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AFC Notes: Jaylen Waddle, Kirk Cousins, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders
Apr 9, 2026Jonathan ComeauxNFL Trade Rumors
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Broncos Mike Sando of The Athletic notes the Broncos acquired WR Jaylen Waddle in a move one executive said could “fight regression for a year or two.” Waddle has battled injuries; one executive said: “Denver wants to give Bo Nix his best chance with a new (play caller), so take your shot… Availability is a concern, and Waddle does not exactly exude toughness. Maybe your culture changes that.” Another executive noted: “He opens things up… He is a good complement to Courtland Sutton , who is more of a possession receiver. He is a good stretch-the-field receiver, which they already have with Troy Franklin . Waddle can run all these crossers and beat man coverage, and he’s in his prime.” Denver had targeted RB Travis Etienne but was surprised when the Saints signed him instead, later re-signing RB J.K. Dobbins . Chargers Mike Sando of The Athletic notes the Chargers did not make a premium addition via free agency or trade, contributing to a drop from 20th in cash spending last season to a projected 31st heading into 2026. One executive commented on the team’s passive approach, saying: “Once you have the owners who say, ‘No, I want to go for it,’ it becomes really hard for the teams who are passive to win big… If you’re the Chargers or the Bengals and you’re gonna play this thing passive, yeah, you’re going to compete with the Ravens right now and the Broncos right now, but in two years, it’s gonna be a different team that passed you.” The Chargers are relying on better health and internal development, adding C Tyler Biadasz and G Cole Strange to the offensive line. An executive said: “They are playing draft and develop while they are paying a quarterback… It changes the math of how you bring in players. Their quarterback is making $24 million (in base salary) this year, and they are going to be the lowest cash spending team in the league. Take advantage of this and get good players, even if it’s just on one-year deals.” LA retained 13th-year pass rusher Khalil Mack for his age-35 season but lost edge rusher Odafe Oweh to Washington. One executive said: “That is two teams now that have let Oweh walk, and it wasn’t like his former coach (John Harbaugh, now with the New York Giants) was banging down the doors for him… It wasn’t like Baltimore was trying to get him back with Jesse Minter. Todd Monken wasn’t trying to bring him to Cleveland.” Raiders The Raiders brought in veteran QB Kirk Cousins despite being expected to take Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. When asked about Mendoza, Cousins said he spoke with the incumbent rookie during his pre-draft visit to the organization and understands that they will have to lean on each other in 2026. “He had a great way about him,” Cousins said, via Saad Yousef of The Athletic. “It was good to just watch some tape together and talk ball. There will be a lot of that up ahead for us, so we’ll be spending a lot of time together — meetings, practices, games. We all kind of lean on each other in the quarterback room. It’s really got to be a working force together, where we’re all helping each other. It ought to be a noisy room, where we’re all asking questions, all giving each other feedback on what we think. Those are the years when I’ve had my best years, when the quarterback room has been a really strong room with great dialogue all year long.” Cousins has no issues playing a mentor role to Mendoza. “Fernando will be a great addition to our team,” Cousins s…