Browns
Browns’ GM Andrew Berry says he pushed back against the idea that the team doesn’t value linebackers by trading up to select LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round of the draft.
“I guess I would push back on the notion that we do not value linebackers,” Berry said via USA Today’s Jeff Risdon. “It is an important position on the field. In Jeremiah’s case, we did think the fit was really good schematically, but we just thought the overall player was a high-quality prospect. I hesitate to use the words ‘special’ because again, we have to see how it all plays out.”
Ravens
Other NFL executives weren’t sure how much the Ravens adding first-round WR Rashod Bateman and fourth-round WR Tylan Wallace changed things. They pointed out that while it improves the talent level in Baltimore’s receiving corps, the team is still built around the run.
“You hope another downfield weapon opens it up more so Lamar can run better,” an exec said via the Athletic’s Mike Sando. “His legs become his short passing game, whereas a Mac Jones throws short passes with accuracy and efficiency but can’t scramble much. In Baltimore, when those receivers come out of their breaks, they’d better be ready to block. I also think they are trying to get a guy who has some run after the catch.”
Executives praised the Ravens’ second first-round pick, OLB Odafe Oweh, as a terrific fit for their scheme and someone with high potential the coaching staff can help him reach.
“The guy has freaky ability and should be better than Tyus Bowser, who they took a few years ago and never quite put it all together,” an exec said. “People are concerned about the lack of sack production, but he has been a good pressure producer.”
Steelers
Steelers’ WR JuJu Smith-Schuster owned up to the fact that he likely motivated the Browns in the playoffs last season by saying “The Browns is the Browns.”
“Probably a lot, honestly,” Smith-Schuster said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’m not going to lie to you. It got to a point where the Cleveland Browns had a billboard up in Cleveland that said, ‘The Browns is the Browns.’ I think by me saying that, it says that a lot of people care about what I say. . . . At the end of the day, I said what I said. I don’t take anything back. They did come out there, they did whoop our ass. It is what it is. We lost that game. We lost early in that game in the first five, 10 minutes. We still fought. I’ll tell you one thing about our team, we still fought to the end. It wasn’t good enough. I just know the AFC North [is] just probably the hardest . . . division right now to win in. Guys like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and Ben. I think every team is getting to the point where it’s like, ‘Man, they’re really good.’ It is what it is.”
- Steelers UDFA CB Shakur Brown picked Pittsburgh over an offer from the Chiefs. (Mark Kaboly)
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