AFC Notes: Jaquan Brisker, Lamar Jackson, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

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Bengals Bengals de facto GM Duke Tobin discussed revamping the team’s defensive line room, even though most of the players are entering their 30s or are already there. “ We’re open to anybody we think has life left in their NFL body, ” Tobin said, via The Athletic . “ They’re playing longer these days, and we’re keenly aware of that. ” Bengals DT Jonathan Allen believes he still has a lot of good football ahead of him and said his role is different from that of a skill position that heavily relies on athleticism. “ It’s an understanding of how offenses work, an anticipation of what they are going to do can help you so much more than a cornerback where if you don’t have the speed to keep up with a go ball, ” Allen said. “ It’s going to be hard at 35 to keep up with receivers just coming into the league. As a defensive tackle, you can play in the league at a high level a lot longer. Yes, there’s a lot of physicality and flexibility and all that, but also all your knowledge and pre-snap awareness and pre-snap keys. It’s hard to find guys who can rush the passer and play the run and be a three-down defensive lineman and do it at a high level. ” Ravens Todd Monken embarks on his first season as the Browns’ head coach following his three years as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. When reflecting on where things went wrong in Baltimore last season, Monken feels that he didn’t get the most out of Lamar Jackson . “I didn’t coach well enough,” Monken said, via Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun. “I didn’t get Lamar to play at his best when the best was needed. Ultimately, it’s a get-it-done business.” Monken interviewed for several head coaching positions in 2023 and 2024, but never landed a job. He thinks his “brash” demeanor rubbed some people the wrong way. “I do think I’m authentic,” Monken said. “Sometimes [players and others] don’t like the approach. I think maybe that’s the first thing they could say is he’s a little brash, or an old white dude, or whatever. It’s fine. It’s true. I always laughed about it ’cause I’d be like, you know, I interviewed for these head coaching jobs and they want to interview me because of who I am, and then when I am that, I don’t get the job. I’m like, wait a minute. You were kind of thinking, what do you think I was? Who’d you think I was gonna be? And that is why, like, there shouldn’t be any gray. At times I did a great job of it [in Baltimore], and at times I didn’t. Same at Georgia. Same will happen here. I’ve gotten better and better at it, and that’s from working for Kirby [Smart] and for John. To confront anything that gets in the way of winning, and that’s internally and externally.” As for last year’s 8-9 finish, Monken said things started to go south when Jackson got hurt. “Hard to really say or pinpoint any one thing,” Monken said. “It didn’t go well when [Jackson] got hurt. Ultimately, we didn’t play as well as we could have early, other than the Bills game, and we were still choppy for a number of reasons, and they’re all legit. You could name 50 of them. And you get this thing going, it’s hard to wrap your hands around it.” Steelers The Steelers enter 2026 with a new coaching staff under Mike McCarthy , including veteran DC Patrick Graham . Pittsburgh S Jaquan Brisker said Graham is doing well, translating how they will make calls and what the expectations are for their system. “A lot of guys say it’s a lot different, especially with the installs,” Brisker said, via Mark Kaboly. “PG (DC Patrick…