On the trade for WR Jaylen Waddle and what he brings to the team<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we are excited. I would say that this process took a while. Credit [to] Miami and [General Manager] George [Paton]., the patience of coming to a real fair deal. With regards to the player, he is explosive. I think if you asked me the single biggest thing that I think he does well is he\u2019s extremely fast and he stops fast. He can sink his hips in transition and then the other thing that came up time and time again is how competitive he is. I\u2019m very close with [Lions QB] Teddy Bridgewater, we\u2019re very close with [former University of Alabama Head] Coach [Nick] Saban and we\u2019re close with a lot of people who have had the chance to work with him. Whenever you get into a big-name free agent or a trade of this magnitude, all the other stuff is important to research. When it comes to [WR Jaylen] Waddle\u2019s all the other stuff, it was 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. So I think obviously it will help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
On if he sensed angst on the outside during free agency<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tune out the angst. There was a lot of angst when we selected [QB] Bo [Nix] where we selected him. There was a lot of angst when we made quite a few of these decisions. You have to tune that out. Now, I said this in a jokingly manner. We are aware of that. We understand that. And yet, you cannot chase what others outside of the building feel like you should be doing. We spent a lot of time on this free agency class. We had a pecking order of what we thought was most important, and we were able to accomplish that. I\u2019m sure glad that we had the [WR Jaylen] Waddle trade done before I was coaching that flag football game and our fan base wasn\u2019t going crazy as I\u2019m working on a flag gameplan. (Laughs) I think in fairness, and I recognize that everyone would say, \u2018Hey, you have [QB] Bo [Nix] on his rookie deal.\u2019 Well no kidding, but just do the research. You go back in that first week of free agency and if you are batting .380 or .395, it\u2019s about where the numbers lie. If you went back five years from now\u2026 Just go backwards and said, \u2018Would they do it again?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a really good job of in Year 1 of hitting on some priority free agents that were immediately able to change the flight pattern in which we were traveling. I think [General Manager] George [Paton] and I felt strongly that there were a few of these players that really, \u2018A\u2019, we were re-signing that were already on our existing team and, \u2018B\u2019, a number of these players who we re-did contracts with. That time of the season has been marketed right in front of every one of your eyes. What is the next word that comes after free agency from the NFL Network and from NFL.com? \u2018Frenzy.\u2019 Frenzy is what you don\u2019t want. Frenzy implies that it has to happen, chaos\u2026 It\u2019s all marketing. Steady, right decision. \u2018What\u2019s our plan?\u2019 Stick with our plan. Tune out the noise. Same is going to apply to this draft. We don\u2019t know who is driving this bus. The first-round bus, I call it. If you\u2019re not careful, you\u2019ll end up selecting a player that maybe someone else thinks\u2026 We are excited to add a player like Jaylen. We spent a lot of time looking at that selection and trying to determine\u2026 We could safely say that pick would\u2019ve been one of these seven or eight players. We didn\u2019t feel like that would help us as much as Jaylen Waddle.\u201d<\/p>\n
On releasing 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw and the plan at inside linebacker<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a tough one. Here is why: he is so passionate. In my career as a coach, I\u2019ve been lucky enough to coach a lot of passionate players that love the game. I\u2019m always disappointed internally that that didn\u2019t work out because I love that player. I love how he competes. I love all the things he brings. You feel somewhat responsible when it doesn\u2019t work out. We knew it would take a little bit of time with [ILB] Alex [Singleton] and [ILB] Justin [Strnad]. You\u2019re going to see [OLB Jonah] Elliss take some snaps inside. That is something that we have discussed relative to our depth at the edge. Then we will see where that goes during the draft. Those aren\u2019t fun when you re-sign your own players, and I understand\u2026 But when we look at the puzzle, you have to take the red magnets that are [unrestricted free agents] and put them off the depth chart, then begin to address the \u2018musts\u2019, \u2018needs\u2019 and \u2018wants\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the free agency process<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a list that says \u2018musts\u2019, \u2018needs\u2019 and \u2018wants\u2019, you have to jump into the draft first, jump back to free agency and then look at the draft again. Then begin to look at, \u2018Where is the best way to address this must? In the draft or in free agency?\u2019 And look, we never get to live in a perfect world, but you\u2019d always love to be drafting the best player. Sometimes\u2014there are a lot of times where that can happen. [General Manager] George [Paton] and I, we are all sitting in there and going through the puzzle. I think there were certain priorities. [RB J.K.] Dobbins was a priority, ahead of all others. Now that will anger people. We know that he has been injured, and we understand that the injures haven\u2019t been soft tissue driven. He is someone who is one of those compound multipliers, like he brings 10 others along with him in a positive light. Our success last year, he has some finger prints on that. [49ers LB] Dre [Greenlaw] has some. All these players that came in that have been in winning programs are a big part of how you win 14 games in call it Year 3 of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
On OLB Jonah Elliss getting snaps at inside linebacker<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the decision to give him snaps going forward. Skill set, it\u2019s a position where we are wanting\u2014I drafted his brother [Saints LB Kaden Elliss]. The same thing happened with [Eagles LB] Zack Baun, only we couldn\u2019t get Zack Baun on the field. Now Philadelphia managed to. It was really looking at your assets, and we know that he is smart, tough and he has all the\u2026 Sometimes, that inside backer position\u2014one of the best in our league at San Francisco in [49ers LB] Fred Warner, you saw him play more out in space, outside backer. Sometimes you have to look at the skill set, and then project where you think it can go, and your depth on the edge that allows you to do something like that. We will have a chance to visit with him on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On if they believe they will be able to \u2018run it back\u2019 this upcoming season<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the stories and I don\u2019t believe that. So it\u2019s not, \u2018Let\u2019s run it back.\u2019 I hate that term. It\u2019s not, \u2018Let\u2019s run it back.\u2019 Let\u2019s understand one thing: it is anything but that. When you win 11 of 13 one-score games, like you saw the flip in just one season with Kansas City. It\u2019s how do you improve your team. The better you get, the harder it is to improve your team.\u201d<\/p>\n
On if they feel good about where they are now<\/p>\n
\u201cI never feel good. We have the draft coming up and we are excited about that. The point is though, you have to apply some patience and have a good plan. We recognize where we are at. We understand exactly where we are at with [QB] Bo [Nix]\u2019s contract, our team. And yet, the mistake that two-thirds of the teams make is trying to win the day. Win the draft day, win the hiring cycle day and win the free agency day. We are interested in winning. That\u2019s why our fanbase is extremely important to us, but we are going to do what we think is best for our team to be better when this puzzle is finished at the end of call it June. Then what do we look like at that point?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think honestly, as a head coach of a team and recognizing it was great to see us, compared to the year before, play very well in those one-score games. That\u2019s a bye-product of a little confidence, and it started I think in Philadelphia. If you pin-pointed a couple of key games, every one of you guys would say, \u2018Yes, that was an important moment.\u2019 Not just for Bo, but for a lot of people. Then pretty soon if you are in that game next time, you feel like you can do it. Just go do the analytics, lopsided in your favor one-score games, which certainly 11 of 13 would be, and then track the next season. There is nothing that\u2026 That is why I said to you that I never feel good. You are always understanding the next challenge. We have a tough schedule. We don\u2019t know when we are playing these teams, but we are playing a real good schedule of teams that have been in the postseason. I do think that patience is important. My brother is 71-years old and [on] Day 2 of free agency, the phone rings. Free agency frenzy, right here. You are the frenzy guy. And if it is frenzy, that is not good, but that sells.\u201d<\/p>\n
On how much WR Jaylen Waddle affects the other receivers in the room as well as the running game<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I think my experience is when the locker room is kind of where we have it, if you can help us, come on in. If you train and are like-minded like us, come on in. Now if you can\u2019t\u2026 I think whenever you are able to bring in someone that is highly competitive, his personality and all of those things. I think the good teams welcome those players because they know it\u2019s another piece and another opportunity to improve your team.\u201d<\/p>\n
On WR Jaylen Waddle\u2019s flexibility at the wide receiver position<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you guys said, \u2018Where has he played?\u2019 He\u2019s played everywhere. I\u2019ve seen him outside as a tremendous route runner, inside. The route tree is pretty expansive. I\u2019d say\u2014I just said it. The best thing that I think he does is he\u2019s explosive; he\u2019s dynamic. A lot of times, the guys run fast, but I think he sends his hips in transition. I think you\u2019ll see him play inside in the slot; you\u2019ll see him outside. We\u2019ll have speed packages that will feature\u2026 We\u2019re not just going to have, and I know someone\u2019s getting ready to ask me, \u2018Is he receiver [No.] 1 or 2?\u2019 So we don\u2019t have [that]. We just play different packages and try to give those guys the things that they do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
On finding consistency in the run game<\/p>\n
\u201cSo right now I\u2019m going to answer the question. That could be a position that gets addressed if the opportunity presents itself. We love the way [RB] RJ [Harvey] played. We ran it more consistently earlier in the year than we did later in the year. I don\u2019t like how we rushed it in the postseason. It\u2019s one way to take pressure off your quarterback, and I think that will be a focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
On if having a new play caller in Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb will change their offseason schedule<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t change anything. It doesn\u2019t change any of that. Typically we come in in April. The first four weeks\u2014I know what the league\u2019s phases are\u2014we kind of tweak it. I always want the first month to be weight room, nothing to do with football. So this year, we went three weeks further into the season. Our players won\u2019t be in our building until May, the first Monday in May. I think it\u2019s the third or fourth. All of May will just be weightlifting. You\u2019ll see us on the field in June. We\u2019ll have two weeks of OTAs and a week of mini camp, but I don\u2019t want them to feel like they were just here. So we\u2019ve done that before. I think it\u2019s important, and I think the players appreciate it because they were just here.\u201d<\/p>\n
On QB Bo Nix and Bears QB Caleb Williams\u2019 abilities to win one-scores games in the fourth quarter and if that carries over from season to season<\/p>\n
\u201cFor both of those players, you guys have heard me say this: Confidence can only be born out of demonstrated ability. So I would ask everyone here, if I said to you, \u2018Caleb and Bo, are they more confident this year?\u2019 Absolutely. Now there\u2019s nothing that says that\u2019s promised the next year, and [Bears Head Coach] Ben [Johnson] knows this. You turn the board upside down. You place it and you collect your pieces, whatever the game is. You have to start back at zero. But when you start back there, you have a little bit of a bank vault that is filed with these positive experiences. If you believe it can happen once, then\u2026 You\u2019re a different player at the start of this season than you were at the start of the other season. The one-score games, I think it just provides you\u2026 In the college game there are far fewer of those games. So it provides you with [knowing], \u2018This is more the norm.\u2019 We might be down six [points], up six, up three, tied at half. You get used to living in that world. I think that\u2019s a big thing, especially for the quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n
On what Year 3 development will look like for QB Bo Nix<\/p>\n
\u201cI think look, his job\u2014and we say this all the time\u2014is lead your team into the end zone, lead your team to wins. We see him every day at the facility. He\u2019s ahead of schedule with his rehab. He likes being around football. That draft and the significance of trying to get that right is like, \u2018Holy cow.\u2019 It\u2019s so important. We\u2019ll be able to grade that whole class\u2026 I always say three years out, but we could begin to apply that. Then certainly 10 years out, you really know. I think the tweaks, the changes, the additions, and then understanding the challenges ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
On how Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb calling plays will affect QB Bo Nix\u2019s development<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it changes for Davis and Bo a little. Bo is in there with [Quarterbacks Coach] Logan Kilgore now. Logan will be his warm and fuzzy. Now, Davis and myself will be like, \u2018Hey! What are you\u2026\u2019 (Laughs) I think they have a great relationship. There\u2019s a cohesiveness in general with our sides of the ball. I\u2019ll still be working in every of the offensive meetings. I just think that it\u2019s\u2026 I\u2019m glad we have Davis coming back, and I think that that experience will only help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
On bringing back TE Adam Trautman<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know exactly what you\u2019re getting in the player. Look, if we want to run the ball well, he\u2019s one of the better blocking tight ends. He\u2019s really good in pass protection. We evaluate every ounce of the tape. I\u2019d be leery of someone that grabs three clips. We know exactly what [TE] Adam [Trautman] is. That was just going to take time to see where the market value went. So I\u2019m glad he\u2019s back. I don\u2019t take him for granted because we knew… When you have [Ravens Offensive Coordinator] Declan [Doyle] who has left and you have these other coaches, [Bills Offensive Coordinator] Pete [Carmichael] and [Bills Defensive Coordinator] Jim [Leonhard], the other challenge with that is, they have a little more exposure to your free agents relative to… So that was a little bit of a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the depth of tight end prospects this draft class<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fairness to the question, we did our front board meetings prior to the Combine which is an overview. Today\u2019s Tuesday. Tomorrow morning it\u2019s 7:30, we enter that team meeting room and we\u2019re in there for the next 26 days. There are some really good prospects, but I\u2019m anxious to see who they are because right now I just know the names. Honestly, I just know them like you do. Hopefully we can get to know them and possibly have a target in there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the trade for WR Jaylen Waddle and what he brings to the team \u201cObviously we are excited.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":846044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2062],"tags":[232,231,258,84698,2426,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-846043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-broncos","9":"tag-denver","10":"tag-denver-broncos","11":"tag-denver-broncos-discussion","12":"tag-denverbroncos","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116326745353399326","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}