ESPN NFL

We have our AFC West Brian Urlacher connection.

No, Urlacher is not close to signing with a team in the division. But a longtime AFC West figure is replacing him in Chicago.

Longtime Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams has signed a one-year deal to replace Urlacher as the Bears’ middle linebacker. He was recently cut by Denver. Williams is a versatile linebacker who has experience at middle linebacker. Williams was Denver’s first-round pick in 2004.

In other AFC West notes:

Florida defensive tackle Sharriff Floyd reportedly had a strong pro day workout Friday. He also had a strong combine. He is a possible target of Oakland with the No. 3 pick. Yes, the Raiders were at the workout.

The Kansas City Chiefs re-signed linebacker Edgar Jones. He is a backup who had 10 tackles last season.

The Denver Broncos’ release of linebacker D.J. Williams was merely a formality. It has been a foregone conclusion that Williams was on his way out in Denver.

Williams, a first-round pick in 2004, simply wore out his welcome. He was suspended for a total of nine games in 2012, and when he returned, he was merely a backup.

Wesley Woodyard received the chance to play full time thanks to Williams’ suspension. Williams had a solid overall career in Denver, but he had too many off–field problems for it be worthwhile to keep him.

Williams, 30, will likely get some interest around the league. Williams is very versatile, so he can play virtually any linebacker spot and could probably start for the next couple of years. A potential landing spot could be Oakland, because the Raiders need a linebacker and Williams played for Oakland coach Dennis Allen when Allen was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2011. Also, Williams is from the Bay Area and could be interested in a return.

Denver also cut quarterback Caleb Hanie. Denver saved $6 million by cutting Williams and $1.5 million in cutting Hanie. The Broncos are still trying to cut back Elvis Dumervil's pay. If Dumervil doesn’t agree -- and he has been hesitating -- the pass-rusher could be released.

As for as Hanie goes, his release was expected. He was the No. 3 quarterback. The Broncos like second-year quarterback Brock Osweiler as Peyton Manning’s backup. Expect Denver to add a young, cheap No. 3 quarterback.

In other AFC West notes:

The Chiefs are reportedly interested in Seattle’s Jason Jones. He’d probably play inside in a 3-4 defense and be a rotational player.

Beanie Wells, cut by Arizona on Monday, fits the Chargers' mold for a running back. But I’m not sure we’d see a Ken Whisenhunt-Wells reunion.

» NFC Free Agency: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

It is clear D.J. Williams will not be back with the Broncos in 2013. That’s been expected for months.

The Denver Post reports the team will try to trade him, but I wouldn’t think they’d get much on the market for him. Williams’ off-field issues and his lack of relevance in Denver will make him difficult to deal.

The paper counts the Raiders as a possible suitor for him on the open market if he is cut. It makes a lot of sense. The Raiders need help at the position, Williams is from the Bay Area and he was coached by Oakland head coach Dennis Allen.

If Williams doesn’t get a better offer (and with his history he may not), Oakland might be able to swing something here.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Welcome to Eight in the Box, an NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week’s topic: Who will be each team’s biggest salary-cap casualty this offseason?

Denver Broncos: There aren’t many players in Denver who are in danger of being cut. One player to keep an eye on is linebacker D.J. Williams. He served a two-tiered nine-game suspension last season and finished the season as a rotational player. Williams has been good in Denver, but his off-field headaches coupled with the emergence of Wesley Woodyard have made him expendable.

Kansas City Chiefs: It’s going to be quarterback Matt Cassel. His release will reportedly save the Chiefs more than $5.8 million and his time in Kansas City is simply up. He was benched last year and the regime that brought him to Kansas City with the hopes of him becoming a franchise quarterback has been fired. This is a new era in Kansas City and there is no room for Cassel.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders are the team in the division that potentially cuts the most players as they try to create some salary-cap space. I’m going with defensive tackle Tommy Kelly as being the most significant cut. Oakland could reportedly save up to $7 million by cutting him. He has been a solid player, but he has seen his better days. At this point, he will be best used as a rotational player, but his price tag is way too high for that.

San Diego Chargers: While the Chargers probably won’t cut too many veterans, one who appears assured to be shown the door is left tackle Jared Gaither. He signed a hefty contract last year and was a disaster. Gaither played only four games last season and there were heavy rumblings that many teammates and coaches thoughts Gaither wasn’t as injured as he claimed to be. There is little chance he will be brought back.

OAKLAND -- Another day, another Denver starter out for Thursday night’s game.

The Broncos have inactivated standout guard Chris Kuper with an ankle injury. He was downgraded to questionable Thursday morning and he was ruled out after trying to work on his injury prior to the game. Manny Ramirez takes Kuper’s place.

Wednesday night, starting linebacker Wesley Woodyard was ruled out with an ankle injury. D.J. Williams and Danny Trevathan will play for him.

Receiver Brandon Stokley was healthy enough in pregame warm-ups to be activated. He missed last Sunday’s game with a hip and wrist woes.

For Oakland, there are a couple of mild surprises. Running back Jeremy Stewart and receiver Derek Hagan are inactive. Stewart ran well Sunday and Hagan has been one of Oakland’s most reliable receivers.

Stewart is down partly because starter Darren McFadden is back after missing the past four games with an ankle sprain. For the second time this season, second-year quarterback Terrelle Pryor is active. I wouldn’t be shocked to see some packages designed for him, perhaps in the red zone.

It looks like D.J. Williams might get his first start of the season.

His outstanding replacement, Wesley Woodyard, is doubtful to play Thursday at Oakland. Woodyard, who leads the division with 100 tackles, was hurt Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Williams has been active for the past three games after serving a nine-game NFL suspension. Williams was a mainstay of the Denver defense until this season. Also, receiver Brandon Stokley is questionable with hip and wrist injuries. He missed the Tampa Bay game.

Update: The Broncos have ruled Woodyard out of the game.

For Oakland, defensive tackle Richard Seymour will miss his fifth straight game with knee and hamstring problems. As expected, Oakland coach Dennis Allen returned to the team Wednesday. He left the tem Sunday night to be say his final goodbyes to his father, Grady Allen. Grady died Tuesday at the age of 66.

In other AFC West news:

Here are the Chargers’ tackle options for Sunday at Pittsburgh: Reggie Wells, Kevin Haslam and practice squadder Kevin Hughes. Two will start with starters Jeromey Clary and Mike Harris out. I’d guess Haslam at left tackle, Wells (who was signed Wednesday) at right tackle, and Hughes is promoted and is a backup. Yes, it is going to be a tough, tough situation at Pittsburgh.

In an Insider piece, Pro Football Focus has a look at the NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidacy of Denver linebacker Von Miller.

Elizabeth Merrill’s Hot Read on the tragedy in Kansas City is a must-read. Meanwhile, the Chiefs attended a memorial service for starting linebacker Jovan Belcher on Wednesday. He killed himself at the team facility after killing his girlfriend, Kasandra M. Perkins on Saturday morning.

DENVER -- Halftime thoughts from where the Denver Broncos lead the San Diego Chargers, 17-7.

• Last month, the Broncos scored the final 35 points to beat the Chargers 35-24. The Chargers led 7-0 but the Broncos scored the rest of the points of the half.
• Denver’s offense started slow, but it has started to pick it up, while its defense has been terrific and San Diego's offense has been anemic. San Diego has two first downs and is just 0-for-7 on third down.
• Quarterback Peyton Manning is now in second place on the NFL's all-time passing list with 421 touchdown passes. He was tied with Dan Marino but pushed past Marino when he threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the corner of the end zone. It was originally ruled incomplete, but Denver challenged the call and won.
• San Diego’s score came on a deflected pass that was brought back for a short interception return for a score by safety Eric Weddle, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. That’s a skill.
• The Chargers had a punt blocked for the second straight game. It was Denver’s first blocked punt in five years. The last time was against San Diego as well.
• Broncos’ running back Willis McGahee is questionable to return with a knee injury. Chargers’ cornerback Quentin Jammer (calf) is questionable to return, and linebacker Larry English (leg) is out.
• Denver linebacker D.J. Williams has played some. His nine-game NFL suspension ended last week.
• San Diego's first-round pick, linebacker Melvin Ingram, is having a nice game.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports misdemeanor assault charges against Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain have been dropped in Alabama.

Thus, Schefter reports, McClain will not serve any jail time nor will he face an NFL suspension. The issue stemmed from an incident in his hometown last fall when McClain was accused of shooting a gun near a man’s head during a fight. McClain was originally sentenced to 180 days in jail.

McClain, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 draft, has been a disappointment on the field. He has lost some playing time this season. If the Raiders get a chance to draft Notre Dame middle linebacker Manti Te'o, they’d very likely seriously consider it.

In other AFC West news:

• As expected, the Broncos activated linebacker D.J. Williams to the 53-man roster. His nine-game NFL suspension ended last week. He will likely be a substitute Sunday in some packages.
• The Chiefs put tight end Jake O’Connell on injured reserve and promoted offensive lineman Rich Ranglin from the practice squad.
• The Tailgate 32 group has video of its trip to Denver.
• Chiefs center Ryan Lilja is out Sunday against the Bengals with a knee problem. Guard Jon Asamoah is also out (thumb).

San Diego running back Ryan Mathews missed practice Wednesday with a sore neck he suffered at Tampa Bay. He will be monitored through the week as the Chargers prepare to play a pivotal game at Denver on Sunday.

San Diego left tackle Jared Gaither missed Wednesday’s practice because of a groin injury. He didn’t play at Tampa Bay and he has missed five games this season. He will be monitored through the week as well.

For Denver, defensive end Elvis Dumervil (shoulder) and cornerback Tracy Porter (illness) did not practice Wednesday. Denver coach John Fox said Dumervil is day-to-day with a muscle strain. He still has a chance to play Sunday. Porter has been out for four games.

Denver guard Chris Kuper did practice on a limited basis after missing Sunday’s game at Carolina with a severally sprained ankle he suffered in Week 9. Still, I think Kuper may be a longshot to face the Chargers.

Fox said linebacker D.J. Williams looked good Wednesday in his first practice since serving a two-tiered nine-game NFL suspension. He will be eased back into the playing rotation.

In other AFC West news:

• Barring a setback, expect Khalif Barnes to become the starting right tackle in Oakland on Sunday. He has been out since September with a groin injury. Willie Smith took over for Barnes and he struggled.
• Add rookie nose tackle Dontari Poe (knee) to the list of the Chiefs who were limited in practice Wednesday.
• Oakland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (hamstring) and tight end Brandon Myers (shoulder/concussion) were among the limited players in Oakland’s practice.

D.J. Williams’ season is about to begin. He knows he will have to shake the rust, but he’s not worried about it or whatever role the Denver Broncos will have for him.

The veteran linebacker is just happy to be back. Williams is able to practice with the Broncos again now that his two-tiered nine game NFL suspension has been lifted. He received a six-game suspension for using a banned substance and he received another three-game suspension for his second alcohol-related legal conviction in seven years.

“Definitely. Without being out there for a long time, there will be some rust,” Williams told reporters Monday. “Football is a great sport to come back to, because when in doubt, just hit somebody.”

The Broncos haven’t said what their plan for Williams is, but he is expected to be eased back into the lineup because of the rust and because the starting linebackers are playing well. Still Williams should help in the stretch run and in the postseason if the Broncos -- who are 6-3 and lead the AFC West by two games -- advance. Williams said he's open to help the team in any way it wants him to.

“I have no idea. That’s up to the coaching staff to decide,” Williams said. “I would like to jump out there Day 1, but you’ve got to earn the respect of your teammates, earn your spot back, so I’ll just be patiently waiting.”

Sounding contrite, Williams said he realized Denver could have parted ways with him.

“I’m very thankful (to be back),” Williams said. “They could have went a different route and they decided to keep me around. I’m thankful of that. Now that I’m back, I’ll just do what I have to do to help the team win.”

Williams is a good player, but he's been a major distraction to Denver for quite some time now. He owes it to the team to stay focused and help an already good defense become better.

Once again, San Diego will play without Jared Gaither. The Chargers left tackle is dealing with a lingering groin injury and is inactive for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.

This will be the fifth game Gaither, who has also had back injuries, has missed this season. Undrafted rookie Mike Harris will start Sunday, despite struggling some this season. San Diego defensive end Corey Liuget (hamstring) is active. He was listed as questionable on the injury report.

In other AFC West news:

The Denver Post reports the team heavily restructured the contract of linebacker D.J. Williams. He returns Monday after serving two NFL suspensions that has kept him out of the entire season so far. Williams is expected to be eased back into the defense.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Carolina Panthers are being courted for a possible move to Los Angeles. The Chargers and Raiders have been often connected to L.A. for a potential move.

The second quarter of the AFC West season is complete. Let’s look at some key developments for the second quarter as we did for the season's first quarter:

Story of the quarter: The Kansas City Chiefs’ implosion. The Chiefs are 1-7 and widely considered the worst team in the NFL. They have been No. 32 in ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings for nearly a month. They went 0-4 in the second quarter of the season and have lost five consecutive games. It is getting ugly. Fans are calling for the firing of general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel -- and ownership might have a difficult time ignoring those calls if the Chiefs’ season gets any worse. Early last month, right tackle Eric Winston called out some fans because he felt they were cheering when quarterback Matt Cassel suffered a concussion. It became a national story. Cassel was replaced by Brady Quinn. Crennel fired himself as defensive coordinator and replaced himself with linebackers coach Gary Gibbs. The team released starting cornerback Stanford Routt after eight games after signing him to a big-money free-agent deal before the season.

MVP of the quarter: Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. There is no doubt, and Manning is very much in the race to be the NFL MVP. He has been stunningly good for much of the season, and particularly so in the past four games. The Broncos went 3-1 in the quarter and lead the AFC West with a 5-3 record, due in large part to Manning’s success. His lowest yardage outing in the past quarter-season was 291 yards. He has thrown a total of 12 touchdown passes (three in each game) and just three interceptions in the past four games.

Defensive player of the quarter: Denver linebacker Wesley Woodyard. I was tempted to go with fellow Broncos linebacker Von Miller, who has six sacks in the past four games. But Woodyard has been tremendous in the past quarter. He has 49 tackles in that span, with 11 as his lowest single-game output -- remarkable for a player who was considered a liability going into the season. Now, with D.J. Williams set to return next week from a nine-game NFL suspension, there appears to be no doubt Woodyard will remain the starting weakside linebacker ahead of Williams.

Rookie of the quarter: Oakland linebacker Miles Burris. The fourth-round pick has been a solid, steady starter and appears to have a good future ahead of him. He seems to play with a mean streak and is around the ball a lot. He is a nice building block for the Raiders' defense.

Coach of the quarter: Denver coach John Fox. His team went 3-1 in the second quarter and is alone in first place. His team has improved around Manning on both sides of the ball and is poised for a strong second half of the season.

Disappointment of the quarter (team): San Diego Chargers. The Chargers went 1-3 in the quarter and stand at 4-4 overall. And those three losses were terrible: San Diego lost a double-digit lead in the second half in New Orleans, then saw a 24-0 halftime lead over Denver turn into a shocking 35-24 home loss. The following week, San Diego lost 7-6 at downtrodden Cleveland. If the Chargers don’t make the playoffs, that three-game disaster will be long remembered.

Disappointment of the quarter (player): San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers. He struggled during those blowout losses to New Orleans and Denver and couldn’t do much against Cleveland. Rivers committed nine turnovers in the past quarter. He was very good in Week 9 against Kansas City, so perhaps he is ready to put his troubles behind him.

Biggest unanswered question of the quarter: Can San Diego (4-4) or Oakland (3-5) make up ground against Denver in the next four games? The Broncos (5-3) look like the best team in the division and have the NFL’s easiest remaining schedule. Denver could pull away in the next four games. The Chargers and the Raiders will be challenged to stay in the race.

Fearless prediction for the second quarter: Kansas City -- currently tied with Jacksonville for the league's worst record -- will stay in the race for the No. 1 overall draft pick. I don't see the Chiefs -- who badly need a good young quarterback -- suddenly putting it together in the next four games and taking themselves out of the race. Of course, the bad news for Kansas City is that there doesn’t appear to be a prize like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III in the 2013 draft. The top pick will be very valuable, but there might not be a sure thing at quarterback.

Mid-week mail call:

Eric from Cincinnati wants to know if New Orleans coach Sean Payton could end up coaching in the AFC West in 2013.

Bill Williamson: I’d doubt it. It sounds like he's staying in New Orleans. If he does bolt, the Dallas Cowboys have to be considered the favorite landing spot. There could be openings in both San Diego and in Kansas City, but I doubt either team would win a bidding war for Payton, who looks like he could be the coaching prize of the offseason.

Matt McBeth from El Cajon, Calif., wants to know if I think quarterback Alex Tanney has a future with the Chiefs.

BW: Probably not. He is on the injured reserve now, so the team will likely give him another look in the offseason. He doesn’t project as a potential starter, but stranger things have happened. The Chiefs will probably need to look elsewhere for a young quarterback.

Steve Blecha from San Francisco wants to know if I think D.J. Williams could be used some at middle linebacker when he returns from his NFL suspension next week.

BW: It’s a possibility since Williams can play all three spots. He is versatile and Denver will likely sprinkle him where he is needed as he shakes off the rust. Williams is better at weakside, but with Wesley Woodyard playing at a high level, having Williams get some snaps in the middle may not be a bad idea.

OAKLAND -- Oakland linebacker Rolando McClain is active Sunday against Tampa Bay.

He was a game-time decision because of a toe injury. He is expected to start. There weren’t any other major developments on Oakland’s inactive list.

Meanwhile, the Raiders did not activate linebacker Aaron Curry from physical unable to perform list. The Raiders need to activate him by Wednesday or shelve him for the season.

In other AFC West news:

In an interview with USA Today, suspended Denver linebacker D.J. Williams opens up about his feelings regarding his nine-game suspension and what he expects to give the Broncos on the field after he is eligible to return in Week 11. The question is how much will Denver use Williams when he returns?