AFC Notes: Patriots, Ravens, Steelers

Patriots

• The Athletic’s Chad Graff writes the door is open for Patriots RB Damien Harris to return to New England if he finds a weak free agent market. If he leaves, Graff thinks the Patriots are ready to trust 2022 fourth-round RB Pierre Strong and veteran Ty Montgomery as the main backups. 
• Graff notes Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers could find offers of $16 million a year or more in free agency, which would be a steep price for New England to match. 
• He mentions New England could look to rework TE Hunter Henry‘s deal, as he’s been their most productive tight end but also has a cuttable contract. 
• Patriots OT Conor McDermott is expected to be the team’s swing tackle after re-signing, per Graff, who adds he doesn’t think the team will move on from LT Trent Brown in 2023 as it would mean replacing both starting tackles. 
• Graff doesn’t think the Patriots will bring back either LB Raekwon McMillan or LB Mack Wilson, which will make depth at the position a need this offseason. 
• Two players to keep an eye on as extension candidates are G Michael Onwenu and S Kyle Dugger, two strong draft picks who have become among the best in the league at their respective positions according to Graff. 

Ravens

New Ravens OC Todd Monken had a pretty great job as the play-caller at Georgia, so he didn’t have to approach his chance to get back to the NFL with a sense of urgency this offseason. Given the Ravens didn’t and couldn’t guarantee to him or any other candidate that QB Lamar Jackson would be back, what made Baltimore so appealing to Monken that he had to take the job? 

“I think first is the challenge to do it against the best in the world. I think everybody aspires to have that challenge,” Monken said via the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. “If I was going to do it, it was going to be somewhere that was parallel to Georgia. Part of the reason I went to Georgia — one of the main reasons — was because of culture: head coach, winning, really good on defense, obviously trying to find a way to do it better on offense. So, I thought that was a parallel that I thought fit me. So, irrespective of who was or wasn’t going to be on the roster, I felt like it was something that I really wanted to do, and that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Steelers

Steelers DT Larry Ogunjobi had high praise of his teammates and HC Mike Tomlin when asked about the team’s turnaround in the second half of the regular season. 

“Sometimes it’s hard to find organic people, but those guys are truly organic and real,” Ogunjobi said, via SteelersWire. “They want the best for everybody around them. All of the guys in the locker room are like that and when guys are like that, they play for each other. That’s how you can turn around 2-6 to 9-8. It was a testament to the men in the room.”

• Gerry Dulac reports that the Steelers will not be retaining coach Jerry Olsavsky will not be retained by the team after they hired Aaron Curry as their new ILB coach.
• Lane DE Andrew Farmer spoke with the Steelers at the HBCU Combine. (Justin Melo)