Bengals

Bengals LB coach Mike Hodges said he believes in the development of the team’s linebacker room and thinks a few players can step up to fill their need at middle linebacker.

“They’re not throwaways, as some people want to say,” Hodges said, via Paul Dehner, Jr. of The Athletic. “They’re far from that. This organization is going to be proud of this room going forward, I really believe that.”’

• Dehner believes that the team will likely turn to the draft for reinforcements at cornerback. The team has its top three in place, but also needs depth and lacks a fourth cornerback on the roster.
• Veteran QB Joe Flacco could also return to the Bengals in a backup role. Flacco has stated that he wants a chance to start again, but will return to the team if a role doesn’t become available. The Raiders and Steelers are two teams that Flacco could turn to. The Raiders may want to bring presumed first-overall pick QB Fernando Mendoza along slowly, while the Steelers are still waiting on QB Aaron Rodgers to make his decision.

Ravens

• The Ravens shocked the league by backing out of its trade for Raiders DE Maxx Crosby after the two sides agreed to terms on a deal. Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom cites multiple general managers who think Baltimore rescinded the trade because they “desperately” needed the draft picks to fill big holes on the roster.
• According to La Canfora, Baltimore’s sudden decision could “severely damage” GM Eric DeCosta‘s ability to do business with other teams in the future. 
• La Canfora cites one general manager involved in discussions for Crosby this offseason who is skeptical about the Ravens using medical reasons to back out of the deal: “I’m not buying that this is a medical thing. I don’t think too many of us (general managers) are going to buy that. I think DeCosta was looking at his roster and he’s scared as shit. He’s pissed at the Raiders for the contract they gave (former Ravens star center Tyler) Linderbaum, and he’s losing all his free agents and he wants those picks back… I’m telling you, I don’t think this is about the medical. DeCosta is going to have real problems now. How can you trust him? How do you do a deal with him after this? This is really bad. And the Raiders are really screwed.”
• Another general manager who was keeping tabs on Crosby thinks DeCosta got cold feet: “This smells like bullshit to me. You do a trade of this magnitude, with the player missing time at the end of the season, you can get ahead of all of that and ask for more imaging and get your hands on that stuff sooner if you have any concerns. I think DeCosta got cold feet. Crosby’s agents know that he loves his picks and his comp picks more than anything else. Those guys had to know they’d better be careful with a team like that, doing a deal five or six days before the start of the league year or whatever it was. You can always hide behind a physical if you want to get out of something.”
• One longtime NFL personnel executive told La Canfora that DeCosta was worried that they gave up too much for Crosby: “DeCosta saw all the negative press he was getting and he’s worried he gave up too much for an older pass rusher. His roster is getting picked apart. I hear he’s having trouble getting Lamar to answer his phone and do a new deal with him. So you fail Crosby on a physical to save the picks and try to start filling all the holes he has because he can’t sign his draft picks to extensions before they hit the market.”

Steelers

The Steelers made big moves on the offensive side by signing RB Rico Dowdle and trading for WR Michael Pittman. Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports cites one anonymous NFL executive who said Pittsburgh understands that Aaron Rodgers can’t carry their offense. 

“Aaron Rodgers can’t carry them, and they know it,” the executive said. “They got him two weapons — a 1,000-yard rusher, and a No. 1 receiver who can be their No. 2 guy. Add in Mike McCarthy’s [offensive] coaching and they’ll be a better team.”