Bengals

Bengals DT Eric Gregory recalled several phone calls he received during the 2025 NFL Draft from teams indicating they were interested in him if he went undrafted. Gregory called it “upsetting” and is going into his rookie campaign with a chip on his shoulder.

“That was a little upsetting,” Gregory said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I wanted to turn the phone off, but I knew I couldn’t.”

Gregory felt he had a good opportunity to make an impact in Cincinnati after receiving a call from DL coach Jerry Montgomery.

“I knew immediately when I got off the phone with them,” Gregory said*. “Going in, I was a little mad I didn’t get drafted. I felt like I should have been drafted. But the opportunities I have with the roster, I have a great opportunity to come in and produce right away.”*

Gregory played at Arkansas for six years before entering the 2025 NFL Draft. He explained that changing positions, injuries, and having a child were factors in his decision to stay put in college.

“The plan is never to stay that long, but injuries come and life happens,” Gregory said. “Just like last year, I decided to come back, I had a baby. I didn’t want to be going through this new process right here with a newborn baby, so that’s why I decided to stay there last year. It definitely was hard to stay that long. You want to get out there and come in younger.”

Ravens

Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell feels like he is a better player than he was before suffering a knee injury in 2023.

“I feel like I’m back better than when I first got here,” Mitchell said, via the team’s website. “It’s going to be a movie for sure.”

• Ravens HC John Harbaugh said third-round OT Emery Jones should return “at some point in training camp” but is unlikely to be available at the start of it. (Jeff Zrebiec)
• He added OL Andrew Vorhees and OL Daniel Faalele are “in the lead” for the two starting guard jobs coming out of the offseason. (Zrebiec)
• Harbaugh on CB Jaire Alexander: “He wanted to be here and we wanted him. It was an opportunity to become a better team.” (Zrebiec)

Steelers

The Steelers made headlines when they acquired D.K. Metcalf in a trade with the Seahawks. Mason Rudolph has gotten a strong first impression of Metcalf in OTAs, calling him an “unbelievable athlete.”

“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Rudolph said, via the team’s YouTube. “We all kind of knew that just from watching the tape and watching him from across the league. But I thought just his wanting to learn and his questions — he’s inquisitive and he’s very intelligent, very articulate. I thought that was big time. And he just seems like a guy [who’s] a low-ego guy. He’s been paid a lot, he’s been very successful, but he’s very hungry to improve.”

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