AFC West Notes: Chargers, Edwards, Broncos

Joey Bosa‘s relationship with the Chargers did not include much of a honeymoon, with the sides still at an impasse over offset language and the structure of the No. 3 overall pick’s signing bonus. While some have sided with Bosa given the Chargers’ 21st-century history in dealing with draft picks, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Bosa should be in camp by now. The Bolts make their preseason debut today.

Using the negotiations between Antonio Gates and the Chargers in 2005 and ’10 — both of which involved meetings with then-GM A.J. Smith to close the deals — Acee argues the onus is now on Bosa to make a decision on the team’s offer, which has reportedly been unchanged since training camp began.

The Chargers will play their second preseason game on Friday, and Bosa stands to miss at least that tilt as well at this juncture. We heard recently the relationship between Bosa and the Bolts could have endured “irreparable damage,” which is something the Chargers have experienced recently with Eric Weddle, but Acee points to several instances where rookies held out well into the preseason only to re-sign with the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers are among those, although both of the franchise icons’ delayed debuts came during an era where those were commonplace.

Here’s more out of San Diego and in the AFC West.

  • The Chargers’ latest pitch to voters regarding their downtown stadium measure is that fans of other teams will be paying for the $1.8 billion stadium/convention center project as opposed to Bolts backers. Their latest ad campaign states the stadium will be paid for by “Raiders, Broncos and Patriots fans,” as Brett Schrotenboer of USA Today points out. This is based around the stadium finance plan regarding the use of public money — which will be voted upon Nov. 8 — using a hotel tax hike. Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts voices over the piece, which is aimed at continuing to raise support for a ballot measure that, as of now, needs a two-thirds majority to pass this fall. Most experts deem that unlikely.
  • Mario Edwards left Friday’s Raiders-Cardinals game on a cart with a hip injury and needed crutches to leave the locker room, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Edwards in May received medical clearance to return from the nagging neck injury he sustained last season and remains a key component for Oakland’s defensive front despite the bevy of additions this offseason brought.
  • Currently the clubhouse leader to become the Broncos‘ No. 3 wideout, Bennie Fowler is expected to miss at least a few weeks with a fractured elbow, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. Now vying with Cody Latimer and Jordan Norwood for that position, Fowler — a former UDFA from Michigan State — caught 16 passes for 203 yards as a rookie last season.
  • Many have doubted Gary Kubiak when he’s said 2015 third-stringer and seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian had a legitimate shot to win the quarterback job over Mark Sanchez, but Jhabvala notes history should lead skeptics to take the second-year coach at his word. Kubiak refused to say Peyton Manning had been benched for Brock Osweiler when many expected the healthier Osweiler to keep the job throughout once Manning returned to sufficient health. Sanchez and Siemian, their disparate profiles notwithstanding, have split reps in practice and each played a quarter on Thursday night in the defending champions’ preseason opener.
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