AFC Notes: Bengals, Dolphins, Patriots

Bengals

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes Bengals QB Joe Burrow wants to do a deal that allows Cincinnati to keep players around him, which might necessitate some creativity on the part of the organization to balance that with what could be a $55 million a year deal. 

Dolphins

• Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel noted DB Elijah Campbell avoided an ACL tear but has still suffered “a substantial injury that will take him into the season.” (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• McDaniel on DL Zach Sieler’s new contract: “Zach epitomizes such an important thing about the journey of an NFL player. You’re talking about it a guy that’s earned every cent he’s been paid.” (Louis-Jacques)
• The NFL has refused to comment on whether WR Tyreek Hill will be suspended and therefore McDaniel is unsure what will happen with the situation at this point in time. (Barry Jackson)

Patriots

Patriots HC Bill Belichick spoke in depth on a video conference about trading RB Pierre Strong Jr. to the Browns in return for OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

“Depth’s important at every position on your roster,” Belichick said, via Zack Cox of NESN.com. “You just don’t know when you’re going to need it. You can’t insure all of them, but you try to have as much depth as you can on your roster for those contingencies, not knowing for sure when you’re going to need that. Tom Brady got hurt in 2008, first play, first game, and it turns out you need depth at that position with (Matt) Cassel. And then that never happened again. A little bit of that’s unpredictable, but you just have to be prepared for (it), and we felt like this was an opportunity to work with two young players that would give us that. We’ll see how it goes. You’re not looking to get rid of anybody, but you had to give up something to get a player that we feel like we needed (Tryone Wheatley Jr.)”

“After signing Zeke, we felt like we had a little more depth at the running back position and had less depth on the offensive line,” Belichick added. “That’s why we made it, and we’ll see how it goes. We’re not looking to get rid of anybody, but we had to give up something to get a player that we felt like we needed.”

Belichick also commented on the team sending a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to the Vikings in exchange for OT Verderian Lowe.

“He’s just a player we feel like could compete on the offensive line, give us some depth here, and we’ll see how it goes,” Belichick noted. “Young player, has played a lot of tackle in his career at Illinois and (with) Minnesota. May have some position flexibility, I don’t know. We’ll have to work with him and see.”