Broncos
Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam is the projected No. 1 tight end but will still have to compete with 2022 third-round pick TE Greg Dulcich for the job. He spoke on both the trade of TE Noah Fant and the drafting of Dulcich by the franchise.
“Obviously, that opens up a big opportunity for me,’’ Okwuegbunam said of the Fant trade, via Mike Klis of 9news.com.
“I didn’t think too much of it,’’ Okwuegbunam said of the team drafting Dulcich. “I’m still just focusing and approaching it as being ready to step into that No. 1 spot and do the best to my ability and approach every day the same.”
Dulcich himself commented on areas that he needs to improve on ahead of his first NFL season.
“I think there is a lot to work on—pass game, showing some more wiggle and learning how coverages are going to be played in the NFL,’’ Dulcich said. “It’s going to be a lot different than college. The run game, too, and being more explosive and coming off the ball.”
Chiefs
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire hasn’t really lived up to the expectations that usually come with being a first-round pick. Entering his third season, he’ll face pretty stiff competition for the starting job and touches. But Edwards-Helaire does have something going for him; he finally has had a full offseason of health to work on his game after dealing with gall bladder surgery last year.
“This offseason, it was pretty much getting back to the basics, being able to have a full offseason,” Edwards-Helaire said via the Athletic’s Nate Taylor. “That was one of the things Coach Reid and I talked about. He said, ‘This is really your first real offseason in the NFL.’ Really, health was the biggest thing.”
Pass-catching was one of Edwards-Helaire’s strengths coming out of LSU and he’s hoping to be a bigger part of the Chiefs’ passing game, which will probably spread the ball around more with star WR Tyreek Hill gone to Miami.
“The great thing about this offense is that you can stick anybody anywhere,” Edwards-Helaire said. “As long as we know what we’re doing and executing, it can be unmatched depending on our matchups. I can line up from the 1, 2, 3 or 4-spot (at the line of scrimmage) and run any route. Travis (Kelce) can do the same thing, from (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) to JuJu (Smith-Schuster) to Mecole (Hardman). It just shows you that we can be as versatile as we want. It’s not the same thing that (opposing defenses) have been seeing the last six years.”
Raiders
Both Raiders QB Derek Carr and HC Josh McDaniels are still very much in the honeymoon period together as Las Vegas reported for training camp to begin the 2022 season on Wednesday. But there are a lot of reasons to believe the two are a good match as they generally are each regarded as football brainiacs.
“The best part of my game has always been the mental side,” Carr said via the Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “And that’s exactly how Josh is. He’s a genius when it comes to scheming things up and teaching his system and getting the best out of his players. I feel like a better football player. … I’ve been very impressed with Josh.”
Carr added that McDaniels, who ran himself out of town in his first head coaching job with the Broncos a decade ago, has been much more flexible in his second stint.
“One thing Josh has done, he’s come in and said this is not New England; this is Las Vegas,” Carr said. “He’s said, ‘We’re going to do things our way. I’ve learned a lot of great things there that we’re going to implement, but I also have things I want to do my way.’ And the way the team has just wrapped their arms around him and listened to his leadership and for me, like, the depth of the conversations that we’re having is encouraging. It’s fun for me.”
- The Raiders worked out DBs Jalen Elliott and Trey Marshall on Thursday, per the wire.
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