Bengals

Bengals DC Al Golden said the defense has shown improved communication, fundamentals and consistency early in training camp.

“We’re not miscommunicating,” Golden said, via SI. “We’re playing our fundamentals. Everybody’s doing their job, and and we’re improving, and we have consistency.”

Golden reaffirmed his confidence in LBs Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. as Cincinnati evaluates its options at the position.

“You guys know how I feel about them — love them. I stood on the table for them,” Golden said.

Golden praised DT Dexter Lawrence’s conditioning, leadership and ability to generate interior pressure.

“Dex is everything you would imagine that he is,” Golden said. “He came back in great shape, and I think that’s a testament to him and his work ethic and his energy, renewed energy and his focus. So he’s powerful. We’re going to continue to work to get him to beat blocks. His middle push is significant, so he’s doing a great job of buying in and being a leader for us.”

Golden said the Bengals are continuing to adjust the defense based on what the roster shows it can execute best.

“Again, upstairs did a tremendous job, giving us depth and versatility. And I think I said back to the first day or before the first day, we’re trying to find out what we do best too, and our guys are putting on film every day what we do best, and we’re making little adaptations daily to make sure that we are using them the way they should be.”

Ravens  

Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike returns this season after suffering a neck injury that threatened to end his career. Baltimore S Kyle Hamilton called Madubuike one of the “most talented” players in the NFL and is hopeful he will make an impact in 2026. 

“He is one of the most talented people in the league at his position,” Hamilton said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “I don’t think it takes a genius to realize that we’ll get better when he is on the field. It allowed for a lot of younger guys to step up and get some much-needed reps going into this year, but we are all hopeful to get him back as soon as possible.”

Ravens HC Jesse Minter said Madubuike is still working toward getting into football shape, but there is confidence in the direction he’s headed. 

“It’s still a process to get ready to play football, and that’s something we’re going to work through over these next couple of weeks,” Minter said. “Everybody has a good feeling about where he’s at and where it’s headed. But again, there’s a timeline involved, and that could go wherever. So, super exciting to see that dude out there with his jersey on and his helmet. He looks great. He’s been working hard, and there are positive things to come with him.”

Steelers

Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said RB Rico Dowdle fits what he looks for at the position because of his ability to contribute on every down.

“I mean, Rico is a hell of a football player,” McCarthy said, via Steelers Wire. “I mean, when I view the running back position, you know, the first question I ask when we’re doing the evaluations, can he play all four downs?”

McCarthy said pairing Dowdle with Jaylen Warren gives Pittsburgh flexibility because both backs can stay on the field in any situation.

“So, to be able to get Rico here and to pair him with Jaylen, I mean it excites me because I know my personal preference as a play caller,” McCarthy explained. “I don’t want to have to worry what backs in there. So, you know, if it’s third down, I just run our stuff and both those guys give us that that flexibility.”

McCarthy said he believes the Steelers have a strong backfield tandem in Dowdle and Warren.

“We really got a dynamic one-two punch in my opinion,” McCarthy added.