Broncos
The Broncos made big additions to their defense this offseason, including S Talanoa Hufanga, LB Dre Greenlaw, and first-round CB Jahdae Barron. Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II has been excited about their new players coming into the fold.
“It’s great additions to our team and towards our success,” Surtain said, via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. “Obviously, Dre and Hufanga, those guys are going to get after it. … Adding those guys to the team, it looks sharp on the horizon. … (Barron) brings a lot of versatility towards the defense. He’s smart, savvy. He makes plays and it’s a big addition towards our team. … He’s catching up fast.”
Surtain wants to improve his game on the field and stature as a leader in the locker room.
“I still feel like I can always get better in my game, just even my leadership role, being able to impact players around me as much as I can and just homing in on the little intricate things that I can work on,” Surtain said.
Chargers
Chargers fifth-round TE Oronde Gadsden II has an NFL pedigree and is a strong athlete, making the switch from receiver to tight end during his time at Syracuse. His new TE coach, Andy Bischoff, recently compared him to Darren Waller.
“I know it’s a huge, huge forecast, but I was fortunate to coach Darren Waller and Darren Waller was a receiver in college,” Bischoff said in a press conference. “We turned him into a tight end. He’s got some of those traits. It’s way early. Way early, but he’s twitchy. He separates, he does some really good things in the pass game. I think as he’s become more comfortable in our system in the last four or five days, I think people are beginning to see that.”
Raiders
- Raiders HC Pete Carroll talked about their goals this year at media day: “A lot of expectations for us. We’re going for it. We’re not holding back. We’re not looking for anyone to give us a grace period or any of that kind of stuff. That’s not how we’re going about this. We’re going to get it right now.” (Jeremy Bergman)
- Raiders DB Isaiah Pola-Mao said HC Pete Carroll has been heavily involved with the instruction of defensive backs: “It’s a fun experience. This really is a whole new defense…I’ve never had a head coach who was so hands-on with the [defensive backs as Pete Carroll].” (Paul Gutierrez)
- Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett said he played through a torn labrum last season: “Last season, my shoulder probably popped out like five times because I had a torn labrum.” (Paul Gutierrez)
- Raiders ST coordinator Tom McMahon said a lot of players want to take return specialist duties: “Everybody wants to be the returner. Everybody wants to cover kicks. Because production is, and it should be, where you make the money in this league.” (Gutierrez)
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