AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Browns

• Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot doesn’t know if the Browns have already reached out to the Packers about QB Aaron Rodgers, but if he ends up being available, she expects them to check-in. 
• Cabot expects the Browns to pursue all avenues to address their need at wide receiver, including free agency, the draft, and even the trade market. She adds they could make multiple additions. 
• Should the Browns fail to bounce back in 2022, Cabot thinks GM Andrew Berry and HC Kevin Stefanski have enough trust and a long enough leash from ownership to survive through to 2023. 

Steelers

• The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette notes it will be interesting to see if the Steelers change their long-standing policy of not signing receivers to second contracts for Diontae Johnson. He adds they’ve made a couple of exceptions in the past and there’s an argument to be made that Johnson should be one of them. 
• Bouchette also writes that Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster probably did not do much to increase his value in 2021 after returning to Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8 million deal. Still, he doesn’t see much point in either side continuing together, so he expects Smith-Schuster to sign elsewhere. 
• Going forward, Bouchette expects the Steelers to draft a wide receiver to restock the pipeline, perhaps in the second or third rounds. Pittsburgh could also bring back WR Ray-Ray McCloud to play the slot. Bouchette would be surprised if the Steelers re-sign WR James Washington.