AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

• Bengals HC Zac Taylor on the team’s selection of S Jordan Battle: “This guy is A+ character and leader on a great team. Going to be valuable (as safety) and as a special teams player.” (Paul Dehner Jr.)
• Bengals DC Lou Anarumo on Battle: “The character is off the charts. We are always looking for that.” (Dehner Jr.)
• Bengals LB Logan Wilson said he and the Bengals have talked about an extension and are “hopeful” to get something done. (Kelsey Conway)
• Bengals LB Joseph Ossai says he tore his left labrum and should be ready for training camp after a 4-6 month recovery period. (Conway)

Browns

The Browns didn’t let recent investments in the wide receiver position stop them from adding even more this offseason. Their first pick of the draft was third-round WR Cedric Tillman, making this the third straight year the Browns used a third-round pick on a wide receiver. For guys like David Bell and Anthony Schwartz, that means nothing is guaranteed. 

“For all the guys in that room, it really is just about competition,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “For any player that comes in the NFL, if you’re not ready to come compete for your job, then it’s just not the league and it’s just not the sport for you. That’s the reality for young players, rookies and vets. That’s just kind of the way it is, and that’s kind of the way that we’ll build out the roster.”

Schwartz was a third-rounder in 2021 but he might be the furthest behind in Cleveland’s receiving group that includes Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tillman, Bell, Marquise Goodwin, Jakeem Grant and others. He might be on the wrong side of the bubble. Bell has a little more cushion since he was picked more recently (third round in 2022), but needs to be more productive than he was as a rookie. 

“David — I’ve used this comparison before — his skillset is more in line with Jarvis (Landry) when he was here, where he’s a guy that has good size, strength, catches the ball really well, may not be the fastest, but he’s smooth,” Berry said. “He’s a good route runner. So the way we’ll go about looking at the receiver room as we get the roster to 53 is making sure that we have the appropriate skillsets that allows Kevin and the offensive staff to call the game with enough flexibility in the passing game.”

Ravens

The Ravens are willing to be patient when it comes to seventh-round OL Andrew Vorhees, who tore his ACL during the pre-draft process but still performed and excelled at the bench press during the Combine. Vorhees will basically take a redshirt year and rehab in 2023. The Ravens hope they’ll be rewarded with a find down the road, as teams are always on the lookout for competent offensive linemen. 

“Andrew is a player who we’ve admired and the opportunity to trade back in to get him was too appealing,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We are getting a tough and physical competitor who is polished and experienced. We have every expectation that he will be playing winning football for us in 2024 and this is a move that really solidified our line for the coming years.”