AFC Notes: Broncos, Raiders, Titans

Broncos

• Mike Klis reports that Broncos QB Case Keenum did not practice on Wednesday because of knee soreness.
• Klis adds that this is just a precaution and Keenum is dealing with “mild soreness” and expected to be back to practice on Thursday and play on Sunday against the Ravens.

Raiders

Raiders HC Jon Gruden told reporters on Wednesday that “it’s hard to find a great” pass rusher.

“It’s hard to find a great one. It’s hard to find a good one. It’s hard to find one,” Gruden said, via Pro Football Talk. “College football now, they’re not really dropping back to pass and throwing footballs anymore. They’re throwing laterals and they’re throwing bubble screens and they’re throwing read options. So you’ve got to train these guys. It takes a little time to learn how to rush the passer. We’ve got some guys that are in that process right now.”

Titans

Titans HC Mike Vrabel said on Tuesday that QB Marcus Mariota‘s injured elbow has already improved since last weekend.

“[Mariota’s] probably better than he was Friday or Saturday,” Vrabel said, via Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean.

However, Vrabel followed that up today by saying Mariota is “about the same” and they’re preparing both Mariota and Blaine Gabbert to play on Sunday.

According to Mariota, they’re waiting for the nerve in his elbow to “settle down.”

“They way they explained it to me, it’s like when you strum a guitar string,” Mariota said, via PaulKuharsky.com. “When that string settles down, that’s kind of similar to how my nerve is. My nerve has kind of been strummed and it’s going to take it’s time to settle down.

“It’s really the whole hand, but the numbness and the tingliness is a couple fingers, the weakness is kind of the whole hand and that’s what I’ve been working on.”