“That’s the plan,” Hill said, via the team’s website. “They’ll ease me into things once everyone is back. No rush. It seems like I’ll be able to perform. We’ll see how training camp goes.”

Hill said he wants to be 100% not only physically, but mentally as well before he returns.

“I definitely want to make sure I’m in the right state of mind. Not just because of the injury, I just want to pick up where I left off,” Hill said. “I was trending upward and then the injury. But I feel like if I just come back and have that same mindset that I did before I got hurt, I feel like I’ll be good.”

Bengals DC Al Golden envisions Hill as someone who can play multiple spots within the secondary.

“We need to have guys that can play corner to nickel. We need guys that can play safety to nickel. We need some guys that can play from corner to safety,” Golden said. “Dax gives us that.”

Browns

• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said they will see about adding an RB, barring the legal situation surrounding second-round RB Quinshon Judkins. Stefanski also mentioned RB Jerome Ford will move into the lead spot for now. (Scott Petrak)
• Stefanski was asked about the timeline on deciding a starting quarterback: “I have a plan. It’s in pencil.” (Zac Jackson)
• Cleveland GM Andrew Berry says the Browns are working to get “enough information and enough quality information… to determine the next steps” with Judkins. (Jackson)
• Berry added the team is taking it one day at a time, and a lot is to be determined. (Jackson)
• He was asked if he sees a pathway to keeping four quarterbacks on the Week 1 roster: “I do.” (Andrew Siciliano)

• Browns OL Joel Bitonio on the team’s quarterback competition: “I think all of them are talented, and all of them have that ability to be a starting quarterback in this league. Maybe not today, but in the future, so it’ll be a good competition.” (Tony Grossi)

Steelers

The Steelers’ wide receivers group, including Robert Woods, Calvin Austin and Ben Skowronek, is embracing the mentality of being “grimy” and doing the dirty work

“You see guys who are wanting to fight for each other and play for each other and guys are finishing down the field blocking,” Woods said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “We’re going to be physical in our room. We’re going to be grimy. We’re going to be fighting to the end of the whistle. Playing with — and without — the football, I think, is the biggest thing in our room.”

“We have to be grimy,” Austin added. “In this league everybody is so talented that your talent isn’t going to always win. You got to have that little edge about yourself. And so it’s not just about individuals, it’s our whole room, and our whole room is behind that and we’re going to show that on the field.”

Steelers OC Arthur Smith has even given Skowronek the nickname “Dirtbag” given his willingness to be physical.

“That’s kind of what I do out there,” Skowronek said. “And for the offense, whether it’s digging out support, whatever Art asked me to do, just try to do it to the best of my ability, and kind of set the tone for physicality and stuff like that. The offensive line is physical, running backs, tight ends. So why not be physical at receiver, too? I had to step in and do a lot of stuff in the run game, but it’s really, be physical, or they’re going to find someone else who can be physical. I enjoy kind of being the enforcer out there for the receiver room.”

Woods and Skowronek both feel that they are the grimiest players of the group.

“I would have to say me,” Woods said, laughing. “Yeah, I get down in it, whether it’s a d-lineman, linebacker, safeties, corners, just playing physical with and without the football. If it’s third-and-6 and I’m 4 yards deep, we’re going to find a way to get those extra two. And even if it is without the football, blocking on the 1-yard line, we’re making sure our running back gets in the end zone. I think that’s the mentality of this whole team. Coach Tomlin said he invested a lot of money in the bigs, and we got to be physical.”

“I mean, I’d like to say myself,” Skowronek noted. “But I feel like you have to have that mentality, so I don’t know. You can ask somebody else that question.”