AFC Notes: Josh Downs, Chiefs, Colts, Ravens

Chiefs

Chiefs RB Louis Rees-Zammit feels when he gets open space, like on a screen pass, it is like he is back to playing rugby. The NFL newcomer is still in the process of making the transition to American football.

“When there’s open field, I feel like I’m playing rugby again,’’ Rees-Zammit said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I can use my awareness when I am in space. Then that’s when I can cause the most damage.”

Colts

Colts WR Josh Downs said he left some plays on the field last year and is focusing on doing a better job at reading coverages and getting better releases on his routes.

“I feel like I have some little things I can improve on in the route releases,” Downs said, via Around The NFL. “I left some plays on the field last year, but everybody does that. I looked at those plays. I’m trying to identify coverages better — things like that.”

Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter noted that slot receivers tend to make a leap during their second season in the league.

“Slot receiver ends up being a position where the more you understand about what the other guys on offense are doing and what the guys on defense are doing, the better you can play because when you play in that slot, there are guys inside of you, there are guys outside of you,” Cooter said. “Sometimes you have certain routes where it makes sense as a coaching staff to give him a few reads. You can break in or break out, or you can sit and break out, and all that good stuff. We teach those. We try to teach them really well, but for a rookie becoming a second-year guy, you hope to notice, ‘Gosh, I recognized a certain coverage. I knew that linebacker was going to be inside, so I didn’t break inside.’ Those types of things are the advancements as the offensive system sort of goes.”

Downs acknowledged that having a better grasp on the offense will help him become a better player.

“That comes with understanding the offense more — just knowing what the other receivers, even the tight end, are running,” Downs said. “And then knowing the run game better as well and just having a year under your belt, you know the level of competition you’re going to go up against now, and you see what type of players you’re playing against each and every week. Just like high school and college, that second year is big.”

Ravens

Ravens OL Andrew Vorhees was drafted in the seventh round back in 2023 and missed all of his rookie season after tearing his ACL at the combine. Baltimore HC John Harbaugh commented on how Vorhees looked during the team’s rookie minicamp.

“He looked very well-trained,” Harbaugh said, via Clifton Brown of the team’s website. “He’s been here basically working out for a whole year. He was already a strong guy. He’s moving his feet well, he’s been studying for a whole year. I thought he looked like how you’d expect him to look.”