Broncos

• ESPN’s Jeff Legwold names third-round WR Pat Bryant as a potential surprise player to watch for the Broncos after HC Sean Payton compared him to former Saints WR Michael Thomas. 
• Legwold notes that Bryant consistently made contested catches in Denver’s spring workouts, including an impressive catch over first-round CB Jahdae Barron in minicamp. 

Chargers

• The Athletic’s Daniel Popper points out Chargers WR Quentin Johnston has more competition than ever for a role and a roster spot after the team’s moves this offseason, and whatever he gets this season, he will have to earn it. 
• Popper thinks the Chargers also have a fascinating battle setting up at cornerback, with seven contenders for six roster spots. The bottom four are probably free agent addition Benjamin St-Juste, seventh-rounder Trikweze Bridges, and holdovers Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard. 
• He mentions a quote from DC Jesse Minter that stood out to him this summer in terms of projecting the group: “Some weeks you play these giant receivers, some weeks you play different types. And so I think at corner nowadays sometimes you’re trying to create a little bit of a basketball team, where you can match up differently on different people.”
• Kris Rhim of ESPN names fifth-round TE Oronde Gadsden II as a potential surprise player to watch in 2025 after becoming Justin Herbert‘s “favorite target” in OTAs and minicamp.
• Herbert has WR Mike Williams back, who played for the Jets and Steelers last season after seven seasons with the team: “He’s one of those guys that changes the way he plays football when he’s on your team. 50-50 balls are not quite 50-50, as we’ve seen with Mike. You need a play — a big-time play — he’s going to go up and make it. I think we’ve made great strides this offseason. We’re far ahead of where we were last year.”
• Per Rhim, the Chargers have a lot to look forward to this coming season, with S Derwin James noting that the team knows where their floor is: “I feel like last year kind of set the floor for this group. I feel like last year no one expected us to go that far. I feel like we got everything we need to do what we need to do.”
• James believes that LB Daiyan Henley is going to have a breakout season and be one of the league’s top linebackers: “All-Pro. I push him every day. I tell him, ‘If a tight end catch the ball on you. It’s not good.’ I want him to do everything because I feel like he has a ceiling where he can be All-Pro, not just Pro Bowl, but an All-Pro player.”
• Henley has spent time this offseason working with James and returning 34-year-old renaissance man LB Khalil Mack: “I think the biggest thing about expectations like that is that they have to start within. It’s not something that people should bestow upon you. You have to want that for yourself to go get it. And that’s always been my goals and aspirations is to be that type of guy.”
• Minter is thrilled that Mack decided to return: “It means everything. Khalil is one of the best ever to do it, but really just the type of person he is, the type of leadership that he brings. I have great appreciation for how he operates. I take things from him every day.”
• James wasn’t shy about trying to recruit Mack to return: “He means everything. I was begging and pleading to get him back. I actually hit him up to get him back. I was just so excited when he came back. For him to come back like that, I knew he really loves us, man, and he really wanted a shot at it again.”
• Chargers Senior Analyst Alex Stern is leaving the team for a role at a major third-party sports analytics company with NFL clients after spending four years with the team. (Seth Walder)

Raiders

• Ryan McFadden of ESPN has spent time around the Raiders this offseason and noted that there are several things to be excited about for new HC Pete Carroll and his team.
• McFadden spoke to LT Kolton Miller, who says that first-round RB Ashton Jeanty is making strides to show he can be the team’s starting running back: “He can’t show his full ability right now, but off the field, he’s very mature. He brings great energy, and it shows a lot of maturity for his age. I’m so excited to block for him.”
• Carroll noted that he won’t shy away from signing more players if needed after the team brought in former Bengals LB Germaine Pratt: “You’re either competing or you’re not. We ain’t letting up now. There’s no time to turn away from having a chance to get a little bit better. So, we’ll be on it.”
• Joined by Jeremy Chinn, S Isaiah Pola-Mao plans to work on his man coverage before the season: “A lot of times my eyes were in the wrong places last year, so that kind of got me in trouble. I think that’s where it starts.”
• Another young player looking to improve at center is Jackson Powers-Johnson: “I never really had a real offseason at center. I was always playing five or six different positions, so being able to hone in on one has been awesome. So, I think I’m going to make a great jump. I never really had a real offseason at center. I was always playing five or six different positions, so being able to hone in on one has been awesome. So, I think I’m going to make a great jump. You got to run the ball to be able to win the game, and that’s been impressed on us every single day.”
• McFadden calls Raiders’ fourth-round WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. an under-the-radar player after receiving a “good amount of reps” with the first-team offense. 
• McFadden notes that Thornton’s 6 feet, 5 inches size and 4.3 speed make him an intermediate and deep passing game threat. 
• The Raiders hired Jonah Lubin as a football data science assistant. (Seth Walder)