AFC Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Texans

Colts

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. is trying to take on a leadership role within the team’s young wide receiver group.

“Just trying to show those guys that, I’m only going into year three, so like I’m still young, but just trying to be the elder of the group, you know what I’m saying,” Pittman Jr. said, via Fox 59.

Colts WR Ashton Dulin said that he’s trying to make his impact on special teams while trying to track the receiving rotation.

“For me, just continuing to build on special teams and being a wideout as well,” Dulin said. “That’s a facet of the game: Being well rounded in all I do and try to help the team.”

Colts TE Mo Alie-Cox also envisions himself in a leadership role within the team, adding that there’s not much experience to go around and that younger players are having to step up.

“Being the leader in the room, going first in every drill, setting the example, showing all the new guys the way to go,” Alie-Cox said. “It’s me going into year six, and the next one is (TE) Kylen (Granson) going into year two.”

Colts HC Frank Reich admitted that he and GM Chris Ballard have floated around the idea of adding a veteran pass-catcher, with WR T.Y. Hilton being a possibility.

“That’s what Chris (Ballard) and I were talking about today, this morning in fact,” Reich said. “We’ll see how these guys do through all of these (offseason workouts), and then do we need to add somebody? Do we need to talk about T.Y. if he’s still out there?”

Jaguars

Jaguars S Andre Cisco caught the attention of HC Doug Pederson, with Pederson adding that he’s excited to see what he can do when the team puts pads on.

“He’s really done a nice job this offseason coming in there,” Pederson said via Jags Wire. “He’s a great communicator, just watching him with the defense and how he moves and how he fits. Again, it’s going to be really good for him once we do get the pads on and see his physicality and how he can play. He’s a really good football player for us and I’m excited to watch him during training camp.”

Texans

Texans’ new DE Jerry Hughes said he became more intrigued with the organization after his teammate in Buffalo, DE Mario Addison, signed with Houston. 

“Mario signed probably about a week before me and then once I saw his news break across, I was watching one of the local channels here, just seeing his name, it threw me off,” Hughes said, via TexansWire. 

Hughes said that Addison raved about HC Lovie Smith‘s Tampa 2 scheme and how it enables defensive ends to “play fast.” 

“I gave him a call and he was talking scheme,” Hughes said. “I’m a big football guy. I love to hear the scheme and as far as what he was saying about Lovie was talking about, about how we get to play fast, we are not thinking, we’re reading keys, getting off the ball, that’s something that I wanted to be a part of.”