Shortly after word broke a month ago that Vontaze Burfict would face a three-game suspension for repeated on-field safety violations, reports indicated that the Bengals linebacker would meet with commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss the penalty. That meeting, which Burfict hopes will help get his suspension reduced, hasn’t happened yet, but it’s set to take place within the next week, according to Coley Harvey and James Walker of ESPN.com.
Here’s more from out of the AFC North:
- Browns director of football research Ken Kovash has received a promotion from the team, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). The team is still determining his new title, but Kovash is expected to help new VP of player personnel Andrew Berry run the Browns’ scouting department.
- Chris Boswell converted 29 of 32 field goal tries for the Steelers in 2015, but veteran kicker Shaun Suisham, who spent the season on IR, fully intends to reclaim his job this year, as he tells Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The first thing I need to do is get healthy,” said Suisham, who continues to recover from a torn ACL. “If I’m healthy, I think I will be in good position to get my old job back.”
- Few NFL teams restructure contracts as frequently as the Steelers do, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who takes an in-depth look at why Pittsburgh is constantly moving around money, how it benefits the club, and how it can backfire as well.
- Hue Jackson‘s first major challenge will be carrying out a culture change in the Browns‘ locker room, Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com writes. Shaw wonders if the Browns will now put more emphasis on character in the draft now that Jackson is part of the organization.
Zach Links contributed to this post.