AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns WRs coach Chad O’Shea praised third-round WR David Bell‘s ability as a runner and make defenders miss tackles. 

“He had the ability to be productive with the ball in his hands,” O’Shea said, via the team’s official site. “The job of the receiver is to get open and catch the ball, and we would obviously like to be productive when we have the ball in our hands. He has the ability to make defenders miss in space and the ability to find the end zone. He’s an instinctive runner with the ball in his hands, and one of which produced.”

O’Shea said that Cleveland viewed him as “one of the best players” in the 2022 NFL Draft for his ball skills and making contested catches. 

“We saw him as one of the best players in the draft as regards to his ball skills,” O’Shea said. “He did it in a lot of contested areas, or where he was closely matched at the top of the route. That was a difficult catch. He has a defender that’s closely trailing him or matching in man coverage, and he has the ability to make those plays and show his great ball skills.”

Ravens

Ravens pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt spoke about having a versatile group of defensive backs including Marlon Humphrey, fourth-round CB Damarion Williams and Kyle Fuller.

“Well, it gives us the element of surprise,” Hewitt said, via RavensWire.com. “I’ve always believed in guys that are interchangeable; guys that are able to do different jobs and go out there and go play. It keeps the offense on their toes and not knowing what that particular guy is going to be doing, you can’t always find out where he’s going to be at. So, it’s going to help us as a defense, help us with our disguises. We’ll really be able to match up guys against certain players, so it’s going to give us plenty of flexibility that we’ll actually … We’ll definitely use that to our advantage.”

Steelers

• The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly mentions veteran RB Latavius Murray, most recently with the Ravens, as a potential signing if Pittsburgh is concerned about their depth at running back or if there’s an injury. 
• The Steelers naming rights deal with Acrisure is worth $150 million over 15 years, which more than triples the 20-year, $57 million deal the team had with Heinz beginning in 2001 when the stadium first opened. (Gerry Dulac)