AFC Notes: Browns, Patriots, Steelers

Browns

• According to Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com, the Browns are not yet desperate enough to trade for Redskins LT Trent Williams, assuming Washington relented and made him available, due to his age at 31 and salary requests. 
• Petrak expects Browns TE David Njoku and sixth-round rookie OL Drew Forbes to be the two players the Browns bring back from injured reserve. 

Patriots

• ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the residual effects of a stinger that Patriots FB James Develin suffered during the preseason contributed to him landing on injured reserve. 
• While Develin is eligible to return from injured reserve later this year, Reiss would be surprised if that actually proved to be the case. 

Steelers

New Steelers TE Nick Vannett, acquired this week via a trade from the Seahawks, will be thrown into the fire immediately as the Steelers’ starting tight end with injuries to Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble.

Pittsburgh will keep Vannett at the “Y” tight end at first to manage his transition while sixth-round rookie Zach Gentry mans the “F” spot. But Vannett is hoping to transition quickly into a bigger role. 

“They’re just trying to throw me in all sorts of situations so I get the reps,” Vannett said via the Athletic’s Sean Gentille. “For me that’s what helps me learn more — when I physically can do it and get the reps. I’m gonna continue to watch film and get those mental reps from practice. I’m gonna make sure that I’m comfortable going into the game. I don’t want to go in being like, ‘Oh man, what do I have on this play?’ I don’t want to have any doubt. I just want to be comfortable and confident with the game plan, and I think that’s what they expect me to do.”