AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns T Chris Hubbard has ended his past two seasons on injured reserve due to injuries that required surgery. However, he is ready to bounce back and remain healthy for the 2022 season.

“I am ready. I’m going to let you know right now, I am ready. I’m more excited to get back with everybody and just put in the work because we’ve got a special group,” Hubbard told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “This is going to be a very exciting year. It’s a new year, it’s a new Browns team. I feel very confident in this group.”

Ravens

Despite trading away WR Marquise Brown, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team did try to acquire a wide receiver in the draft, but with the run on receivers in the first round, the board didn’t allow for that scenario to play out. 

“It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I think, honestly, the fact that there was a run of receivers in the first round like there was … I wouldn’t say it was a great receiver class in general, compared to some of the years,” Decosta said via Ravens Wire. “There were very good players at the top. So, for us, it was a good draft, and there were really good players at other positions. There were some receivers that we liked; we tried to take a couple guys at different points. But, again, one of the phenomenon’s that we’ve seen is that those receivers get picked really, really early now. Similar to corner, they just fly off the board – in some cases, maybe a round to a round and a half earlier than you’d expect. I said this last year, but we like our receivers, we do. We’ve seen growth, we’ve seen our guys mature and develop.”

• CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora thinks there’s a good chance the Ravens trade S Chuck Clark since they’ve made two big-time additions at the position this offseason between free agent signing Marcus Williams and first-round S Kyle Hamilton.
• NBC Sports’ Peter King was embedded with the Ravens in the war room during the fourth round when they had six picks. He notes P Jordan Stout was the only punter they had a draftable grade on though there were three selected.
• They took Stout over WR Calvin Austin, who was one of their top targets to replace WR Marquise Brown as a similar player. But he ended up getting sniped one pick before them by the Steelers.  
• Ravens GM Eric DeCosta had a couple of trade offers from the Chiefs and Jaguars and had turned down an NFC team that offered two sixths. King says they had a slower receiver and two linebackers with solid grades but they decided to take another tight end, Isaiah Likely, who could do some receiver-style things in their offense. 

Steelers

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert‘s run with the team is officially over, as Colbert stepped down after the conclusion of this year’s draft as was expected. He reflected on what has been an extraordinarily successful tenure by any measure. 

“I don’t want to say [I left it] better than [when I got here],” Colbert said via Pro Football Talk. “I’m proud to say we added to that [trophy] room. It was four trophies. There was four when we got here. And you knew the task. You think about DMR [the late Dan Rooney] and being able to add to that room means a ton. It doesn’t mean it’s over. The next step, I mean we gotta get more than, and we’ll never lose that. But it means a lot.”

• PFF’s Doug Kyed reports that a combination of injury and character concerns caused WR George Pickens to fall down the draft board and was considered a “wildcard” by one anonymous executive.
• Colbert will remain with the team in an advisory capacity for the front office. (Gerry Dulac)
• Richmond LB Tyler Dressler was invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets’ rookie minicamps. (Aaron Wilson)