AFC West Rumors: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Denver GM John Elway says he thinks the pressure of being the day-1 starter might have rattled QB Case Keenum.  

“I don’t know what happened. We just didn’t get things done. And it wasn’t all on Case,” said Elway via Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.  “We had a lot of injuries in the offensive line … and I’m not trying to blame it on that, either. I’m trying to protect Case. But I will say this, too: There’s a difference being the guy rather than being a back-up.”

Because of league rules, Elway was prohibited from talking about the Broncos pending trade for Ravens QB Joe Flacco.  But he did offer some insight into his mentality for the move.  

“I’m not going to sit on my hands,” Elway said. “I’m not going to try to draft (a quarterback) and wait three years.”

• Boise State QB Brett Rypien met informally with Broncos OC Rich Scangarello. (Mike Klis)
• Alabama OT Jonah Williams says he met with the Broncos.  (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Boston College G Chris Lindstrom had a formal meeting with the Broncos. (Chad Jensen)
• UNC Charlotte OL Nate Davis said he’s meeting with the Broncos Thursday. (Nicki Jhabvala)
• The Broncos have a formal meeting lined up with Washington OL Andre Dillard. (Mike Klis)
• Denver met with Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger Wednesday night. (Nicki Jhabvala)

Chargers

• Los Angeles GM Tom Telesco says he will meet with TE Antonio Gates‘ agent this week and there’s a chance he returns.  (Eric Williams)
• Chargers HC Anthony Lynn says S Kyzir White is recovering well from knee issues, and could play all three LB positions for Los Angeles next season.  (Eric Williams)
• Telesco says he’s talked with DT Brandon Mebane‘s agent at the Combine about a return to the Chargers for the pending free agent. (Williams)
• Telesco left the door open for a return in free agency for CB Jason Verrett.  (Williams)

Chiefs

• Kansas City GM Brett Veach said the Chiefs will aggressively pursue upgrades at CB this offseason, though he did praise the development of CB Charvarius Ward.  (B.J. Kissel)
• The starting RB spot is “Damien Williams‘ to lose” according to Veach.  (Kissel)
• There are no concrete plans on a possible trade of LB Justin Houston yet, per Veach: “There’s a lot of dialogue and we’re just collecting information right now.”  (Kissel)
• If Giants S Landon Collins hits free agency, he’s expected to be a top target for the Chiefs.  (Matt Verderame)
• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks the Chiefs will use the franchise tag on LB Dee Ford. 
• FAU RB Devin Singletary said he’s met with Chiefs RB coach Deland McCullough. (Charles Goldman)
• Ohio State RB Mike Weber said he’s meeting with the Chiefs.  (Aaron Wilson)
• Kansas State OL Dalton Risner met with the Chiefs.  (Matt Derrick)
• Penn State OL Connor McGovern said he met with Kansas City. (Brooke Pryor)
• Penn State RB Miles Sanders says the Chiefs were one of his first meetings.  (Dani Welniak)
• UNC Charlotte OL Nate Davis met with the Chiefs. (Brooke Pryor)

Raiders

Raiders HC Jon Gruden did not rule out the possibility of the team trading for Steelers WR Antonio Brown at the Combine Thursday.  

“Well, I don’t like veteran players. I’ll just leave it at that.” Gruden joked via Michael Gehlken. “We’re going to look at everybody’s availability and what is best for our team.”

Gruden was also asked repeatedly about the trade that brought in a first-round pick for DE Khalil Mack.

“I’m getting tired of you bringing that up, Khalil Mack,” Gruden said via Matt Schneidman. “We made the trade for a lot of reasons, whether it’s popular or not … for the fans that aren’t happy about that, we’re really sorry about that.”

Raiders GM Mike Mayock says adding speed and competition across the roster will be a theme of this offseason.  

“We were 4–12,” Mayock said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.  “So I like the fact that we’ve got a franchise quarterback to build around. I think we’ve got some good young talent on the defensive line that need to take a big step in Year 2. I think we’ve got some pretty good offensive linemen and we need to get more depth there. But you can look at our team and say we need team speed and we need to be more competitive everywhere.”

• The Raiders have met with Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins and Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray along with Ole Miss WR D.K. Metcalf at the Combine, per Eric Branch. 
• Vic Tafur says of the top two quarterbacks available, the Raiders prefer Haskins to Murray.  
• Gruden said of QB Derek Carr: “Yes, he’s our franchise quarterback.  Let me make that clear.”  (Rick Stroud)
• Gruden added the team was impressed with CB Gareon Conley and S Karl Joseph last year, calling them “two young guys that we’re going to count on.”  (Gehlken)
• The Raiders will still look to add help at safety, Gruden said, citing the presence in the division of TEs Travis Kelce and Antonio Gates.  (Josina Anderson)
• Gruden says Oakland will know more about the status of RB Marshawn Lynch in the coming weeks as he recovers from groin surgery.  (Gehlken)