AFC Notes: Chiefs, Jets, Steelers

Chiefs

New Chiefs NT Xavier Williams explained that the importance of stopping the run was drilled into him while playing for the Cardinals and this is something he’s focused on continuing in Kansas City.

“It’s kind of a well-known fact that if somebody runs on you, they’re beating you down mentally and physically and it makes for a long game,” Williams said, via Chiefs.com. “It establishes an attitude for the offense that they can do whatever they want to you. You don’t want them feeling like that.

“It was kind of drilled into me while I was in Arizona,” Williams added. “We were always a top run defense and my main mentor there, [Cardinals nose tackle] Corey Peters, always talked about it. He would say, ‘We’re nose guards. No matter what, if they run the ball, it’s going to reflect badly on us.’ You just keep that in your mind and that’s how you keep your job.”

The Chiefs’ defensive line group is young and “hungry,” according to Williams.

“I like them. It’s a young group, we’re all around the same age, and I think a lot of guys are hungry,” Williams said. “Not a lot of them have made their name in the league yet and they have something to prove. They want people to take notice, and I like that.”

Jets

• Brian Costello of the New York Post expects the Jets to give QB Teddy Bridgewater plenty of reps during training camp and the preseason games to see what he can do.
• In the even that Bridgewater outplays veteran QB Josh McCown and the Jets’ coaching staff doesn’t feel like Sam Darnold is ready to play, Costello could see the team turning to Bridgewater for Week 1.
• However, if both Bridgewater and McCown both play well and the coaching staff believes Darnold can handle the backup job, Costello can see the Jets fielding trade offers for Bridgewater before the start of the season.
• The only way Bridgewater stays in New York as the team’s backup is if the Jets don’t feel like Darnold is close to being ready to play and want him to operate as the No. 3 quarterback this year.

Steelers

• Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that finding a slot receiver is a priority for the Steelers this summer.
• The Steelers had Eli Rogers operating in the slot for part of last year before he suffered a torn ACL.
• Rutter mentions that the Steelers could turn to either JuJu Smith-Schuster or rookie James Washington in the slot and Marcus Tucker is also someone to watch for the position.