I hope everyone had a splendid Valentine's Day yesterday, and is recuperating from the excess amounts of candy and goodies consumed on Cupid's holiday. While love was in the air, there's certainly no love lost for the Oakland Raiders AFC West rivals, who have been busy as of late.
Let's dive into this week's edition of the AFC West Update:
Denver Broncos
Throughout the majority of the 2017 campaign, defensive end Derek Wolfe has battled through neck pain, which forced him to miss the last five games of the season. The pain led to Wolfe undergoing a Foraminotomy procedure, which alleviates the pressed placed on nerves in the spinal region. Per 9News.com, Wolfe talked about the injury and the agony it caused him.
"I feel so much better," Wolfe said post-surgery. "I swear I couldn't do a pushup during the season."
For a man that's 6'5" and 284 pounds, I can't imagine a pushup is an outrageous feat to accomplish, which puts into perspective how much pain he was in. Fortunately, Wolfe is in the recovery phase, and will rehab in preparation for the upcoming season.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are parting ways with one of their longest-tenured players, linebacker Derrick Johnson.
After 13 years as a member of Chiefs Kingdom, Johnson is slated to become a free agent, the team announced Tuesday. The former University of Texas Longhorn had quite the career in K.C., starting 169 games, hauling in 14 interceptions, reaching the end zone four times, totaling 77 passes defensed, 22 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, 27.5 sacks, and 1,152 tackles.
Quite the résumé.
The Chiefs defense experienced a down year last season, ranking 28th in yards allowed (365.1). It'll be interesting to see who the team targets in free agency to help the defense get back on its feet.
Los Angeles Chargers
It took a little bit longer than the rest of the NFL, but oh well, the Chargers have officially finalized their 2018 coaching staff. With head coach Anthony Lynn remaining at the helm for his second season with the Bolts, he'll be accompanied on the sidelines by some new faces, with wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan and tight ends coach Rip Scherer embarking on their first season with the team.
To take a look at the Chargers full 2018 coaching staff, click here.
