Broncos
Broncos fifth-round TE Justin Joly said that he’s prepared to play wherever the team asks him to, even on defense.
“So, it’s like, ‘If you want to put me in the backfield, do you want to put me anywhere on the field? I’ll do it,” Joly said, via ESPN. “Even if they want [me] to play defense, just let me know — I got you guys.”
Broncos TE Evan Engram admitted the group fell short last year in production.
“I do think the tight end position can bring a lot more than it did,” Engram said. “There’s a lot more we honestly could have helped with.”
Payton added that TE Caleb Lohner could be a factor this year in his second year within the system.
“He looks entirely different in this camp,” Payton said. “One year into the program, and how he’s moving, what he’s doing, everything looks entirely different. … It’s entirely noticeable, and he’s in great shape. You see his athleticism.”
- Broncos ST coordinator Darren Rizzi and co-director of player personnel Cam Williams will participate in the NFL’s coaching and front office accelerator program at the owners meetings in Orlando this week, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Chargers
Chargers OC Mike McDaniel raved about the selection of OL Jake Slaughter out of Florida during Day Two of the draft, someone he feels has versatility and fits his scheme well.
“You’re measured, particularly as a blocker in the National Football League, by consistency. This is a guy that had the strength and the body and mind,” McDaniel said, via the team website. “His mind was very impressive. Everything he did, he did really well. Has the size and the mind to own the little details that make you elite in this game. There’s a lot of parity, ton of parity, a lot of strong guys that are athletic movers. Who are the guys that really excel in this league? It’s the guys that master small nuances and can see the game slow because they’re so supremely prepared, and that’s what we saw in him.”
Slaughter played center at Florida but is working early on to cross-train at guard as the Chargers seek to get their five best offensive linemen on the field. Fixing that unit was a big priority this offseason, and McDaniel feels good about the room.
“What we’ve created is a highly competitive room that we feel confident we’re going to have not just five starters that you can win football games with — and be very happy about — but two, three, four extra guys that will probably have to see the field during the season based on the natural course of the rigors of the NFL,” McDaniel added. “Really pumped about where we’re at. We try to find the guys that will execute at the highest percentage based on blocking people and nothing else.”
- Chargers OC Mike McDaniel and assistant GM Chad Alexander will participate in the NFL’s coaching and front office accelerator program at the owners meetings in Orlando this week, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Raiders
- Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes that while the Raiders and DE Maxx Crosby are moving forward together for the foreseeable future, it’s quite possible trade action around Crosby could heat up again midseason if Las Vegas is struggling and Crosby is playing well. In that scenario, turning Crosby into picks in a vaunted 2027 class could be really appealing for the Raiders.
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