AFC Notes: Al Golden, Tee Higgins, Shedeur Sanders, Bengals, Browns

Bengals

Bengals DC Al Golden said he will challenge his players more in the spring so they’re ready to go when the season starts.

“I do believe in maybe challenging a little bit more in the spring, just so there’s better recall in the summer and then ultimately, in preseason camp,” Golden said, via Sports Illustrated. “I’m not a big believer in drawing up something crazy on a Thursday night. I just don’t believe in that. You can quality control enough in the offseason that you can develop a menu that can endure the entire season. Certainly there will be little nuances that you have to do. But if you want the guys to play fast, then just be highly organized and be able to pull things that you can help you versus opponent X or opponent Y.”

Golden added that he will give the players the ability to read what the offense is lined up in and make adjustments pre-snap.

“One heartbeat,” Golden said. “We all have to believe in the same thing. We talked about it earlier. There’s not going to be much gray. I don’t live in that gray world. It’s very important for us to be a championship defense we are going to have to be empowered. I can’t make all the calls,” he continued. “Same thing with the staff. You make a certain call, and the players have to have the trust and ingenuity and confidence to make a specific adjustment on the field. At some point you have to turn the keys over to the players.”

Golden typically likes to run even fronts but he will adjust his scheme to personnel and fit his system around them.

“I’ve never liked to be painted into a corner in terms of that,” Golden said. “What are our strengths? What do our guys do best? And then what will our auxiliary fronts be? How can we be a little bit different than maybe the standard? That’s where we’ll get together with (linebackers coach Mike Hodges) and (defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery) and say, ‘OK, what did you guys like in the past? What do you think gives people problems?” Golden continued. “And then juxtapose that with the division. Because everything’s going to start with the division.”

Bengals

League executives believe the Bengals will be hard-pressed to re-sign WR Tee Higgins due to roster construction.

“It’s possible, but would require some significant trade-offs,” an AFC exec said, via ESPN. “They will have close to $70 million a year tied up in receivers, plus the quarterback cost. I think it makes more sense to go the cheap route, especially given the improvements they need to make on defense.”

Browns

Browns GM Andrew Berry refuted reports of them asking Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders not to participate in practices at the Shrine Bowl. 

“I don’t know where that report came from,” Berry said, via Zac Jackson. “That’s not true. That’s not a request that we made. With that being said, I want to be clear: whether he participated or not, that would have no bearing on how we think of him. But I don’t know where that came from.”

• NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the Browns interviewed Giants assistant QB coach Christian Jones for their QB coach opening on Friday.