AFC Notes: Davante Adams, Joey Bosa, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders

Broncos

• Broncos HC Sean Payton talked about trusting DE Eyioma Uwazurike after his return from gambling suspension: “Look, he’s handled this well, he took full responsibility for it. We’re in this period of time where there’s a lot of mistakes being made relative to the gambling policy. The league and communication they provided with him we’re grateful for.” (Mike Klis)
• Payton continued on Uwazurike: “He was out a year. Our job here is we’re slow to get him back ready because he’s missed quite a bit. But he was very remorseful and that played a big part of it. He understands certainly the mistake he made and he’s really appreciative to be back here with his team.” (Klis)
• Broncos hosted LBs K.J. Cloyd, Alec Mock, and Abraham Beauplan for a workout. (Mike Klis)

Chargers

Chargers DC Jesse Minter wants the team’s pass rushers to lead the charge for the rest of the defense.

“There’s been defenses that are great in the back end, where that really helps the pass rush, where they can play a lot of tight, tight coverage and a guy holds the ball for an extra second,” Minter said, via The Athletic. “I think we can do that eventually, but at the same time, we have these guys that can speed up the quarterback’s clock, that are elite rushers, elite edge guys. And so, yeah, we expect those guys that are quote-unquote your best players to lead the charge.”

Minter’s philosophy appears to be paying off, as the secondary has been reaping the benefits of making the quarterback get the ball out quickly.

“I think they can see,” Minter said of his secondary. “Sometimes in practice, it’s different. But now I think when you turn on the tape today, they’ll see, like, ‘Man, I probably made that play today because Khalil was right in his face.’ So that builds just confidence in the group, that built confidence in your teammates.”

Minter has been complimentary of CB Kristian Fulton, who’s getting a second chance to prove himself as someone who could blossom into a starter on the perimeter.

“A lot of times with DBs, the mental space, the confidence, the feeling that the guys around you believe in you, it’s so important, because you’re on an island a lot of times,” Minter said of Fulton. “You feel like it’s all up to you when you’re a DB, the last line of defense. And so I think he’s just in a really good headspace. Guys believe in him. The coaches believe in him.”

• Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa was shaken up at practice and appeared to have an issue with his left hand/wrist before being attended to by trainers. (Daniel Popper) 

Raiders

On the Netflix special Receiver, Raiders WR Davante Adams expressed his pure emotions and frustrations that built up throughout last season. Adams looks at the new year as a clean slate and is happy to get to work with his teammates.

“You saw raw emotion [on Netflix] and that was just a genuine look at what we were going through, and it wasn’t always the brightest point, but there was a lot of good moments too,” Adams said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “Obviously, it’s a television show, at the end of the day, so there’s going to be certain narratives and things like that. Not that it was not accurate, because it was very accurate, the way that I felt, the way that the team felt and kind of the place we were in as a unit.”

“But I’m in a really good place right now. I’m really happy to be out here with the guys.”

Adams also commented on the lack of a timeline regarding when they will decide between QBs Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.

“There’s pros and cons [to no timeline], but at the end of the day, we get enough reps with both guys and we are all communicating. We have really open conversations, and we all get reps with all the quarterbacks … and I’m definitely watching at all times, seeing everything and learning how the ball comes out with Gardner versus Aidan.”

• Raiders HC Antonio Pierce spoke on the QB battle between O’Connell and Minshew: “I don’t think we can sit there and say somebody’s won yet.” (Paul Gutierrez)