Bengals
- According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Bengals are hiring former NFL player Colt Anderson as an assistant special teams coach.
Packers
Packers TE Jace Sternberger didn’t have the rookie season many expected when Green Bay made him the 75th overall pick by using a third-round pick on him last April. A broken jaw and concussion curtailed his training camp before a preseason ankle injury landed him on injured reserve for eight games. Sternberger ended up playing only 60 snaps the entire year and didn’t catch a pass in the regular season, but the team is still optimistic about his future following a playoff touchdown catch.
“Jace, as far as mentally, he took a big step,” Packers TE Marcedes Lewis said via Wes Hodkiewicz of the official team website. “Early on, when he got in here, he just didn’t really know. He didn’t understand. Then, he got injured and his head was out of it for a little bit. But getting back in and taking the bull by the horns, he really honed his craft and figured out what his role is and what it’s going to be on this team.”
Asked about how Sternberger grew, Lewis expanded.
“Just his understanding that if you’re being physical, that’s going to help you with your releases and getting off the ball and catching the ball,” Lewis said. “He’s going to be a good one. He’s nasty and you need that to be in this league. I’m proud of him and where he’s at right now.”
Raiders
At one point in 2019, the Raiders were sitting at 6-4 and in prime position for a playoff run despite all the turmoil and rebuilding from the offseason. That was primarily due to one of the strongest rookie classes in the NFL, even after losing first-round S Johnathan Abram to a shoulder injury. Though the team collapsed down the stretch and finished its last year in Oakland 7-9, Abram is confident about what he and the rest of the class can do to build on their success.
“We just have to get better week in and week out,” Abram said via the Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “And we have to stay healthy. That may have been our biggest issue last year. We have a lot of talent. Some people may have thought our rookie class was a surprise, but not me. I knew what we were all capable of. We may have had some success that we weren’t ready for, and ended up throwing it all away. But we are a young team and we learned from that.”
- Abram says he’s at about 90 percent in his recovery from shoulder surgery: “I cannot wait to get back out there on the field.”
- According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Raiders QB Derek Carr ($2.9 million), WR Tyrell Williams ($11 million), C Rodney Hudson ($12.65 million) and G Richie Incognito ($5 million) all have injury guarantees that vest to full guarantees Wednesday.
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