AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

Bengals S Vonn Bell, along with a number of other Bengals with connections to New Orleans, is making a return of sorts with this week’s game against the Saints who allowed him to leave in free agency for reasons Bell wasn’t willing to discuss. 

“They didn’t sign me back,” Bell said via the Athletic’s Jay Morrison. “There’s a lot more detail I can’t talk about.”

There’s some implication it was because the Saints viewed Bell as just a box safety, and his usage in New Orleans compared to Cincinnati seems to bear that out. The Bengals haven’t put those kinds of limitations on Bell and he’s responding with a career year so far. He already has three interceptions after entering 2022 with just two. 

“I never thought that (Bell didn’t have range),” Bengals DC Lou Anarumo said. “I never thought that at Ohio State. I thought he had range to make plays. Is he going to be Ed Reed? No, there is only one Ed Reed. He doesn’t have to be. He can be Vonn Bell.”

Bell has also been instrumental in adding other former Saints defensive players like DE Trey Hendrickson and CB Eli Apple who have helped make the Bengals one of the better defenses in the league. Apple’s exit from New Orleans was a lot more explosive than Bell’s, but Hendrickson left in a good spot. 

“New Orleans is a great place,” Hendrickson said. “Good people, good fans. Going home there isn’t any animosity. They told me early on that I wasn’t going to be retained so there was no love lost. I was very grateful for those four years and what I learned. It’s a business at the end of the day. The way they conveyed it to me, I have nothing but respect for that.”

Browns

Browns DE Myles Garrett commented on his lackluster performance so far this season and said he is currently feeling out of place in the scheme.

“No, as far as playmaking, I’m not having as many opportunities to make as many plays as I want to,” Garrett said, via Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com. “Their scheme, our scheme, whatever it is, I’m not being the dominant force that I know that I can be. I know it’s a combination of things, and not all of them are in my control, so I can only play my position and play it to the best of my ability.”

“It’s very frustrating,” Garrett added. “You want to go out there and you want to be the best. I feel like I am the best when I touch the field. So not being able to do that on the stat sheet or make splash plays or make the plays that help my team win, it’s frustrating. But I can only do so much with the opportunities that I’m given. Besides their play calling, which is usually trying to nullify me and what I can do on the field, we’ve just got to be able to win those one-on-ones. Once we win more one-on-ones across the line or we send more guys and get those 5-0 looks, that will allow us to make more plays. When guys are getting double-teamed up and down the line, or they’re max protecting, there’s always one guy that’s going to have to win. Once we win more of those, guys will start to respect us a little bit more and those double teams and triple teams will start to shift away and I’ll get more one-ops.”

• Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was fined $8,177 for a facemask against the Chargers, while DE Alex Wright was fined $5,347 for the same offense. (Petrak)
• Jeremy Fowler reports that LB Deion Jones will be out for Week 6 as he needs another week to return.
• Browns QB Deshaun Watson could be facing another legal battle if the league attempts to discipline him for similar misconduct that occurred prior to his August 2022 settlement. (Pro Football Talk)

Ravens

Ravens DC Mike Macdonald is excited to have outside linebackers Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo return to practice after both players recovered from torn Achilles injuries. 

“Yes, I was jacked to see them out there with a jersey on and helmet and everything. Obviously, Tyus [Bowser] and then the road that he’s … what he’s haven gone through since the last game of the season and the work that he’s put in. And then, obviously, [David] Ojabo and his situation [tearing his Achilles during his March Pro Day] – it’s not easy … Man, it’s such a tough injury to come back from, and mentally just as much as physically – just the daily grind and getting to trust it and to believe in it and to believe in the work that you’re putting in. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes, so to see it in the flesh kind of come to fruition like that, I can’t help but just be proud of those guys and happy for them that they’re getting an opportunity to go play again. So, yes, that was a cool moment,” said Macdonald, via RavensWire.