Bengals
Bengals WR Tee Higgins hopes to stay healthy this season so he can maximize the offense’s window.
“I plan on staying healthy,” Higgins said, via ESPN. “Let’s not say ‘if.’ Let’s not do that. It’s too early to be doing that. I plan on it. When I do, [the offense] definitely could be deadly.”
Browns
Browns G Joel Bitonio is excited to get back to the running schemes that dominated in 2020 and 2021.
“For me, it feels like a 2020, 2021 install of the outside zone with power schemes mixed in, which I think is a strength of what our O-line does,” Bitonio said, via Around The NFL.
Bitonio believes the outside zone gameplan is a much better fit for the offensive line as a whole.
“We’re a little bit older, but (right tackle) Jack (Conklin) comes from that outside zone,” the seven-time Pro Bowler said. “(Right guard) Wyatt (Teller) is one of the better pullers, power blockers in the league. (Center Ethan Pocic) can kind of do it all, but I think it fits us so much better.”
Controlling the ball and tempo, Bitonio believes, will help relieve the defense and create more scoring opportunities.
“You still have to pass the ball to win in this league, but if you can have a brand of, like, we’re going to take care of the football,” Bitonio said, “and I think the way we won in the past is our defense was fresh. The games that they played great, they played 50 or 60 snaps, not the 70 or 80 snaps a game. And so if we can control the ball and handle those things, I think it’s a big step.”
Steelers
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is entering his fourth year with the team, which will mark his first as Pittsburgh’s incumbent starting running back. Warren is still focused on earning the job this offseason.
“I’m still practicing hard,” Warren said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m still earning a spot. That’s how I look at it.”
Pittsburgh also picked up third-round RB Kaleb Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. Warren highly praised the rookie, saying he’s “bought into the process.”
“With him coming in and putting in that work, he’s definitely bought into the process,” Warren said. “He’s very attentive to details. He’s doing whatever it takes to work on his craft. He’s not cutting his days short. I appreciate that.”
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