AFC Notes: Bengals, Broncos, Raiders, Steelers

Bengals

New Bengals HC Teryl Austin said Thursday that Marvin Lewis told him to stay in touch before their game this past season and sure enough, it led to an opportunity down the road.

“Prior to our game this year against Detroit, I told him to stay in touch,” Lewis said, via the Detroit Free Press. “It’s just unfortunately the profession we’re in. And I’m glad it’s worked out, and obviously the big thing was his opportunity to possibly become a head coach in the NFL, and going to be. Was waiting for that one way or another to break and hopefully, I know that will occur in his future. And that’s the exciting. And hopefully we have great success immediately and he gets that opportunity.”

Broncos

• Mike Klis reports that the Broncos are expected to hire Klint Kubiak as their new offensive assistant/QBs coach. Klis adds that Kubiak will essentially assist new QB coach Mike Sullivan.

Raiders

• Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders are hiring former RB coach Jemal Singleton for the same position on Jon Gruden’s staff.
• According to Adam Caplan, the Raiders are expected to interview former 49ers and Browns DC Jim O’Neil for a defensive coaching position.
• FootballScoop first reported that the Raiders had reached an agreement with Alabama DBs coach Derrick Ansley to be their new secondary coach.

Steelers

Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell mentioned that they don’t know if some of their notable players are going to be back in Pittsburgh next year.

“We understand we have a great group here,” Bell said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “We don’t know if everybody is going to be back or if we’re going to be that special next year. The time that we do have, we have to make it all count. Everybody in this locker room understands that, so we have to go out there and do it.”

Bell will once again be a free agent after this season and QB Ben Roethlisberger weighed retirement last year, so there will be some questions about the Steelers’ core moving forward.

We have Bell featured in our Top 100  – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.