AFC Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

• Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic is unsure who the Bengals will place the franchise tag on this offseason, but believes it will either be DE Carl Lawson or CB William Jackson.
• Albert Breer of SI says that while G Joe Thuney would be an interesting option for the Bengals in free agency, he would like to see the team acquire G Brandon Scherff instead because he has experience in HC Zac Taylor‘s offense.

Ravens

• Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic thinks that linebackers Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue are both candidates to receive the franchise tag this offseason, yet finds it more likely that Baltimore allows both players to walk away and looks elsewhere to fulfill their pass-rushing needs.

Steelers

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert admitted that retaining free-agent OLB Bud Dupree this offseason will be difficult given Pittsburgh’s salary cap situation and Dupree’s potential market price.

“We’re never going to eliminate a great player like Bud Dupree, because we don’t know what Bud’s market is, and Bud doesn’t know what his market is at this point,” Colbert said, via Noah Strackbein of Sports Illustrated. “I think that’s pretty common for not only our free agents but the whole free agency group until we get a solid cap number.”

Colbert mentioned that the Steelers are “doubtful” to use the franchise tag this offseason and reiterated that it’s a possibility that they must let Dupree go. 

“We have to adjust and know that he might be a possibility, he might not be,” Colbert said. “Only time will tell with that.”

• Steelers’ GM Kevin Colbert made comments about the possibility of moving on from 39-year-old QB Ben Roethlisberger this year. Yet Albert Breer of SI says that Colbert’s comments could be an attempt to get Roethlisberger to take a pay cut in 2021, rather than putting the veteran’s name out on the market.