Bengals
Bengals WR Andrei Iosivas , despite not having the production of his counterparts, believes that younger players see him as a leader in the wide receiver room.
“ I think everybody kind of sees me as one of the leaders in the room, ” Iosivas said, via the team’s website. “ Some of the younger guys want to learn. Whoever wants to get the work. I’m always willing to teach people. I don’t mind when there are more people. It helps me to understand it, too, when I teach it .”
Bengals WR coach Troy Walters said Iosivas’ ability to play every receiver position goes unnoticed and is an asset to the offense.
“ That’s the thing with Andrei. He can play all three positions. So when we move Chase (into the slot), we can put him outside and ( Joe Burrow ) is confident he’ll be able to get open, ” Walters said. “ His position flexibility and versatility really help this team a lot and really goes unnoticed. “
Iosivas put on 15 pounds this off-season and said it isn’t affecting his speed in and out of breaks and is helping him become more physical.
“ I think it’s helping me, ” Iosivas says. “ I’m stronger out of my breaks. Quicker. I can put more power into the ground so I can push off faster. People’s bodies are built differently. When I put on the weight, it was beneficial to me. Not detrimental. I’m still fast. If I’m the same speed, but heavier, who cares? Run through some tackles .”
Baltimore signed WR DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason to bring an established veteran presence in a room with Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman . Flowers talked about Hopkins being the perfect veteran because of his ability to teach and lead by example.
“He’s a real vet, he knows everything, he teaches you what he knows… and he works hard too so it’s easy to just follow him, it’s easy to get behind him and do what he does. He’s a great vet and he’s great for our group,” Flowers said, via the team’s social media. “He’s patient in everything he does. He understands that in practice, you’ve got to detail it, so in a game, it’s perfect. I’ve been learning that from him.”
Coming off a heartbreaking postseason loss, Flowers looks to take his game to another level to help Baltimore win a Super Bowl.
