Chargers
Chargers lost free agent signing RB Najee Harris for the season after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3. Los Angeles HC John Harbaugh has the utmost faith in first-round RB Omarion Hampton to step in right away in his absence because of his advanced maturity and mental capabilities for his young age.
“I’m not surprised. We knew how special he was as soon as he got here,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “Running back is an incredibly tough position. The way he’s fought and picked up the offense, we’re asking a lot of him… especially as a rookie.”
“He’s handled it all,” Harbaugh added. “He’s picked it up and taken it on his shoulders. We’re really lucky to have him.”
- Harbaugh is satisfied with the team’s running back personnel: “I don’t know if we need to be hunting around for any backs right now, to me, they’re in the building.” (Rhim)
Chiefs
Chiefs WR Tyquan Thornton recorded a 35-yard reception in Week 3’s win over the Giants, where he made an acrobatic catch against CB Paulson Adebo. It came after he couldn’t secure a potential 34-yard touchdown diving catch.
“I knew he was coming to me,” Thornton said, via Nate Taylor of ESPN. “I knew he was going to give me another opportunity.”
Patrick Mahomes said Thornton is “exceeding my expectations” since joining the team in 2024.
“I knew he was going to be a good player, but he’s even exceeding my expectations,” Mahomes said. “He’s stepping up whenever the opportunity has been provided for him.”
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Thornton got a lot of praise from fellow WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and former Patriots HC Bill Belichick when he was in New England.
“He’s showing some things,” Reid said. “He’s a guy that I know JuJu spoke highly of when he was with the [New England] Patriots and Bill Belichick gave him big compliments. He’s come in here and done nothing but work hard.”
- When examining teams who could be in the trade market ahead of this year’s deadline, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that the Chiefs need help at running back and Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright may be an interesting target, given that he’s not getting playing time in Miami.
Raiders
Former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce shook things up when he said minority owner and Fox broadcaster Tom Brady shared with him information that he picked up from production meetings. When asked if he’s had any talks with Brady, OC Chip Kelly said they have never discussed game plans.
“I don’t know what was said on the broadcast because we don’t watch the games. But Tom’s involvement with me is — I spend a lot of time just talking football with him,” Kelly said, via PFT. “But it’s not on a — we don’t talk about game plans.”
However, Kelly mentioned that he had talks with Brady over the offseason about some tips he has for going up against specific defenses like former Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer’s.
“I just used him as a resource of, hey, when you faced a Mike Zimmer-type defense, what did you like protection-wise and play-wise?” Kelly said. “But on a weekly basis, he’s not game-planning with us or talking to us.”
Kelly reiterated that he never collaborated with Brady about game plans.
“In terms of weekly game plans, that’s not a collaboration that we do,” Kelly said. “He’s also a busy guy, so I haven’t even thought of using him to do that, and I don’t think you can. So, our staff does all that. But he’s been a guy that I can talk football with, just shooting it about, hey, have you ever faced a two-trap defense or the inverted Tampa two that everybody’s running now. If you’ve ever [seen it], what are your thoughts about that? Things like that. But we don’t talk game plan at all or any of that stuff, in terms of on a weekly basis.”
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