AFC

Baltimore

PINING FOR BRAD: The Ravens have been reluctant to surrender their top pick in the draft for Minnesota QB Brad Johnson. They offered their second-round pick this season and first-round pick next year, but the Vikings want the Ravens' first-rounder this year. The Ravens seem to have gained leverage in negotiations because no other team is interested in giving up a No. 1 pick for Johnson. If they can get Johnson and play defense as well as they did last season, they could become at least a .500 club. If the Ravens acquire Johnson, look for them to trade QB Jim Harbaugh.... C Wally Williams signed a five-year, $18.5 million contract with the Saints. That may weaken the offensive line, but it has become clear that coach Brian Billick wants to gut the offense and rely on defense to carry the team this season.

GOOD RIDDANCE: The Ravens made a wise decision by not picking up the option year on WR Michael Jackson's contract, which would have counted $3.77 million against the salary cap. Though it's true that the team emphasized the running game last season, Jackson's production was alarmingly low. He made 38 receptions for 477 yards and no touchdowns.... Billick's decision to name Steve Shafer defensive backs/assistant head coach has raised a question about who will run the defense--Shafer or defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Billick says Lewis and Shafer can learn from each other, but it's a strange situation considering that Lewis wasn't Billick's first choice for the job. --Mike Preston

Buffalo

CAPPED OUT: The team was forced to make a number of moves to get under the salary cap, including waiving WR Quinn Early and LB Wayne Simmons and restructuring the contracts of seven players--Ted Washington, John Fina, Joe Panos, Thurman Thomas, John Holecek, Phil Hansen and Sam Rogers. That created additional room for the sole purpose of re-signing the two key free agents, OL Jerry Ostroski and CB Ken Irvin. Irvin is interested in testing the free-agent market, but Ostroski basically has agreed to a new deal that will pay him about $2 million per year. Then there is Bruce Smith. He was asked to rework his contract but refused. Ironically, Smith has said the Bills need to acquire a top-notch pass rusher to give him help. But the team is handcuffed because it doesn't have enough room under the cap to make a bid for a respectable player, and it could have used the money Smith would have been able to provide.

CALL FOR CORNERS: Secondary depth, which was a key issue late in the season when CB Thomas Smith went down with an injury, took a further hit when the Browns grabbed Ray Jackson in the expansion draft. Jackson was a functional player who started the playoff game against Miami. Even if the team does re-sign Irvin, it still needs to upgrade its secondary in the draft. If Irvin signs elsewhere, then the Bills will have to find a way to bring in a free-agent cornerback, even if it means waiving a player to create the salary-cap space. One possibility is Kansas City's Dale Carter, who says he likes the way the Bills play defense. --Sal Maiorana

Cincinnati

CAUTIOUS APPROACH: After getting burned in free agency a year ago, the Bengals are inching forward with caution. Their budget is tight because of the $8 million spent on QB Neil O'Donnell, CB Thomas Randolph and DE Michael Bankston in 1998. With only about $3 million to play with during free agency, they've confined their search to defensive linemen and defensive backs to complement a solid corps of young linebackers. They'll probably lose CB Ashley Ambrose, SS Sam Shade and DE Clyde Simmons, and if they can't replace them in free agency, they will fill those holes in the draft. The Bengals will be solid at end if Bankston and John Copeland stay healthy, but they need a nose tackle to plug a gaping hole in the middle. That's why they're after Minnesota's Jerry Ball, New England's Henry Thomas and Pittsburgh's Oliver Gibson. If Ambrose goes, the signing of CB Corey Sawyer would be paramount. Healthy after a torn knee cartilage wrecked his '98 season, Sawyer will get plenty of offers once the big-name comers are gone.

LOCK 'EM UP: With so many players wanting out, the Bengals should attempt to lock up TB Corey Dillon and RT Willie Anderson with long-term deals. This franchise can't afford to lose either to free agency after the 2000 season.... Losing kick returner and slot receiver Damon Gibson in the expansion draft was a downer. But luckily for the team, Stepfret Williams and James Hundon will provide depth in both areas when they get the chance to step up. --Chick Ludwig

Cleveland

WOHLABAUGH SIGNED: On the second day of free agency, the Browns opened Al Lerner's war chest of money and landed their first priority, Patriots C Dave Wohlabaugh (seven years, $26.3 million), as well as Colts P Chris Gardocki. Wohlabaugh will start at center, and Jim Pyne, the team's top pick in the expansion draft, will move back to left guard, where he had his most successful years in Tampa. Wohlabaugh is a durable, hard-nosed player the Browns believe will help establish a solid running game.... The team will join Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh in the competition for Carolina LT Blake Brockermeyer.... Coach Chris Palmer said the Browns helped themselves on both lines in the expansion draft, except at left offensive tackle. Two defensive linemen to watch are Hurvin McCormack and Antonio Anderson, both pickups from Dallas.