AFC Notes: Broncos, Jets, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos HC Vic Fangio said Drew Lock will start their opening preseason game against the Vikings based on his status as last year’s starter. 

“The same reason that we gave him the first team snap of the first practice. He was here. He’s been here. He’s got more seniority with the Broncos, I guess. It’s really no big deal,” said Fangio, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.

Fangio added that he’s unsure how many snaps Lock and Teddy Bridgewater will get in Saturday’s game. 

“You have a hope, but what happens in these preseason games, sometimes you go out there and get a couple three-and-outs and the other team’s driving it on you, so you can’t go by quarters and series and stuff,” Fangio said. “You’ve got to try to go by plays as best you can, because it can get skewed one way or the other … so we’ll keep a running tab during the game.”

Fangio mentioned that he wants to get both quarterbacks reps with their different offensive line rotations. 

“We’ve got four tackles that are competing, so they’ll be in there with two of those four,” Fangio said. “Same thing with the guards. It may not be what you view as the exact No. 1s, but we’re confident with the guys we’ll have in there.”

Fangio insisted that he has confidence in both Bridgewater and Lock but will continue keeping track of their detailed statistics as time goes on. 

“I have confidence in both those guys,” Fangio said. “I really do. … There is no grading scale. Ultimately we have to go by what we see. We’re keeping track of things, statistically — some more detailed stats than what you guys will do. They’ll be there for the information.”

Jets

Jets OT George Fant said he is happy to be playing with OT Morgan Moses despite the fact that they are competing for the same job.

“He’s a great veteran to add to our room. Happy to have him here,” Fant said, via Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “That’s what this game’s all about. You’re competing all the time. I’ve been in this league for six years, ex-basketball player, undrafted. I’ve competed my whole career. This is just another step in my growth as a player.”

Fant said he and Moses have a good relationship.

“It’s cool,” Fant said. “I met ‘Mo’ a while back, training together in Miami. Even then, I was a younger guy than him — he had been in the league for a couple of years — so I leaned on him when we were training.

“I learned a lot from him, he learned a lot from me. We continue to do that. It’s cool to have that relationship we have.”

Raiders

Raiders QB Marcus Mariota said he keeps an eye on quarterback openings around the league when starting jobs open.

“Absolutely,” Mariota said, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “It is my goal, so I do keep tabs on what’s going on. For us as players, it’s kind of important to see what the landscape is. That being said, I enjoy this team. It’s a great organization to play for.”