Broncos

Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham is in line to make his first start of the season, and just his fifth start ever, in the AFC Championship game following QB Bo Nix‘s season-ending ankle injury. Denver RT Mike McGlinchey couldn’t be more confident in his backup quarterback to be ready for this moment and make the most of it. 

“He’s been waiting for this moment for the entirety of his career,” McGlinchey said, via the team’s website. “He’s more prepared than anybody would be in this situation, and he can ball. He flat out can play quarterback. We’ve seen it every single day at practice. We’ve seen it in training camp. We’ve seen it in the preseason. I have no doubts that he’s going to go out there and play his butt off. I think our team is in a perfect position with Stiddy moving forward. We’re lucky to have him, and we’re lucky our team and our coaching staff and our front office invests in every situation that can possibly come up on a football field, because not everybody has a quarterback waiting in the wings as talented as Jarrett.”

Chiefs

With the expectation that Chiefs OC Matt Nagy will get a head coaching job, Kansas City is expected to reunite with former OC and current Bears RB coach Eric Bieniemy. Chicago rookie RB Kyle Monangai spoke on what Bieniemy has meant to him during his first season in the NFL.

“He has meant a lot,” Monangai said, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “Most of all, he kind of helped me to understand what it takes to be a great running back in this league and the amount of detail, the focus, the preparation, and all those things.”

“Just kind of learning from him as a running back coach, someone who has been a former [coordinator] and has coached great players, he definitely helped me out a lot from OTAs when we first met until now.”

• Chiefs TE Travis Kelce on the return of Bieniemy to Kansas City: “I can’t wait to see him back in the building. He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time … I just love the guy.” (Lewis)

Texans

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans recently talked about his expectation that WR Tank Dell could return to the field in 2026 after tearing his ACL, MCL, and LCL. Houston QB C.J. Stroud spoke on what it would mean to get Dell back not only as a teammate, but also as a close friend.

“Tank is a brother of mine, somebody who’s like blood to me,” Stroud said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “To see what he’s gone through the last two years has been heartbreaking and he’s been through a lot. But I know he’s grown a lot as a person and as a young man, especially as a man of God. So, I’m proud of him. The smile he continues to have on his face is contagious.”

“I think for him too, being here every day putting in the work and putting his best foot forward in some situations that were out of his control, I think is amazing to see him do that. So, I’m super proud of him and I can’t wait to get him on the field. You all know the connection we have.”

• Ryans said he’ll take the week to evaluate the coaching staff after being asked about OC Nick Caley’s status, with GM Nick Caserio expecting him to be back with the team in 2026. (Aaron Wilson)