The AFC North kept its familiar mix of optimism, patience and blunt honesty this week, with coaches and players across the division weighing in on injuries, development and a Steelers team heading into its bye at 6-2.
In Cincinnati, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor pointed to the defensive line’s depth as injuries continue to stack up, and he singled out Shemar Stewart as a player ready for a bigger role.
“We’re well built in that room. It’ll provide more opportunities for guys like Shemar,” Taylor said, via Bengals Wire.
“We knew a day like this would come. It’s always unfortunate when a guy gets hurt.
That’s why you have the depth. Shemar has been doing everything he can to control his spot.
We trust him to go in there and make some plays for us.”
Over in Cleveland, Jared Verse is still waiting for his first sack since the Browns acquired him, but head coach Todd Monken isn’t sounding alarmed. Monken said Verse is still getting comfortable with the way Cleveland wants to play defense and called it a “matter of time” before the production shows up.
“Well, I think it’s too early to say anything. I mean, I love the way Jared works every day since he’s come here, just like all of our guys, he loves to work,” Monken said, via PFT.
“He likes being on the field and practicing. And I think it’s a matter of adapting to our style, which is, you know, there are some things that aren’t as similar to what he was used to doing with the Rams and the attack style.
And I think it’s just a matter of time before, you know, he really gets comfortable in what we’re doing defensively. And it’s unfair to compare him to Myles Garrett.
I think that’s always been unfair. Myles is in an elite category of his own.
That’s okay. I mean, that’s who he is.
But we just need Jared to be the best version of Jared, and I think we’re going to continue to see growth there. And again, what will help us?
Be ahead in games, force the other team to throw it, and I think you’ll start to see his sacks start to pile up.”
In Pittsburgh, Aaron Rodgers didn’t sugarcoat the Steelers’ win over the Browns, even as the result pushed them into the bye week atop the division. Rodgers said the performance left points on the field, but the record is exactly where Pittsburgh wants it.
“Not very complete,” Rodgers said of the win over Cleveland, via NFL.com. “Defense played excellent.
Special teams did fine. But offense should have had a lot more points.
There were a couple opportunities. We didn’t execute down there on the goal line.
We’d like to play our best and still win…we also like to win. We’re 6-2 going into the bye, first in the division.
We’re right where we want to be.”
In Other News...
Steelers Quarterback Depth Just Entered The Trade Deadline Conversation
The Steelers quarterback room is suddenly part of the trade deadline chatter, even if the situation still feels more theoretical than urgent. Pittsburgh is carrying four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, with veteran Mason Rudolph among them, and that kind of depth naturally gets attention when the deadline starts creeping closer and teams around the league begin bracing for injuries.
ESPNs Jeremy Fowler floated Rudolph as a possible trade candidate in that context, though the broader read is that Pittsburgh is not expected to be active in that way. For now, it reads more like a league-wide what-if than a real sign the Steelers are preparing to deal from a position of strength, with any movement depending on how the quarterback market shifts elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Cornerback Regret Looks Worse With Every Week
The Steelers secondary decisions from the 2026 offseason are looking a little different now than they did then. Pittsburgh traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys and let James Pierre walk to Minnesota, a pair of moves that seemed manageable at the time but have taken on more weight as the season has gone on. Porter has been solid enough in Dallas, but Pierres rise with the Vikings has turned him into the more glaring what-if for a defense that could have used another dependable corner.
Pierre has settled in quickly in Minnesota and the coverage numbers have backed up the eye test, with a strong showing that has him sitting 12th among NFL cornerbacks. For the Steelers, the frustration is less about one bad decision than the combination of performance and cost, since Pierres contract was the kind of deal Pittsburgh could have kept in play. Instead, the front office is left watching a player it knew well thrive elsewhere while the question of whether he should have stayed in black and gold lingers a little longer each week. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Win Over Browns Just Sparked A New Rivalry Flashpoint
A routine extra-point sequence turned into one of the sharper postgame talking points from Pittsburgh's Week 8 win over Cleveland, when guard Mason McCormick drew an unnecessary roughness penalty after a hit on Browns defensive end Jared Verse. The play added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help finding emotion, and it quickly drew attention well beyond the field as former Browns safety T.J. Ward weighed in on the hit.
McCormick said afterward that he did not know it was Verse on the other end of the collision and was simply following coaching instructions, while Verse made clear he was upset about the incident. Verse also said he had already discussed the situation with his Browns teammates, leaving the episode as one more flashpoint in a matchup that seems to keep finding new edges every time these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]