Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers Hosts Bonding Week Prior to 'Last Rodeo'
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is building chemistry with teammates this month, bonding with them before what's expected to be his final season.
Rodgers posted on Instagram photos of him gathering with six Steelers: wide receivers DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Ben Skowronek, and Roman Wilson; tight end Pat Freiermuth; and backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.
The players are seen riding horses, relaxing around a campfire, and paddleboarding. The caption for the post is "Last Rodeo," along with "#bondingweek."
Rodgers insisted after re-signing with Pittsburgh that his upcoming 22nd NFL season would be his last. He's reuniting with new Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy, who was Rodgers' coach with the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons.
Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch believes the Rodgers-McCarthy relationship will take Pittsburgh's offense to another level.
"You have to evolve in today's NFL," Batch said on “The Snap Count Podcast” via Aaron Becker of Yahoo Sports.
"I don't think that's gonna be a challenge to them because once your quarterback knows what's going on, and he is the extension of the coaching staff out there, he can get your receivers and every pass catcher out there up to speed as far as when he needs to go. I think this offense would be in a lot better shape than it was in the past."
Cleveland Browns: Rookie Is Expected to Join Three-Safety Look on Defense
The Ravens won't be the only AFC North team that relies on a three-safety defensive look.
The Browns are leaning toward using safeties Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, and second-round pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren together often in the upcoming season, according to Dan Labbe of cleveland.com.
Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins give the Ravens an elite trio of versatile safeties on the back end. Browns General Manager Andrew Berry sees the three-safety trend spreading around the league.
"You have these safeties that are these hybrid defenders," Berry said. "Kyle Hamilton's obviously the one that we see every year."
The Browns will have a different look under new Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg after trading star defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Berry likes the versatility of Clevland's safety trio and wants to take advantage of it.
"You can look at what Nick Emmanwori did as a rookie in Seattle for Mike Macdonald and those guys provide a lot of value because they're really these multi-positions or we think about positionless basketball," Berry said. "You're getting to this point where you have this positionless defensive philosophy in the NFL. So, I think that position is certainly gaining value."
Cincinnati Bengals: Erick All Could Be an X Factor at Tight End
Taken in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, tight end Erick All Jr. had 20 catches for 158 yards in nine games as a rookie for the Bengals before suffering a season-ending torn ACL.
However, All is ready for training camp and could have a breakout season as a target for Joe Burrow, according to Ben Solak of ESPN.com. In five of his nine games as a rookie, All played more snaps at tight end than teammate Mike Gesicki.
In an offense where wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses, All will see plenty of single coverage. He is also a strong blocker and has remained one of Head Coach Zac Taylor's favorite players.
"With the word physical in the dictionary is a picture of Erick All, trying to put his face through somebody's soul," Taylor said.
