AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Since Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl and retired, Denver has struggled to slow its revolving door at quarterback. The Broncos cycled through Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen before 2019 second-round QB Drew Lock took the reins late last year and finally appeared to give the team some stability. Despite a historic glut of accomplished quarterbacks coming free this offseason, Broncos GM John Elway elected to stand pat and build around Lock. 

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about the quarterbacks in Denver,” Lock said via NFL Media’s James Palmer. “You know, Peyton was the man there, obviously. We’ve had some good ones, and up-and-down [QBs] in there, and I didn’t want to be that for John. I wanted to be a steady guy for him. I wanted to show everybody that they drafted the right quarterback.”

If Lock falters in 2020, it won’t be because of the team around him. Denver has one of the league’s budding stars in WR Courtland Sutton and wasn’t content with just him leading Lock’s pass-catching corps. The Broncos used their first two picks on WRs Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler and made RB Melvin Gordon a priority in free agency despite having RB Phillip Lindsay coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. 

“We saw a lot of teams start doubling Courtland towards the end of the year when I was playing,” Lock said during a Zoom conference call after the draft. “Being able to have speed on the other side, it’s going to scare D-coordinators. … You’re not going to shade a single safety over to Courtland if you’ve got those guys on the other side. You’re probably going to have to stick to more two-high stuff and really play it straight up. If you play two-high, you have to think about our running backs and our O-linemen. We’ve got Phillip and Melvin. I think we’re very versatile.”

It might seem like overkill, but it’s clear playing in the same division as the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs and their incendiary offense played a role in Denver’s offseason choices. The Broncos needed more weapons to keep up with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, which Lock acknowledged even as he avoided saying Denver could win a shootout right now. 

“I’m not going to put that scenario out there and let everyone run with that,” Lock joked. “I think we added some great weapons, but the thing with Kansas City is they have a lot of reps and a lot of games under their belt. We’re a pretty young team. We got three rookies that are probably going to have to come in and make a big difference for us on the offensive side of the ball. Those guys just went all the way and won the Super Bowl. We got a lot of work to be the Kansas City Chiefs, but with the weapons in place, there is the potential to be that.”

Chargers

• Per the Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Chargers OL coach James Campen is high on the potential for OT Trey Pipkins to eventually take over at left tackle: “He’s a very intelligent young man. …He gets what you’re asking him to do. …I think he has a lot of potential.”

Chiefs

• Per BJ Kissel of the team website, new Chiefs DE Taco Charlton says he can move around the defensive line and is looking to prove himself this year after flaming out with the Cowboys and Dolphins in 2019. 
• Charlton understands he’s on thin ice as a former first-round pick on his third team: “This is a year to prove myself. With the right scheme, I can show my talent. I’m able to still do a lot of great things on the field.” (Dani Welniak)
• He said his departure from the Cowboys and Dolphins was “mutual” and he thinks he fits better in the Chiefs’ defensive scheme. (James Palmer)
• Charlton added he’s friends with Chiefs DE Frank Clark who helped sell DC Steve Spagnuolo on bringing him to Kansas City. (Palmer)