AFC Notes: Colts, Texans, Titans

Colts

• According to Jonas Shaffer, the Colts hired Ravens’ analyst Charlie Gelman under the role of Game Manager.

Texans

There was some speculation that Texans owner Cal McNair forced GM Nick Caserio‘s hand to take a quarterback this year instead of passing on the position. That’s an assertion McNair strongly refuted. 

“Hannah and I don’t make the picks. We’ll make it clear there,” McNair said via ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “We have a great group of scouts led by Nick and James Lippert, and they did a lot of work on the draft board, and then they followed that on draft day, and they moved up when they saw the value was there and moved back.”

Titans

ESPN’s Dianna Russini said that QB Ryan Tannehill will open the year as the team’s starting quarterback.

“Ryan Tannehill is the starter Week 1, that’s what I was told,” Russini said, via Titans Wire. “This is his team, he is the guy. The drafting of Will Levis is obviously this team looking to the future, knowing that Ryan Tannehill will be playing on an expiring contract and this is his last year in Tennessee. And no movement there if they’re going to extend him just yet, if they even decide to do that. But for now, it’s Ryan Tannehill’s team.”