AFC Notes: Michael Mayer, Justin Herbert, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

New Chargers OC Kellen Moore is known for calling some prolific offenses in Dallas over the past few seasons, especially through the air. And with the team’s receiving corps and the big-armed QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles definitely plans to air it out in 2023. But a big reason Moore was hired was his vision for the run game,* which struggled for the Chargers in 2023. He plans to simplify the team’s ground game in the hopes of building a clear identity. 

“The focusing part of it will help us a lot,” Chargers C Corey Linsley said via the Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “There was a little bit of where we didn’t ever get good at one thing last year in the run game. We had our plays that were successful, but they were individual plays. There wasn’t a scheme, and we never felt like we got in a flow. Some of it’s on us, some of it is on coaches, some of it is on everybody, right? It’s a collective effort here and it always will be. Majoring in something … I think it will help us take a step forward.”

Chiefs

Despite the team recently signing LT Donovan Smith, Chiefs HC Andy Reid revealed after a week of OTAs that Jawaan Taylor had a “few practices” playing left tackle, while Lucas Niang played right tackle.

“Yeah, so for the few practices that he (Jawaan Taylor) was at left tackle (and) then (Lucas) Niang worked in at the right tackle, I feel good about (Niang) too, so we’re in a good place,” Reid said, via ChiefsWire.com. “I believe (Taylor) can do both so I don’t think that’s a problem and he got a few snaps at that. But listen, we’ve got two veteran guys (Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor) that have a lot of snaps under their belt at a high level so we feel comfortable with that so we’ll see. We expect the guys behind them to compete and we should be fine there.”

Raiders

Raiders’ second-round TE Michael Mayer described what led him away from playing basketball to football going into high school. 

“I got a bench press in my basement, started lifting … and man, I lost my jump shot,” Mayer said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “I couldn’t shoot worth anything, so I played football my freshman year and I kind of just took off from there. Got a little bit bigger, got stronger, got faster, things like that.”

Mayer said he takes examples from Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. 

“The way he runs his routes, the way he does his thing, man, it’s like no other,” Mayer said. “He’s expanding the tight end game greatly. And so I’ve got to go with Trav. Got to meet him last summer. Great guy. And just to watch film on him, see how he plays his game, he’s tremendous at the tight end position and he’s doing amazing things for the tight end position, too.”

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler didn’t expect Mayer to be available in the second round and feels he’s highly productive as a receiver. 

“We thought he would go in the first round,” Ziegler said. “He can get open from a lot of different alignments, and he got open against a lot of different players, whether it was a corner, safety or linebacker. He has a special trait where he has some short-area quickness at the top of the route and some savvy as to how he sets up his route for a young player. It allows him to get open often. He was often the best offensive player on the field, no matter who they were playing.”