AFC Notes: Cameron Heyward, Jedrick Wills, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Despite looking at some potential replacements on the offensive line, the Browns are reportedly not looking to replace LT Jedrick Wills after he went down with injury along with RT Jack Conklin.

“I hear the Browns ‘feel good’ about the offensive line,” Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto reports. “They believe Dawand Jones may soon be a Pro Bowler. They are “bullish” on how Jedrick Wills Jr. finished the season. They hope Jack Conklin can stay healthy. That would give them three starting caliber tackles.”

Ravens

New Ravens DC Zach Orr will use his playing experience during his time with the team to help him in his new role in Baltimore as he takes over for Mike Macdonald, who was hired as the new head coach of the Seahawks.

“Obviously, when you play the game, you do have the experience of actually being out there on the field in the cleats,” Orr explained, via RavensWire.com. “A lot of times, you put stuff up on the board, and it sounds good and everything, but when you’re really out there, stuff is moving a lot faster, you have somebody trying to hit you and things of that nature, so that helps. You can kind of be like, ‘OK, I understand what you saw in this specific situation.’ But, honestly, as a coach, that really doesn’t help you from the standpoint of teaching, coaching and getting information to the players, because as a coach, it’s really not what you know; it’s what your players know and what you can get them to know. That’s why you don’t see a lot of players really just get into coaching and things of that nature, because coaching and playing are two totally different things. As a player, you just have to understand, ‘OK. This is what I do. This is how it fits in to what we’re doing.’ As a coach, you have to be able to know what’s coming next and be able to spit that information out to your players and make sure they’re prepared to go.”

Steelers

Steelers DL Cameron Heyward battled injuries all season in 2023 and needed groin surgery following the season. Despite all the success he’s had with the franchise, some fans were hoping he would retire to avoid Pittsburgh taking on his $22 million cap hit for 2024.

“Funny how you get hurt and kill yourself just to get back to play and not be 100 percent. Now they want you to retire cuz I was hurt all year,” Heyward said, via his social media. “Atleast I know where y’all stand. Yall quick to forget when I am healthy…. But I look forward to reminding yall”