Browns

Browns HC Todd Monken said that he tried to convince LG Joel Bitonio to return to the team, but is giving him his time to make a decision.

“He came up to the office a few weeks ago and we tried to talk him into it right then,” Monken said, via Cleveland.com. “But he was not in that position yet to say he wanted to come back. I’m for really good football players and I’m for really good football players that are wired like Joel. There’s not many wired like Joel. I like what he says, how he carries himself, how he prepares. I mean it’s unbelievable. He’s a rare, I mean how many years was it that he’s played now? 12? And the pounding he’s taken and continued to play at such a high level.”

Bitonio added that he wants to know the situation that he’s stepping into and wants to play with a stable quarterback.

Ravens

The Ravens sent waves around the NFL when they backed out of an agreed trade for Raiders DE Maxx Crosby due to a failed physical. Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta understands the outside questions about the situation, but feels he was just doing what was best for the organization.

“We live in that age of skepticism, and people question, especially people that don’t really know me or know the Ravens’ culture and the Ravens’ organization. I understand it,” DeCosta said, via Mike Sando and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. “I’ve got a responsibility for the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to (owner) Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club.”

Many around the league were skeptical of the timing, as Baltimore backed out when DE Trey Hendrickson went unsigned through the legal tampering period. One team executive believes the trade was a way to give Baltimore an insurance plan in case they missed out on Hendrickson, and thinks the analysis should have been done earlier.

“I cannot believe whoever did the Ravens’ analytics said, ‘It would be better for us to not have two first-round picks with Maxx Crosby instead of having Trey Hendrickson with those picks,’” he said. “I just can’t believe that was said. And I can’t believe that that analysis wasn’t done in late February, the first couple days of March.”

“If they could not get Hendrickson, they were going to go through with the Crosby trade, in my opinion. They were willing to pay that premium in draft choices as insurance.”

Steelers

Steelers WR Michael Pittman, Jr. said that his initial conversation with HC Mike McCarthy was extremely encouraging and he’s excited about the upcoming season.

“I don’t want to give up his secret sauce, but it was very positive,” Pittman said, via ESPN. “That’s got to be classified; that’s between me and him. It just got me fired up. And I feel like Pittsburgh is like my style of football, like just really that tough smash-mouth, gritty. And I think that I just fit in perfectly here.”

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb detailed McCarthy’s offensive philosophy and what to expect out of the Steelers’ offense next season.

“We call it the ‘Texas Coast’ where we was at when he was there,” Lamb said of McCarthy’s offensive philosophy. “But I’m sure he is going to call it the ‘Steelers Coast’ there. So definitely a West Coast vibe. He wants to spread the ball, get vertical and run immediately down the field. The fastest way to the zone is through the middle of the field.“