AFC Notes: Bengals, Shedeur Sanders, Carson Schwesinger, Browns

Bengals

• Kelsey Conway notes Bengals DT B.J. Hill was spotted in a walking boot on his left foot at the team facility. 
• One exec isn’t worried about the lack of sack production from Bengals first-round DE Shemar Stewart because of his pressure rate and ability to cause havoc up front: “It is not all sack production. It is total pressures, pressure rate and then physically, it’s their three-cone, their 10-yard shuttle, broad jump, those things. The dude the Bengals took had very low sack numbers but was back there all the time.” (Mike Sando)
• Per ESPN’s Seth Walder, the Bengals hired former Bills analytics intern Trey LaBounty as a scouting research analyst. 
• Dianna Russini of The Athletic has been hearing the Bengals want to get a deal done with DE Trye Hendrickson, but believes they are not close to agreeing on a number that works for both sides: “I continue to hear Cincinnati wants to make something work with Trey. Do I think that they are close in numbers? No. This is why you do something like this. You put out a statement because you’re not happy. This is a tactic, this is a way to negotiate. If the communication isn’t there, then that tells me right now that there’s a difference in the number that they’re looking for.” 

Browns

An NFL executive said that the reason why Browns fifth-round QB Shedeur Sanders fell in the draft was due to his personality.

“He’s a good person, but people didn’t like the personality,” he said, via Fox Sports. “He’s the biggest celebrity since Johnny Manziel to enter the draft.”

Sanders reportedly didn’t show up to interviews prepared and didn’t use the time to study the material the team’s prepared for him. Sanders only took interviews with the top seven teams in the draft.

“At some of those [combine] meetings with certain teams that maybe Shedeur Sanders didn’t really want to go to … I was told that he more or less sandbagged in those interviews,” CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones said.

Colorado HC Deion Sanders also made it known that his son would be selective in who he played for.

“There’s certain cities that ain’t gonna happen,” Sanders said during a podcast appearance on “Million$ Worth of Game” in 2024. “It’s gonna be an Eli [Manning].”

Browns

Browns GM Andrew Berry said he places an emphasis on linebackers that can play in space and said that rookie LB Carson Schwesinger can embody that role.

“I think the biggest thing for us is guys at the off-the-ball linebacker position,” Berry said, via Beacon Journal. “For us to maybe go outside of the norm, we have to project them to be able to do something special or well above average in the passing game. And for Jeremiah, that was really his ability as a blitzer. Like, he was a great run defender because he can make plays behind the line of scrimmage and everything, but he was really special — or is really special, I should say — as a blitzer. With Carson, his profile is maybe a little bit different in the fact that he’s shown himself to be a really strong coverage player. Whether man or zone, he very much, like Jeremiah, he’s very good in the run game, very instinctive, a surefire tackler. But when we look at that position and if we’re going to invest significant resources, it’s, ‘Hey, can this player contribute above and beyond on third down?’”

Schwesinger has a lot of questions as he continues to adapt to the league.

“Oh, I mean, there’s a wide range,” Schwesinger said, “whether it’s small details about certain things and the formations you’re getting and the common runs or passes you get out of that. Or it could be recovery habits, or what you do to keep your body or to get your body ready for practice and really any of those.“