AFC Notes: Allen Robinson, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals OT La’el Collins said he feels great in his recovery from knee surgery but admitted that he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready for the start of the opener.

“I can’t give you a timetable,” Collins said, via ESPN. “I’m not the guy that makes the ultimate decision. But at the end of the day, I feel like if I had to play today, I could put a brace on it and I could go to work. I know my knee is locked in and stable. Dr. ElAttrache is the best in the business. I feel great.”

Collins did say that he believes he’ll be in a much better position to perform this year due to him being healthier.

“With everything we have moving forward right now with the rehab and everything, too, I know I’m going to go into this season a whole lot healthier than I was last year,” Collins said. “I think it’s going to be night and day.”

Collins also sees the team bringing back disgruntled LT Jonah Williams despite his request for a trade. 

“Jonah’s going to be fine. He’s a hell of an NFL player. He’s a first-round pick. He’s done it,” Collins told Geoff Hobson. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Jonah with the type of person he is. It’s like every one of these guys in here. To me, man, all it is is we’re going to be better and we’re going to have depth and we’re going to be deep and we’re coming and we’re not stopping.”

Ravens

• The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec updated his big board for the Ravens of prospects he thinks could be available at No. 22 that the team would have a lot of interest in. As expected, there are a lot of receivers and cornerbacks on the list given Baltimore’s needs
• Zrebiec lists USC WR Jordan Addison, Boston College WR Zay Flowers, TCU WR Quentin Johnston, Maryland CB Deonte Banks, Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr, and Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes at those positions. Most should still be on the board at No. 22. 
• However, Zrebiec points out the Ravens are big believers in taking the best player available on their board, and they might have handshake agreements in place to add a free agent corner or receiver after the compensatory free agent period ends on May 1. 
• For that reason, Zrebiec says not to rule out Clemson DT Bryan Bresee, Florida QB Anthony Richardson, Texas RB Bijan Robinson or Georgia OLB Nolan Smith for the Ravens. The latter three are unlikely to be available when they pick, but if they are, it sets up the exact situation that could cause the Ravens to pass on a corner or receiver. 

Steelers

Steelers WR Allen Robinson believes he still has a lot of good football left in the tank.

“I feel like for myself, I have a lot of football left,” Robinson said, via ESPN. “I thought last year for the time that I was playing in those 10 games, I felt very good about some of the things that I did.”

Robinson’s 2022 season with the Rams was cut short with a stress fracture in his foot. He dealt with a similar injury during his rookie season and feels good about where he’s at in the recovery process.

“I have some familiarity with it,” Robinson said. “I feel very good about this, where I’m at in the process and everything like that.”

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said he and former GM Kevin Colbert had an interest in Robinson dating back to the pre-draft process and it has remained steady throughout his career.

“He’s had experience as an inside guy,” Tomlin said. “He’s got physicality in his game. He is an example of our general free agent interests. It goes all the way back to when he was at Penn State. Kevin Colbert and I spent a great deal of time with he and his family through his draft process. He was a diaper dandy, he was a 20-year-old when he came into the draft. We held him in high regard. We liked his football character, we liked his talents, we liked his upside, we followed him throughout his NFL journey and the interest still remains.“