Broncos

Broncos S Brandon Jones said the team knows it needs to continue to embrace the mentality that got them from being an underdog into one of the league’s best teams, even as Denver gets a lot more hype about its prospects in 2025.

“I think we’re handling it really well,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “I will say, we’re still a young team. I think that just kind of brings that juice and energy and kind of that overall dog mentality that we all have. We never want to get comfortable; [you] never can get comfortable in this league. So I think we’re just going to keep striving for greatness and continue to do what we can do.”

Broncos LT Garett Bolles said the team needs to start faster and has the utmost belief in the team’s coaching staff.

“I think we’ve just got to stay calm and composed and just focus on the game and attack each opponent the same way, the way we study, the way that we game-plan, the way that we do things,” Bolles said on how to string wins together in 2025. “We have a hell of a coaching staff here. We really do. One of the best in the NFL for a reason. Coach Payton, I love him dearly. … Just his coaching experience, his mindset [and] his culture that he builds is so special.”

Bolles added that HC Sean Payton prepares the team for situations when they need a critical stop or a conversion.

“I think when we get in those moments when it’s crunch time and you’ve got to score [or] you’ve got to make a stop, I don’t think we’re afraid because he puts us in situations in practice to make us feel uncomfortable so that when we get in those moments, we can win those close games,” Bolles said. “Those are the games you have to win in this league. … I think it’s just all about the culture we have here and the players we have here and the mindset that we have here.”

Broncos

• Jeff Legwold of ESPN spoke to Broncos HC Sean Payton about the team’s defense: “We’re trying to put together the best team we can. And I hear what’s said and I understand the questions, but there are a lot of ways to help a young quarterback — any quarterback. … A good defense helps a quarterback.”
• Broncos DC Vance Joseph also weighed in: “We had a great defense, [but] that was last year. My entire offseason [thought] is that’s over, let’s keep improving. Last year counts, but it doesn’t matter moving forward, we added some more pieces, we keep improving … the challenges are ahead.”
• Joseph continued, citing the additions of S Talanoa Hufanga and LB Dre Greenlaw: “It’s always great to add Pro Bowl-type of players. I think both guys bring an attitude of being on great defenses. Both guys bring experience of being in big games and being on dominant defenses. That’s practice, that’s meetings, that’s every day. … To add those kind of guys have been tremendous for us.”
• Hufanga commented on his decision to join the Broncos: “This defense is incredible. You look from top to bottom, it’s just players. So for me, I just wanted to humbly come in, earn their respect and join a crew that already did really well last year, for sure.”
• Payton also commented on the team selecting CB Jahdae Barron out of Texas in the first round of the draft: “These are premium positions, and this type of player [Barron] is less available than so many other positions. It’s harder to find these traits and what he does than at other positions, not only in the draft. So he provides great flexibility if you want to play a third-down snap and put Surtain on a certain receiver, travel [Barron] to one, travel [cornerback] Riley [ Moss], there’s a lot of flexibility. It’s real difficult if you’re light there.”

Raiders

Raiders HC Pete Carroll highly praised first-round RB Ashton Jeanty, saying the running back is embracing the challenge of being their feature back. 

“He caught the ball well, understood stuff, took everything seriously [and] gave terrific effort throughout,” Carroll said, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “We made a big deal of him — ‘Everybody’s watching you’ — and he embraced the thought of it. And so, it’s going to be exciting to see what happens.”

Raiders veteran RB Raheem Mostert has been impressed by Jeanty’s ability to break big plays. 

“The biggest thing that impressed me the most was that he was able to break and take it another 60 yards,” Mostert said. “That’s something that’s not necessarily going on out there in the world right now.”

Carroll is getting Jeanty and other rookies like WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. and CB Darien Porter a lot of reps in their offseason program. The coach explained its an approach he’s always taken with rookies. 

“This is what I’ve done with rookies for a long time,” Carroll said. “It just depends on how well you orchestrate what you ask them to do. And if they can find success, that helps our depth and helps us stay competitive.”

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