With a new coaching staff, led by HC Aaron Glenn that includes OC Tanner Engstrand and O-line coach Steve Heiden, AVT is viewed as a quiet and confident stalwart, like Simpson, another steady young veteran.
"He's a professional," Heiden said. "He approaches it the right way. He's very talented. He's a very talented player and I am enjoying working with him. He has not hit his ceiling, so he's a good player."
Asked about what it takes to succeed as an O-lineman in the NFL, Heiden added: "There's not many of them. It's a limited pool of guys that can play in this league and you need five of them. So, I think that's a concern. And then I think the other thing is the injuries that happen at the position. There's a lot of injuries. So to have a deep set of guys that can be stable, that can go in and play, it's tough to do."
Engstrand, who worked with Glenn and Heiden last season in Detroit, likes the quality of his O-linemen, who this season will be protecting Justin Fields while also blocking for the versatile QB.
"I like the room," OC Engstrand said, speaking generally about the O-linemen. "We have a bunch of good people and guys that are willing to take the coaching and willing to work hard, and that's really what it starts with. Are they talented? Yeah, we have some talented players in that room, clearly, but they're just good guys to be around. They're good with teammates and I believe that we'll be able to lean on those guys."
AVT, too, said he's so far been impressed with what Fields brings to the Green & White.
"I think his energy, he knows energy back there," he said. "I think he brings a lot of it, obviously he has speed. But then with that, his arm as well. And this is only OTAs and you see that connection he's building into the receivers right now. I can't wait to see it during camp and then during the season."