It's but three sentences, via the National Football Post, but it could mean big changes are ahead—again—for the Cleveland Browns:

Weeden, lest one forgets, was a first-round pick for the Browns last year and won the starting quarterback job without much competition. His 3,385 yards in 2012 were the second-highest passing total among the rookie quarterbacks and though he still had some rough edges to smooth out at season's end, it seemed like he wouldn't have much trouble retaining his job in his second year with the team.

But then, there were more changes. With new owner Jimmy Haslam came an entire reworking of the coaching staff and front office. Joe Banner came in as CEO, Michael Lombardi was added as director of player personnel, Rob Chudzinski was brought in to be the new head coach and Norv Turner was hired as his offensive coordinator.

Suddenly, Weeden's job became less secure. The brass decided that a quarterback competition would be the best move at the position, but Weeden is apparently looking forward to proving that he's earned the right to start for the second straight season. However, if the NFP's sources are correct, he may ultimately not even get that chance.

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While Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison awaits word on his fate in Pittsburgh, he's decided to join a new team. According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, Harrison has taken up with the "Ball Busters" dodgeball team, announcing on Twitter he has signed "a one-year deal."

That's one way to fight off the boredom of the offseason and find a distraction from his uncertain fate with the Steelers.

Baltimore Ravens

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will be rehabbing his torn biceps and does not need offseason surgery.

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When the NFL Scouting Combine begins next week, the Cleveland Browns will certainly be paying attention. With needs at multiple positions, especially on defense, and a new coaching staff looking to make the team its own, evaluating potential rookie talent is especially important.

Here are five positions the Browns will be watching intently at the combine and a few players who might find themselves rising on their draft board if they look as good as their billing. 

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During Wednesday's media conference call, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. said that if present Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden was in the 2013 draft, he'd be the first quarterback selected, reports the Akron Beacon-Journal's Nate Ulrich. 

Because of this, Kiper does not believe the Browns will, or would be wise to, select a quarterback with their sixth-overall pick in this year's draft. Instead, he believes defense will be their top priority, especially with the team moving from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Ray Horton.

One potential target, Bjoern Werner, may not be ideal for the Browns, with Kiper saying that Werner looks to be better-suited to play 4-3 defensive end rather than 3-4 outside linebacker.

Baltimore Ravens

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When trying to come up with an ideal trajectory for the career of a young quarterback, the best-case scenario is to see a bit of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning in his future—a Super Bowl ring, maybe more than one; a host of broken records in his name; a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Fame enshrinement; an unprecedentedly high payday. These are the stuff of quarterback dreams, something everyone who plays the position at the professional level someday hopes to achieve.

However, that's not the case for the vast majority of NFL passers. Take the Cincinnati Bengals' Andy Dalton, for example. It doesn't look like he's going to become the second coming of Manning, but that doesn't really matter—not when Joe Flacco's present-day success seems to be in his future.

"Flacco?" you ask, wondering why on earth that would be the career path that Dalton would best follow. Well, it's simple: Because his first two years in the league seem to almost completely match up with what Flacco did in his first two seasons. And, after all, in his fifth year in the league, Flacco help lead the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl win. Dalton wouldn't mind that, at all.

In Flacco's five years on the job, every season his Ravens have made it to the playoffs. So far, in Dalton's two, the Bengals too have made it to the playoffs. While they haven't yet won a postseason game—the Ravens had five playoff wins in those first two years of the Flacco era—there are a lot of reasons to think that Dalton will travel the same path that Flacco forged, even if the scenery is a bit different along the way.

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While the NFL Scouting Combine is by no means the only tool teams use to build their draft boards—that process has been going on for the past 12 months—it does provide them with a closer look at the players who may have caught their eye over time as well as the overall state of particular position groups.

In the following slides, I detail five positions the Baltimore Ravens will be paying the closest attention to at this year's combine as well as certain players who might catch their eye.

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CBS Sports' Larry Hartstein reports that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison won't take a pay cut to remain with the team in 2012, which makes it even more likely that Harrison and the Steelers part ways later this spring.

The Steelers are yet again millions of dollars over the salary cap this year, and reducing the salaries of higher-priced veterans is among the ways they can get their finances under control. However, Harrison's agent Bill Parise thinks that Harrison is a bargain as it is, and while restructuring his contract is an option, cutting that salary is not. 

Baltimore Ravens

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun takes a closer look at the down year Baltimore Ravens nose guard Terrence Cody had in 2012. Cody will likely spend the offseason fighting for his job.

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The Cincinnati Bengals, like all other teams in the NFL, will be using the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine to get a closer look at players that have been on their draft boards for months as well as to gauge the overall talent level of particular positions of interest. What they see next week will likely heavily inform their draft-day strategies and serve to raise and drop the stocks of potential future Bengals.

Here are five positions the Bengals will be paying close attention to at this year's combine, as well as a few players who could catch their eye.

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