AFC Notes: Fernando Mendoza, Jonah Savaiinaea, Chargers, Dolphins, Raiders

Chargers

  • ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler named Chargers OT Joe Alt among the next offensive tackles to watch for mega extensions at the position.
  • Chargers DL Justin Eboigbe is expected to take on a larger role in the team’s third-down package after emerging last season, while DL Jamaree Caldwell is also being trained in outside alignments over guards and tackles. (Kris Rhim)
  • Chargers DL Teair Tart could see more snaps aligned wider along the defensive front this season as the coaching staff looks to create more playmaking opportunities for him, according to DL coach Mike Elston.

Dolphins

Dolphins OL coach Zach Yenser gave an update on where the team would play G Jonah Savaiinaea amid changes to the offensive line.

“He’s going to be better and have more confidence switching back to the right,” Yenser said, via the Miami Herald. “He has a lot of built-up reps on the right side. That was a conversation we had with Jonah [a few weeks ago]: ‘Hey, you played on the right side.’ He was excited to be able to have an opportunity if we drafted the right guy to be able to move back over to the right side.”

“I like Jonah when we were [coaching] in Houston, and he was coming out of Arizona,” Yenser added. “There were a lot of good things his rookie year. I thought his movement skills for his size showed up on tape. The thing for Jonah — he has to stay connected to the ground. In pass protection, we are working on his demeanor and timing of his punch, and just being connected. Make these guys run around you and through you, not inside of you… He needs to build on his run blocking. I thought he got a lot better as the year went on in the run blocking.”

Raiders

Raiders OC Andrew Janocko offered insight into his initial impressions of first-overall QB Fernando Mendoza and how he is approaching learning an NFL offense.

“He’s somebody that wants to know the whys of everything, the story behind everything,” Janocko said of Mendozavia the team’s official website. “What we’re calling, but why are we calling it? He’s really just a sponge that wants to know everything. So it’s a lot of fun working with a quarterback like that because he’s coming in as a blank slate in this offense — never been in this offense before — and just asking a ton of questions.”

“He’s asking questions that you might not have thought about in a couple of years,” Janocko added. “It also makes you evaluate everything. ‘I know we’ve had some success doing it one way, but we could do it another way and be even better.'”

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