AFC Notes: Chiefs, Raiders, Texans

Chiefs

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman has only been playing wide receiver for a couple years after making a position switch in college, but his ability to pick things up quickly has been on display during Chiefs rookie camp. 

“Every day he got a little better,” HC Andy Reid said via Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star. “These are all new. These routes are new to him. He did a nice job in the red zone, which normally is the toughest place to work, but he did extremely well there. He had a good finish.”

Raiders

While the decision to send Oakland’s scouts home a week before the draft caused a mini-controversy, Raiders GM Mike Mayock says all but three scouts were retained by the team. 

“I never fired any of them. I didn’t. I sent them home,” Mayock said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Listen to me, I sent them home, and I fired zero of them until the day after the draft. And then I notified a couple guys [that they were let go]. End of story. Nobody follows the story. Nobody cares. Everybody just wanted to report that Mayock sent everybody home.”

Texans

Texans DE J.J. Watt is hoping the time he missed because of injury will be added on to the back end of his career. 

“I don’t want to leave the game anytime soon,” Watt said via Sarah Barnshop of ESPN. “I love it. Hopefully, we can say that I had two less years of pounding on my body, I had two less years of wear and tear, so that means two more years on the back end. I feel good right now. I’m excited about the season ahead. I’m excited about the team that we’ve got and the guys that we’ve got. I love it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I get to go around and chase a ball for a living and they pay me to do it. I couldn’t be any luckier.” 

• While the Texans did work out P Marquette King, they’re not expected to make a change from second-year P Trevor Daniel. (Aaron Wilson)