AFC Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Regarding the Bengals’ offensive line, HC Zac Taylor said they feel good about the group of rookies they brought in last season including C Trey Hill, OT D’Ante Smith, and OT Jackson Carman. 

“Everyone wants everyone to be a day-one starter and hit the ground like a 10-year vet and it takes a bit of time,” Taylor said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “We certainly feel good about the group we brought in last year, we just want to see continued improvement from them and now they get a chance to go through their first offseason, their first training camp as a real pro in Year 2.”

Bengals’ director of player personnel Duke Tobin added that it takes a bit longer to adjust for offensive linemen into the NFL. 

“The game doesn’t translate right away to the big guys,” Tobin said. “It takes time for those guys to get the strength and speed of the game.”

As for the possibility of spending “significant money” on a free-agent offensive lineman this offseason, Tobin voiced some caution on overspending. 

“If you do spend the big money it better be worth it,” Tobin said. “It better be worth it. That better be reflective of what he is going to give you. Trey Hendrickson. If you are going to pay him that much, make sure he is worth it, or at least he has the ability to be worth it. He was.”

Tobin reiterated that it is difficult to identify superstar offensive linemen.

“There aren’t enough superstars and top-level guys to go around to 32 teams,” Tobin said. “There just aren’t. There’s not enough to service all the colleges. It’s just a very demanding, tough position. It’s big athletes, and those are the rarest people on the planet. So yes, we want big athletes, but we know that they’re hard to come by and hard to find. It’s our job to try to get the best ones that are available.”

Ravens

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said that LT Ronnie Stanley is “farther ahead” with his recovery from ankle surgery and is “very optimistic” about him for 2022. 

“I feel like I can say Ronnie feels farther ahead now than he did at the same stage last year,” DeCosta said, via Clifton Brown of the team’s official site. “He’s excited, he’s very optimistic, I think he’s working hard. As an organization, we’re very optimistic. As I said before, I’m not going to make the same mistake. We’ll have contingency plans moving forward. But we’re optimistic that Ronnie is making good progress.”

DeCosta added that this year’s draft class is “very, very strong” and has already met with some top prospects like Alabama OT Evan Neal, Texas A&M OT Charles Cross, and Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum.

“Offensive line, I think is very, very strong this year,” DeCosta said. “We had a chance to meet with some guys already. I’m impressed with the players that we have met with.”

Steelers

• According to Ian Rapoport, the Steelers will explore every possible option to replace Ben Roethlisberger this offseason including the veteran market, the 2022 NFL Draft, and examine internal players like Mason Rudolph. 
• Rapoport could see the Steelers taking a quarterback at No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, or looking into acquiring a veteran like 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo. 
• The Steelers met with Penn State DE/LB Jesse Luketa at the Senior Bowl. (Johnny McGonigal)