AFC Notes: Lamar Jackson, Denzel Boston, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns HC Todd Monken has already been impressed by the athleticism of second-round WR Denzel Boston during offseason activities.

“He’s a different body type than what we have,” Monken said, via ESPN. “We were looking at someone we thought could be a size matchup and especially in the red zone, which we did not have. So loved his competitive spirit. Just talking about Denzel now. Spoke with Jedd Fisch, his head coach at Washington, who I’ve got a ton of respect for, been in the NFL and raved about Denzel, loves to practice, competitive, a lot of fight in him. He’s come a long way as a player and is only going to continue to get better. And we certainly needed to just continue to upgrade that position, and we did.”

“You can see his catch radius. That’s what you can see,” Monken added. “He does have quick feet. Getting off the line of scrimmage, you can see that. Again, does a really good job getting in and out of breaks for someone with his length.”

“I’m a smart player, so I can play through a bracket, and I can also play on the outside through press coverage,” Boston said of his game. “It all comes down to understanding defenses and coverages and knowing where you can get open and where you can’t get open.”

Ravens

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson noted that new HC Jesse Minter has made a good first impression on him since joining the team and replacing HC John Harbaugh, whose firing shocked Jackson.

“Man, cool dude. Always has a smile on his face,” Jackson said of Minter, via NFL.com. “I just told him on the field today, ‘Every time I come in the building, you are always smiling.’ … That’s great to have. It’s different. Different and new. Feel like everything is new right now. But it’s cool. The atmosphere is smooth. Just looking forward to the season.”

“I would say ‘yes’ because new coach, new [offensive coordinator], new guys in positions,” Jackson replied when asked if he liked the changes. “Everything is just new, basically, besides upstairs right now. Coaching staff is new. I’d just say it’s a breath of fresh air because everything is just new.”

“I was shocked,” Jackson said of Harbaugh’s firing. “I hope coach is having a great, great time in New York. Hats off to coach because he did so much for the city, for the team, for the organization. Hats off to him in New York.”

Steelers

  • Steelers ILB Patrick Queen is entering the final year of his contract. When asked about an extension, Queen said there hasn’t been any movement on both sides: “It was talks here and there. Nothing crazy. … obviously no movement either way. At the end of the day, they got a business to handle. I got a business to handle.” (Brooke Pryor)
  • Steelers G Spencer Anderson said their coaches asked him which side he prefers to play, responding that he’s more comfortable on the right, per Nick Farabaugh.
  • Anderson mentioned that he’s already “developed a language” with RT Dylan Cook, per Farabaugh. 
  • Steelers WR Michael Pittman Jr on second-round WR Germie Bernard: “He came in the right way. He has put his head down and he’s working hard and he’s executing the plays. He’s been here for two weeks now, and I feel like he already knows everything. Whatever he’s doing is working, and I think he’s going to keep on getting better.” (Blitzburgh)

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