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said he is learning to trust their defense instead of always going for big plays to score: “These last few weeks have been big for me .. I’ve learned that we can punt the ball and back the team up and the defense is going to make stops. That’s big for me, because I want to score every drive and I still have that mindset to score TDs.” (Harold R. Kuntz)
• Mahomes said is not recruiting free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.: “They haven’t reached out to me to do anything like that.” (Adam Teicher)
• Chiefs HC Andy Reid said GM Brett Veach is handling matters regarding Beckham Jr.: “I don’t know much. Brett is always going to keep his ears and eyes open.” (Nate Taylor)

Raiders

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler say the Raiders are expected to hire a full-time head coach after the season, though it’s not out of the question that interim HC Rich Bisaccia could be retained with a strong run to close out the season. 
• A total of 38 NFL scouts and executives will be in attendance of Saturday’s game between the University of Pittsburgh and North Carolina, including Raiders GM Mike Mayock. The main attraction presumably includes Pittburgh QB Kenny Pickett and North Carolina QB Sam Howell. (Johnny McGonigal)