AFC West Notes: Lynch, Hillman, Childress

The quarterback battle rages on in Denver, as Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak hasn’t yet named a starter for the club’s third preseason game, tweets James Palmer of NFL.com. And while Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian have been viewed as the only competitors for the No. 1 job, Paxton Lynch is still a candidate for the starting role. “He’s always been in the mix,” Kubiak told the media, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I just told you guys that he’s behind the other two from a knowledge standpoint, but we’ve been out there competing every day. Everybody is in competition to play.”

Let’s take a look at more out the Mile High City and the rest of the AFC West:

• Kubiak said last week that running back Ronnie Hillman is in a “hell of a battle” with Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs and intimated that Hillman might not make the Broncos‘ roster, and Mike Klis of 9NEWS has taken that sentiment a step further, writing that it’d be a “surprise” if Hillman is with Denver come Week 1. Denver has already handed Hillman $600K through a signing bonus and workout bonuses, but Hillman’s $1.4MM base salary is non-guaranteed, and it doesn’t appear the Broncos are likely to pay it.
• The Broncos may need to scour the free agent market for an addition at offensive guard, according to Klis. Darron Weems looked like he was going to be the club’s starter on the right side, but he suffered a concussion during Saturday’s preseason game. Ty Sambrailo is also dealing with an injury of his own, while rookie Connor McGovern isn’t ready to play immediately. One option for Denver might be Ravens lineman Ryan Jensen, per Klis, though it’s unclear whether the 9NEWS scribe is reporting or simply speculating.
• Veteran wide receiver James Jones is likely to make the Chargers‘ final roster thanks to his ability to play both in the slot and outside, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. San Diego is dealing with several minor injuries among its receiving corps, so the club might be forced to keep more pass-catchers on its roster than it normally would. The only downside with Jones is that he doesn’t play on special teams, which could force to keep another receiver active on gamedays simply to play teams.
• Brad Childress was ready to retire after last season, but the longtime NFL coach had a change of heart after being promoted to Chiefs co-offensive coordinator, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Childress was also a candidate to join former Kansas City coach Doug Pederson as the Eagles’ play-caller, but Andy Reid bumped Childress up to OC, where he’ll team with Matt Nagy and run the Chiefs’ offense.