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”We’re so excited about the future, man, it’s the energy level,” Reid said. ”We’ve got a great nucleus coming back, we’ve added some players that are top notch.”

Second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes headlines that young nucleus. Watkins adds depth to a receiving corps whose players are all 25 or younger.

Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce each topped 1,000 yards receiving last season and Kareem Hunt led the league in rushing as a rookie. Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson add speed at wideout. The addition of Watkins marks a concerted effort to surround Mahomes with an array of options during his first year as a starting quarterback.

”I just need to put the ball in their hands and they’ll all make the plays,” Mahomes said.

General manager Brett Veach first to acquire Watkins from Buffalo last summer, only to see the Los Angeles Rams outbid him. Watkins hauled in 39 catches for 593 yards and eight touchdowns while bouncing back from a broken bone in his foot that limited him to eight games in 2016.

Veach finally got his man with a three-year, $48 million deal. He said he believes Watkins can blossom in Kansas City with a full offseason program developing chemistry with Mahomes.

”Don’t let the production fool you, when you watch the tape, the guy is open all the time,” Veach said. ”Literally, the guy is open on the time.”

For Watkins, he enters an offseason healthy and happy for the first time in his career.

”I just feel like I’ve got more in my tank,” Watkins said. ”I haven’t been to any minicamp or ever been able to attend any OTAs Carolina Panthers Jerseys Womens , so I feel like I can get a head start and be the best version of myself. Just to do it here is a pleasure because I had an opportunity to come to a team that really wanted me and I really wanted to be here.”

Hitchens comes to Kansas City via Dallas, where he racked up a career-high 84 tackles last season. The Chiefs expect the 25-year-old linebacker to fill the void left by Derrick Johnson, the franchise’s all-time leading tackler.

”That’s a guy I looked up to through college and high school,” Hitchens said of Johnson. ”Him and Ray Lewis were my favorite two guys. To be able to play the same position in the same defense as him is a blessing.”

The Chiefs hope Hitchens paired with 24-year-old linebacker Reggie Ragland can plug a leaky Chiefs run defense that ranked 27th against the run last season.

”They said they wanted more fire power and more hitting and more aggressive,” Hitchens said. ”They said they have some players but that’s what they wanted to be based on.”

Reid also envisions Hitchens as an every-down linebacker.

”Hitch has that ability like D.J. did to get small and has that feel of getting into those tight cracks and making those tackles that you saw D.J. do,” Reid said. ”He’s also a good cover guy.”

The Chiefs will look different in a lot of places next season. Mahomes replaces Alex Smith, who was traded to Washington. Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters was dealt to the Rams for draft picks and, besides Johnson, the Chiefs also parted ways with Tamba Hali, who ranks second only to Derrick Thomas in career sacks. Safety Ron Parker is gone, too.

Reid, however, is looking forward to his 20th season as head coach.

”We’re fired up about this whole thing,” Reid said. ”You know I’m not great at standing up and saying, `Hey, you know Joc Pederson Jersey , here we go.’ But I’m ready to roll and we’re sitting here in March.”

—

Trumaine Johnson sees a lot of the tantalizing potential of his old team in his new squad.

The New York Jets cornerback, who helped the Los Angeles Rams reach the playoffs last season, was feeling predictably optimistic as he and his teammates reported to the team's facility Thursday for the start of training camp.

"You've got to have faith," Johnson said. "Just bringing that winning culture from where I was last year, I can see it. I really can. Just got to wait and see."

Johnson was the Jets' biggest free-agent acquisition this offseason, signing a five-year, $72.5 million deal in March that included a $20 million signing bonus and $34 million in guaranteed money. That came after the cornerback spent his first six NFL seasons with the Rams, who went 11-5 and snapped a 13-year postseason drought with Johnson a key part of the defense.

He'll be the No. 1 cornerback in coach Todd Bowles' unit in New York, which hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2010 season. Johnson saw signs from afar that the postseason absence might not last much longer, particularly because seven of New York's 11 losses last season were by 9 points or less.

"I was watching them," he said. "They were losing close games and they beat some playoff teams. They've got all the potential in the world to be a playoff team."

Most NFL teams feel the same at this point in the year, brimming with confidence before the dog days of camp start kicking in, with expectations for some becoming increasingly more tempered.

But the Jets like the approach the players are taking at the start.

"I can see the atmosphere has changed and the season could be great," guard Brian Winters said. "As far as attitudes, we've got great attitudes in the locker room. That vibe's a lot better than in the past."

New York is coming off its second straight 5-11 season under Bowles, who helped establish an improved environment around the team last year despite the losses.

The positive outlooks might be attributed in large part to moves general manager Mike Maccagnan made in the offseason. Along with Johnson Korey Toomer Color Rush Jersey , the Jets signed a number of free agents who could play major roles this year, including linebacker Avery Williamson, running back Isaiah Crowell, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, center Spencer Long and kicker Cairo Santos.

"I think it was a good start," wide receiver Jermaine Kearse said of last season. "This year, it's about winning games. You want to be competitive, and that's important, but in this league, it's about winning games and being productive in that area. For us to take the next big step is to be able to finish games."

All eyes this summer, however, will be on the quarterbacks as 39-year-old veteran Josh McCown, comeback kid Teddy Bridgewater and first-round pick Sam Darnold all compete to be the guy leading the huddle in Week 1 of the regular season.

"I think it pushes each one of them individually," defensive end Leonard Williams said. "I'd be happy if any one of them were the starter for the season."

McCown is the incumbent and Bowles has said he will open camp as the starter while taking the bulk of the first-team snaps. But Bridgewater, signed in March after four seasons in Minnesota, could give McCown a run if he's fully recovered from the severe knee injury that cost him the bulk of the last two years.

Then John Smoltz Jersey , of course, there's Darnold.

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft is considered by many to be the future face of the franchise. And that future could be now. Darnold will be given every opportunity to beat out both McCown and Bridgewater for the job, and he showed positive strides in offseason workouts and minicamp.

"I thought Sam got better each day throughout OTAs," Kearse said. "And I have no doubt that he'll have the same attitude and same mindset he had in OTAs coming into camp."

Darnold just needs to get to camp first.

The rookie hadn't reported with the rest of his teammates as of early Thursday afternoon as his agents and the Jets worked through the final details of his contract. There didn't appear to be much concern on either side, though, with most expecting Darnold to be signed and ready to participate in the team's first practice Friday afternoon.

That's when the road to potential success begins for the Jets, and nose tackle Steve McLendon believes it comes down to three things for him and his teammates.

"No. 1, it's being focused," he said. "No. 2, it's being driven. And, No. 3, you understand you only have one life."

NOTES: Long, coming off knee and quadriceps injuries last season with Washington, said his quad is doing "great" and knees are "feeling better than they have the last few years." He added that he might be eased into practices, depending on how the training staff wants to approach it.