AFC Notes: Vance Joseph, D.K. Metcalf, Broncos, Jaguars, Steelers

AFC Notes: Vance Joseph, D.K. Metcalf, Broncos, Jaguars, Steelers
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Broncos

The Broncos go into the season with high expectations for their defense after finishing among the league’s best last season. Denver DC Vance Joseph said they aren’t resting on any laurels in 2025.

“We had a great defense. That was last year,” Joseph said, via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. “This year is totally different. My entire sell this entire offseason has been, ‘Let’s start over again. Let’s keep improving.’ Last year counts, but it doesn’t matter moving forward. We have to continue to improve.”

Joseph said he’s studied how offenses attacked them last season and knows what areas they need to adjust.

“We watch every clip from last year and once you watch it all, you get a clear idea of how teams attacked you,” Joseph said. “It was obvious. I won’t share that, but it was obvious how teams attacked us and you have to go to work on how you prevent some of that stuff. That’s what you do in the offseason every year. Every year, you have to change and adjust as teams see you differently. Our players have grown into different types of players. The respect level for Pat has gone up, so how we adjust off of that is going to be huge.”

Joseph added that they could be better on third downs.

We watched our (film) cut-ups from the fall,” Joseph said. “We weren’t perfect in every area. Third downs, we have to get better. There’s lots of room for improvement.”

Jaguars

Former professional rugby player and NFL hopeful Louis Rees-Zammit has bounced from the Chiefs to the Jaguars and says he will give himself a year or two to break out in the league. If it doesn’t happen for him, he plans to make a return to rugby while he is still young and can play at a high level.

“International players get probably two to three years to make it in the NFL,” Rees-Zammit told talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Jacobs. “So, I wanted to do it at a time where I could maybe come back to rugby. I’m 24 now, probably got one to two more years to try and make it, depending on how this year goes. I’ll be 25, 26 when I go back to rugby. I like to think I can still play at the highest level. When I was playing rugby, I went to America twice to train, and the things I learned there I knew straight away would help my game. Now, having two years of it, I think if I did have to go back I’ll definitely be able to excel again.”

Steelers

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers mentioned he has already met with WR D.K. Metcalf several times. He already had an appreciation for Metcalf’s game from watching him as an opponent and he’s a bigger fan after working more closely with him.

“We got to get together out west. I’ve gone against him a number of times,” Rodgers said via...