Broncos

Broncos QB Bo Nix feels he’s better equipped to handle the challenges of the NFL entering his second season.

“Now I just think I’m in a better place to handle those things, which is good,” Nix said, via Broncos Wire. “I think I was actually talking about this earlier with the quarterbacks. Sometimes we talk about down years, and why do guys have down years. Sometimes I think we’re so focused, in rhythm in college to just work, work, work year-round. Then we get to the first year of the NFL, and you go through the draft, and you get here, and you’re drowning and you work, work, work. Then all of the sudden you get time off. It’s like, ‘How do I handle this time off?’ For me, I think it’s more of the fear of not being ready, not being enough for the team. That’s what continues to drive me and what’s not going to give me an off year. At the same time, it was nice to catch up and kind of get back to where I want to be physically, get back to where I want to be mentally and make strides. I don’t think the challenges will change. I think I’m just different. So I think that’s the good part of this year. I don’t want to take it for granted that I am a year ahead because most guys are a lot of years ahead of me. I know I have a long way to go, but I’m excited to go there.”

Nix added that entering his second season, he’s less worried about learning a new offense and instead mastering his technique, which could lead to another jump.

“[I’ve] been there, done that,” Nix said. “I don’t have to worry about what certain looks are, or — as crazy as it sounds — where we’re going for the locker room, or where we’re going for the stretch. I know it. I can get there and do it, and knock it out and now I can focus on the next level of things and the details and not really the overall picture. A lot of the times as a rookie, you just don’t want to look like an idiot. Now you can go out there and look a lot better than an idiot. So I’m excited for Year 2. I’m excited for this football team. I really like where we’re at right now. I love our teammates. Eventually, we’ll get to play somebody else.”

Chargers

Chargers’ second-round WR Tre Harris said he’s learning that Justin Herbert is constantly “surveying the field,” which means he always has to give max effort on every route he runs.  

“It honestly just tells you to win on every route,” Harris said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “One thing about him I’ve learned is that he’s constantly surveying the field, and you might think, ‘Oh, I have a run-off route right here, I could ease up.’ But he’s actually looking at you to get open, and he might see something that you don’t see in the back end. So it’s really just taught me to win every route that I’m running because you never know when that ball is going to come, and nine times out of 10, he’s going to put it right on the money.”

Harris has been impressed by Herbert’s ability to fit passes into narrow windows. 

“He continues to kind of blow my mind, just the throws he makes on the field,” Harris said. “He’s not scared to go into that gunslinger mode and fit it into a tight hole.”

Harris missed the start of training camp after finalizing his rookie contract in the middle of July. The receiver didn’t have much input on the situation after letting his agent handle the matter. 

“I don’t know too much about the whole situation,” Harris said. “I just let that be what it is and be what it be. I got out there and I’m here to just play ball. I’m not here to worry about contracts and stuff like that. Let the businesspeople handle that and go do what I got to do on the field.”

Chiefs

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said the opportunity to be a mentor is something he values as he enters the final stages of his career.

“I have fun coming into work every single day. What better way to get better than to make sure that we lean on each other?” Kelce said, via NY Times. “And if I can give somebody a word that makes them better on that specific route or doing that specific drill, I’m here for it.”

Kelce added that he’s excited about the foundation that he’s helped create in Kansas City that embarks a winning culture.

“I think that gives more juice than anything else is the fact that we have created this culture,” Kelce said. “We have created this machine that, when you do it the right way, it works, and you get to win football games because of it. And I think that alone gives you the excitement that what we’re doing here is special.”

Kelce showed up to training camp healthy and in shape and is excited about continuing his career.

“We’re rocking and rolling, man. It’s training camp, so you’re going to feel the soreness and the heavy workload that you’re getting every single day, and the reacclimation to all the hitting and everything that you’re doing. That’s gonna come with it,” Kelce said. “But at the same time, you’ve got to enjoy it for what it is and fight through that.”