Broncos
New Broncos TE Evan Engram said that he is impressed with what he has seen from QB Bo Nix after meeting him for the first time recently.
“Even having lunch with him, just kind of briefly, he was sitting down with one of the trainers and they were having a conversation about his throwing progression in the offseason and the little minor things he’s working on,” Engram said, via BroncosWire.com. “That was music to my ears. Hearing the mindset, even as just a fly on the wall. I wasn’t even in the conversation, I was just kind of observing him and his work and his work ethic and his work process. My biggest thing was just watching his tape. I sat down, downloaded a couple of games for the flight, sat down and watched some more with [quarterbacks coach] Davis [Webb] in the building.”
“He has everything that it takes to be great in this league,” Engram continued. “The biggest thing that stood out to me was his presence in the pocket. He’s very calm, very collected. When the pocket does break down, the plays he can make on his feet while having his eyes downfield is something that you have to continue to put great talent around because that is a weapon. That is a true weapon. When you put all of those things together, there’s something special there. Obviously, the rapport he has in the building. The way the coaches talk about him, it was something that really meant a lot to me as well. Really excited to get to work with Bo. He has a bright future ahead of him. Whatever I can do to make his job easier and to help him evolve to be the great player he can become is a great opportunity for myself.”
Chargers
Chargers LB Daiyan Henley, who was used primarily on special teams during his rookie season, used his position on the depth chart as motivation to take the next step and become a starter.
“I chased this dream for so long to be here, from outside looking in, that probably seemed like it was enough,” Henley said, via ESPN. “But that wasn’t my end-all-be-all goal to be a special teamer. … So that was where my embarrassment was, but it was also my interior motivation.”
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh has noticed the growth of Henley, which was headlined by a game against the Titans last year where he had a career-high 15 tackles.
“The growth, the leadership, the tackling ability, that’s been great,” Harbaugh said. “Elite pass defense, driving into the zone and just finding the receivers and plugging the holes and then reacting to the ball in the air that was elite.”
Henley believes that he’s only scratching the surface of what he wants to accomplish in the NFL.
“Looking around the league, I feel bits of just longing for more. I see guys, and I feel like I should have that opportunity, and why didn’t I?” Henley said. “Ultimately, I’m telling myself, ‘You haven’t done anything yet,’ and that right there motivates me. So that’s where I’m at mentally. I feel like I still haven’t had my moment yet.”
Raiders
Raiders QB Geno Smith says that he has unfinished business with HC Pete Carroll, which is the reason he ended up in Las Vegas. He quipped that he would run through a wall for Carroll and would do the same for all his new teammates this season.
“I think there is unfinished business, and I think when people think about my story, you know, Coach Carroll was a big part of that,” Smith said, via NFL.com. “He gave me an opportunity when not many people would have. He saw the hard work that I was putting in, he saw the things behind the scenes that I do that allow me to get this opportunity. But to be able to play for him and again, to be a part of this organization, it means everything to myself and my family. I was just telling him, man, I’ll run through a wall for him, and he knows that. I’ll do the same for my teammates and for this organization, and so I just want that to be, you know, kind of who I am and I want that to be the statement of who I am as the quarterback of this team.”
“He’s going to bring us great stability and belief in the kinds of things that we stand for,” Carroll said of Smith. “His habits are so, so stellar; the way he works, the way he looks at the game, the way he looks at the challenges of it all is exactly in line with the way we think. So, he’ll represent us in magnificent fashion. I think it gives us instant stability in a crucial spot. The history that we have and my understanding of G, and how to help him be the best he can be, and he knows how to bring out the best in our system because he’ll stand for the competitiveness and the things that we believe in. It’s just a great fit and I’m so thrilled. This has been coming but today feels like the real deal. We’re finally here together, sitting next to each other and talking about getting out on the field and throwing football around and that’s what we’re all about and so we couldn’t be more connected in that regard.”
“My mindset has never changed. It’s the same thing every day — go out there and compete, go out there and win, do what it takes to be the best,” Smith added. “Even when I was the backup, that’s how I felt. I think that allowed me to stay in it, and now that I get the opportunity to start, nothing changes. I’m still, in my mind, that same guy who had to fight, scratch and claw for the opportunity and that will never leave me. It’s about us going out there and earning every single thing, and I want all of us to believe that we have to go and earn it. I’m going to be the guy that gives every single thing that I got, and that’s every single day — I’m never going to let up. I’m going to do whatever it takes to go out there and win. It’s important that my teammates see that and see that in me, and I want them to be inspired by that.”
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