AFC Notes: Marlon Humphrey, Najee Harris, Daxton Hill, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Through the first team reps of mandatory minicamp, Bengals DB Daxton Hill opened as an outside cornerback despite coming into the league as a safety. Cincinnati CB coach Charles Burks stated it’s an open competition in that room but he mentioned how important Hill’s versatile skillset is. 

“It’s a position battle. It’s not solidified. We need everyone,” Burks said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “The idea is competition is going to make us all better. When you get to second-and-seven and third down in this league, you need five guys that can cover.”

“Dax is the important chess piece. He can play all four of those cover spots. He has the skill set. I’m very comfortable with his development over the last month and a half. You want those guys to have versatility because of the different body types they have to cover on third down.”

Ravens

Ravens rookie CB T.J. Tampa isn’t sure why he slid to pick No. 130 in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft but thinks it could be attributed to his 40-yard dash and not participating in the NFL Combine. 

“I’m not too sure, it could have been a lot of different things,” Tampa said, via Paul Banks of RavensWire. “I don’t really know what they were thinking. Maybe it was (my) not doing anything at the combine, or maybe my 40 time, whatever that ended up being.”

Tampa is going into the 2024 season with a “chip on my shoulder.”

“It definitely put a chip on my shoulder, going through this process,” Tampa said. “So when my name is called I can show everybody what I got.”

• Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic believes CB Marlon Humphrey needs a strong season to remain in Baltimore past 2024 because of his increasing cap number which will be $25 million next season.

Steelers

The Steelers declined the fifth-year option of RB Najee Harris, setting him up to be a free agent after the season. Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan called it a business decision but mentioned they’re not closing the door on giving Harris a new deal. 

“It was a business decision that we had to make by May 2,” Khan said, via 93.7 The Fan. “But Najee’s awesome to have around here. Love Najee as a player and a person. Just because we didn’t pick it up doesn’t exclude us from doing something with Najee long term. I’d love to say Najee was here and had a long career in Pittsburgh. He really represents us well on the field and off the field.”