AFC Notes: Chargers, Jets, Patriots

Chargers

After dealing with kicking issues last year, Chargers GM Tom Telesco explained that he feels they’ll get everything sorted out this summer regarding the position.

“Obviously our kicking game was not NFL quality this year. One of my biggest regrets this year (is) I did not do a good enough job addressing that position,” Telesco said, via Chargers.com. “I kind of put our head coach, Anthony (Lynn), in a tough position as far as managing the football game. So, it happens. I’m not really happy about it. We’ll assess where we were and we’ll get it fixed. I’m very confident we’ll be able to get that fixed, but obviously that just has to get better this year. I did not do a good enough job there. But we’ll get that addressed.”

The Chargers have Caleb Sturgis and Roberto Aguayo on their roster and prepared to battle it out for the job during the preseason.

Jets

• Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that veteran QB Josh McCown will enter training camp as the team’s starter, but he’s going to have better competition to hold off this time around than last year.
• Costello mentions that reps for McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and first-round pick Sam Darnold are worth watching to see how they’re divided. According to Costello, the fact that McCown is more of a known commodity could lead to him getting fewer reps and playing in preseason games than the other two quarterbacks.
• While McCown could win the starting job to open the year, Costello admits it would be an upset if he holds the job all season.

Patriots

• Mike Reiss of ESPN considers Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel, and James White to all be locks to make the 53-man roster this summer.
• This leaves Brandon Bolden, Mike Gillislee, and Jeremy Hill on the roster bubble with Ralph Webb being a long shot to make the team, according to Reiss.
• Reiss believes Burkhead “has a good chance to enter the season as the team’s No. 1 option from a traditional running-back perspective, with his versatility as a pass-catcher adding to his value and opening up more options for coordinator Josh McDaniels.“
• Reiss expects New England to keep four or five running backs on the final 53-man roster, which could set up a situation where Gillislee, Hill and Webb are competing for a single roster spot.