Another week of the 2020 NFL offseason has passed us by. It’s time to check in with the Kansas City Chiefs’ division rivals in the AFC West. Below you’ll find some of the top stories of the past week for the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
QB Marcus Mariota ‘dazzling’ Raiders in area they would like to see more from Derek Carr
“Anyone who has watched Carr knows that in the rare occasions he does tuck it and run, he can move. He’s not a statuesque pocket passer who rumbles down the field. He’s pretty fleet of foot. But he’s not Marcus Mariota fast. As Jon Gruden is noticing.
‘He’s interesting. He took off a couple times today and really fired me up,’ Gruden said of Mariota after Friday’s practice. ‘He’s been hurt. Looked like the ankle has really turned the corner. He’s a dazzling playmaker with his feet and that’s the key to his game. I saw glimpses of that today and it was exciting. Started off slow in 7-on-7 but picked it up and had a really nice day'”
The starting quarterback job may not be as clear with Las Vegas’ coaching staff praising Mariota’s playing ability. It’s likely the Raiders will roll with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Gruden used Mariota in certain packages. If the Raiders offense does struggle early maybe Mariota will get the opportunity to start a few games.
DC Paul Guenther on Raiders SS Johnathan Abram: ‘He’s come back in tremendous shape’
“In his most recent media session, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther expressed his excitement about Abram and his return to the field:
‘He looks great. Again, He played 30 minutes for us last year, so he’s kind of going through it again like a rookie year. He’s picked up the system in the second year, looking at it form the 10,000-mile view last year, sitting back and watching everything happen. He’s come back in tremendous shape. Obviously, he’s good in the middle of the field. He’s an enforcer down in the box, he’s a good blitzer. And he’s a vocal guy out there which we need for his
leadership in the back end.'”
The 2019 first-round draft pick for the Raiders only played in one game before injuring his shoulder forcing him to miss the rest of his rookie season. With another year to learn the defense and a while removed from the injury, Abram could be primed for a breakout season.
Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor gives praise to WR Mike Williams
“With the Chargers’ offense expected to shift to more of a run-heavy approach due to the change of quarterbacks, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to take targets away from the team’s pass-catchers.
“Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who spoke with reporters last week, highlighted WR Mike Williams’ ability as a deep threat. Taylor said 50-50 jump balls are ‘more like 70-30 or 80-20’ when thrown to Williams.”
With Taylor projected to be the Chargers starting quarterback it’ll be interesting to see how his relationships with his offense weapons develop. It looks like he is already to a great start, giving praise to Williams.
Chargers’ Anthony Lynn reveals he had the coronavirus
“Chargers coach Anthony Lynn revealed on Tuesday’s season debut of Hard Knocks: Los Angeles that he contracted the coronavirus.
During a Zoom meeting with the team’s players, Lynn took questions in regards to COVID-19 safety protocols before saying, ‘I can’t promise you that you aren’t going to get infected…I got infected.'”
Lynn is now the third coach reported to have COVID-19. He Likely won’t be the last coach this season to contract the virus either. It will be interesting to see how well each of the team’s safety protocols protect the coaching staff throughout the season.
Dalton Risner can play center or tackle if Broncos need him to
“Risner spent time at center, tackle and guard while at Kansas State and that helped him develop into a versatile lineman. If the Broncos have injuries during a game and need to move around some offensive linemen, Risner’s versatility can be leaned on.”
The starting offensive line for Denver is projected to be Garett Bolles, Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry, Graham Glasgow and Elijah Wilkinson. Risner will bring depth and be a solid backup if an injury occurs for the Broncos.
PFF says Broncos have 9th-best ILB unit in the NFL
“Denver is ranked relatively high in large part because of rising star Alexander Johnson, who was given the best grade against the run (91.4) among inside linebackers last season. PFF graded Johnson as the fourth-best inside linebacker in the league (88.5) in 2019.”
The Broncos have the second-highest ranked ILB group among AFC West teams being ranked No. 9. The Raiders were ranked No. 6, Chargers No. 18, and Chiefs No. 24. It will be interesting how well Denver’s linebacker group performs in year two of a new defense.
