Pittsburgh Steelers: Diontae Johnson Gives Mason Rudolph Vote of Confidence
Losing to Kansas City this weekend ended the Steelers' season and began a new chapter without Ben Roethlisberger, who is expected to retire after 19 seasons.
There has been speculation that the Steelers might pursue a veteran quarterback this offseason. However, backup Mason Rudolph has waited a long time for his opportunity and has the support of teammates, including Pittsburgh's No. 1 wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
"Mason's a great player, a great quarterback," Johnson said via Bryan DeArdo of cbssports.com. "He's smart. Playing with him my rookie year, he's shown that he can win us games. In those tough moments, he can make plays. He's relaxed. When he was on the sideline this year, he was always on it, telling us what to look for, what coverages [defenses] mostly were in. Just throwing out plays where we could beat certain coverages.
"I'm sure he's going to work his tail off to compete for the starting job. I'm pulling for him."
The Athletic's Mark Kaboly wrote that "all signs are pointing to" Rudolph being the Steelers' next starting quarterback. Rudolph signed a one-year contract extension through 2022 last April.
"The free-agent quarterback market is not robust. The team is hesitant to go after big-name trades that would require a significant investment of high draft picks and cash. There is uncertainty surrounding this year's crop of draft-eligible quarterbacks, with questions about who is first-round worthy and can start as a rookie. The Steelers' best option might just be that low-key extension on draft day," Kaboly wrote.
"If the Steelers don't add a veteran high-end quarterback via trade in March, you can be assured that it will be Rudolph's job to lose heading into training camp."
However, expectations are always high in Pittsburgh, where Head Coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing year in 15 season. Rudolph is in the running to succeed Roethlisberger, but Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward said Roethlisberger set a standard that will be difficult to match.
"Ever since I got here, we've had a guy in (No.) 7 that gave you a chance," Heyward said. "When you started the season, you said, 'That's a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.' There's not a lot of quarterbacks that can do what he does, to do it at that high of a level. Starting next year, we'll see. That's the front office. I know we've got great scouting, so we'll see what happens."
Cincinnati Bengals: With Joe Burrow at Helm, Bengals Confident After First Playoff Win in 31 Years
The Bengals are the only AFC North team left in the playoffs, and they believe Joe Burrow can lead them farther.
Cincinnati won its first playoff game in 31 years against the Las Vegas Raiders during Wild-Card Weekend, and Burrow was coolly efficient with two touchdown passes and a 70.6 completion percentage in his first playoff game. Burrow showed some of his swagger after the game, wearing rose-colored glasses to his postgame presser that drew plenty of attention on social media.
There's plenty of substance with Burrow's style, and that's part of the reason the Bengals are confident heading into Saturday's divisional matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Cincinnati will be an underdog on the road, facing the No. 1-seeded Titans, who should benefit from having a bye last weekend and could get Derrick Henry back on the field.
However, Burrow led LSU to a national championship in his final college season, and the second-year quarterback is on a torrid stretch, completing 76.5% of his passes over his last three starts.
Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had a 100-yard performance in his postseason debut (9 nine catches, 116 yards) and the chemistry that Chase and Burrow enjoyed as college teammates has continued seamlessly into the NFL.
Former Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis enjoyed regular-season success in Cincinnati, but he was 0-6 in the playoffs. Now that the Bengals have gotten the postseason monkey off their backs, Lewis expects the Bengals to be a tough out, particularly with Burrow leading the offense. The Burrow era in Cincinnati is off to an impressive start.
"He seems somewhat of an old soul and he's mature enough to handle it," Lewis said via Elise Jesse of si.com/all bengals. "His demeanor and being from Ohio and what he's been through I think he's really conscious of hard work, and opportunity and taking advantage of opportunities. The rest of the guys, Tyler Boyd, (Joe) Mixon, Jessie (Bates), and (Sam) Hubbard, the guys who were there when I was there, they're experiencing winning for the first time and they're excited as hell."
Cleveland Browns: Jadeveon Clowney Would Welcome Return to Cleveland
Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney had nine sacks for the Browns and started 14 games, his most productive and healthiest season since 2018. It was no coincidence that All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett had a career-high 16 sacks playing opposite Clowney, as Cleveland's pass rush was one of the bright spots of their season.
The 28-year-old Clowney is a pending free agent, and he wants to get paid after proving he could stay healthy this season. If the Browns step up, Clowney has made it clear he would love to return, and he loves playing with Garrett.
"We've become close," Clowney said via the team’s website. "I pick his brain, he picks mine. We feed off each other. It's a good thing to have somebody on the other end you don't have to worry about.
"You're playing at a high level, you want to get paid. I had a couple of years where I've been hurt, but I always thought I was playing well, I've just been injured. I just wanted to make it through a year healthy and show people that I can play at a high level, stay healthy. That was my goal this year."
No matter where he plays next season, Clowney said it was a relief to enter the offseason feeling healthy.
"I'm already ahead of the curve," Clowney said. "I've got nothing to get fixed, no injuries. Injuries do some stuff to you. It's really a mental thing. That's what I've dealt with most of my career."
