Chargers WR Keenan Allen is happy to have some versatility back as he felt former OC Joe Lombardi kept him as a slot receiver too often.
“With Lombardi, I was stuck at the slot the whole time,” Allen said, via Alex Insdorf of USAToday.com. “I’m inside and outside now, we’re all kinda inside and outside now, playing everything.”
Chiefs LB Leo Chenal explained his transition down from an off-ball linebacker into rushing off of the edge.
“Coach Spags is having us try out different positions on the [defensive] line, dropping from inside the line as that joker role,” Chenal said, via Chiefs Wire. “It’s an unfamiliar position to be in as an off-ball linebacker. Willie (Gay) and I have been taking that role of getting on the line and rushing. A guy like him, he’s got a ton of speed, so just learning from each other, learning from guys like George (Karlaftis), you know that’s been really nice.”
The Raiders are looking for young building blocks on defense, but the biggest impact in that regard might have been the veteran additions they made this offseason. Las Vegas signed S Marcus Epps in free agency and CB Marcus Peters a few weeks ago. Both have been cited by S Tre’von Moehrig and CB Nate Hobbs as positive influences for a Raiders secondary that’s had a strong training camp so far.
“[Epps] knows what he’s doing, he’s getting everybody in the right position, and he just knows the defense like the back of his hand,” Hobbs said via the Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “He’s always in the right spot, always knows the right call to make. So I think (he and Peters are) just real valuable additions to our defense that’s going to take our defensive back position to the next level.”
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