Jaguars
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson and QB Trevor Lawrence are already gearing up for what improvements they can make next season, after falling to the Chiefs during the playoffs.
“There is a sense of accomplishment for everything this team has gone through over the last year and a half,” Pederson said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “To go from one of the worst teams record-wise a year ago to winning a playoff game this year, there is a sense of accomplishment. It’s just a credit to these guys. It wasn’t a pretty season, by any means. We had that stretch in there that was pretty rough on us. Every guy in there right now, they all had a belief that we could accomplish our goals, and they never wavered.”
“For Trevor, it’s everything,” Pederson added. “There’s continuity. There’s consistency. He knows the guys he’s going to be throwing the ball to. He knows the coaching staff that’s going to be coaching him. That’s big for us, from year one to year two.”
“It feels good, just the foundation that we have here, that we set this season and last offseason, knowing that I’m going to be in the same system, all those things moving forward,” Lawrence said. “I’m really excited to have that experience and have all this tape to learn from and so many things.”
Jaguars TE Evan Engram is an impending free agent but still has good things to say about how the 2022 season felt for him in Jacksonville.
“It’s special [in Jacksonville],” Engram said. “Honestly I can’t even explain to you because this is the first time I’ve really, honestly felt that. Wasn’t a good five years my first five years in the league. It was just rough. All I knew was work at that point. Coming here, I love working here.”
Texans
- Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said it was an easy decision to join Houston: “We’re thankful for the Broncos. It wasn’t a difficult decision to come to H-town. It was very easy.” (Aaron Wilson)
- Ryans added that he learned a lot from Chip Kelly on how to utilize sports science and attention to detail. (Wilson)
- Ryans is still working through whether or not he’ll call plays on defense. (Wilson)
- Ryans is excited to get to work with CB Derek Stingley Jr. and S Jalen Pitre: “Outstanding talent, I know the competitor that he is. Seen Jalen Pitre, loved him coming out of Baylor, blitzing, play speed.” (Wilson)
Titans
Titans DT Jeffery Simmons said he’s met with new GM Ran Carthon and his first impression was impressive. Simmons is due for a new contract this offseason and struck a confident tone that he and the team would be able to reach an agreement on a new, likely massive deal.
“We had a great talk, and him saying I am one of his priorities, that meant a lot,” Simmons said via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “I feel like he is the person for this job. There’s not much I can say especially with talk of the contract – my (agent) is handling that. But whenever we get to that point – I feel very confident that I’ll be here in Tennessee, and I want to be in Tennessee. So, we’ll see how that goes.”
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