Bengals
Bengals DC Al Golden spoke about the difficulty of being matched up against some of the offensive players in the AFC North while speaking to the media at the combine.
“Make it simple enough that you can get in and out of it and then utilizing the strengths of each component,” Golden told the team website about his pass rushing scheme. “Not being so stratified that this is the only way we do it. I think it’s important that we’re malleable, that we can flip. Lamar Jackson, you may need to spy him more. We have to have all those pieces in the offseason and work accordingly. I think there is a lot of work that the staff is doing right now to position us best for the AFC North and our first quarter of the season. That’s our primary focus. To utilize our talents and put the guys in the right position to do that. There are no bad ideas, especially this time of year.”
One player Golden praised was LB Logan Wilson, who has had six interceptions in two seasons under the defensive coordinator’s watch.
“He’s one of the best people I’ve ever worked with. I tell stories about him all the time, just in terms of his competitiveness,” Golden said of Wilson. “He’s got a knack for the ball. He’s got great hands. It means something to him. I’m evaluating little things from last year and try to incorporate into what we’re doing going forward and I see Logan in space making tackles and defending it the way we want it defended. It brings back a lot of good memories. I can’t wait to work with him again.”
Bengals OC Dan Pitcher was asked if bringing in a big running back to complement Chase Brown would be a smart move.
“The easy answer is Chase isn’t the biggest guy, so maybe if you have an opportunity to add a bigger back with a little more power repertoire to his game, that size helps you in protection,” Pitcher commented. “But I say that with the caveat Chase really stepped up in his protection as well last year. You can kind of look at it with a little bit of a blank slate and say let’s find a way to add a really good football player. We know Chase has a well-rounded skill set. And depending on who we are able to add we can mold it and we can make it work. Credit Chase’s development that we find ourselves in that position.”
Pitcher also brought up WR Andre Iosivas, who established himself as the team’s slot receiver in 2024.
“I thought he made a lot of big plays this year. I thought he really filled that role well,” Pitcher said of Iosivas. “His skill set afforded us the flexibility to really move Ja’Marr as much as we moved him. That’s due to what Ja’Marr can do, first and foremost, but what Dre can do helped. I really like the trajectory of Dre’s career. I expect him to continue that upward movement.”
Bengals new OL coach Scott Peters plans to give LG Cordell Volson a chance for a fresh start after playing every snap in his first three years with the team before being benched in December. Peters also spoke about his impressions of OT Amarius Mims.
“I thought we should love to draft this guy because he had all the intangible things, too,” Peters said of Volson. “He’s a tough kid. Really loves the game. Just kind of helping him along in his career. Take his next step is the goal. He’s physical. He’s got length. I think just helping him find ways to utilize his tools better is one of the areas of (improvement). And you can do that through drilling and kind of emphasis on certain things where we think we can help him. But I think there were some things where hand placement was something that was difficult. Some of the set angles and just having the ability to capture cloth with his hands. It’s something that we put a big premium on.”
“We talked football and I thought he was great. He was really just a great kid, great person. Enjoyed the conversation,” Peters mentioned on recruiting Mims. “He was really into the questions in football, and he had good knowledge of his system. That was a concern, obviously, I’m sure for everybody because he didn’t play a lot in college. But I was impressed. He was inquisitive and he was really, really thoughtful. He’s a good kid and someone who wants to really get better.”
Browns
- Mary Kay Cabot is unsure why Browns DE Myles Garrett doesn’t believe the team can turn things around and isn’t in a rebuild, given that stronger quarterback play seems to be the one thing they need to be competitive.
- Cabot points out that the Browns have all the leverage in the situation, given that Garrett is still under contract for two more years, and the Browns can offer him a deal that would make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
- Cabot also notes that players in this situation usually agree to an extension, and it has happened recently with Lamar Jackson, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Jones, and others.
- In the draft, Cabot believes that the team is set on selecting a quarterback, either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, and will bring in a bridge quarterback such as Justin Fields or Jacoby Brissett, since a veteran who still views himself as a full-time starter may not be an answer for the team.
Ravens
- N.C. State OT Anthony Belton has an official visit scheduled with the Ravens. (Tom Downey)
- The Ravens had a formal meeting with Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman. (Ryan Fowler)
- Per MLFootball, LSU TE Mason Taylor met with the Ravens formally at the combine.
- LSU OT Emery Jones had a formal Combine interview with five teams, including the Ravens. (Tom Downey)
- Purdue OL Marcus Mbow had a formal Combine meeting with the Ravens. (Tom Downey)
- Georgia C Jared Wilson had a formal Combine interview with the Ravens. (Tom Downey)
- Oregon OT Josh Conerly had formal Combine interviews with 12 teams, including the Ravens. (James Crepea)
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