AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor thinks that the close relationship between teammates like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase has been an important factor in their success. 

“That’s important,” Taylor said, via ProFootballTalk. “Great teams have that, not just on the field. It’s guys really enjoying spending time with each other. Not just those two, but really the whole core on offense, they like being together, going to dinner together, spending time in the hotel on the road together. That’s something as a coach you can’t push, you can’t manage, it’s just got to happen naturally, and fortunately we’ve got it.”

• Bengals HC Zac Taylor said TE C.J. Uzomah (knee) is “on track” to play in Super Bowl 56: “C.J. [Uzomah] is looking really good. He’s on track to play.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase said their offense is being sure to keep an eye on Rams DT Aaron Donald: “Everyone knows who Aaron Donald is. He’s a monster.” Says he’s confident in his guys, and “We’re gonna let our helmets and shoulder pads do the talking.” (Albert Breer)
• As for playing against Rams CB Jalen Ramsey, Bengals WR Tyler Boyd called the cornerback one of the best in the league but thinks they can find a way to “exploit” Los Angeles’ system: “Ramsey is one of the best corners in the league. End of day we believe any defense we play against we can exploit them.”
• Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah was upgraded to limited in practice today, which marks his first participation since spraining his MCL in the AFC Championship Game. (Ben Baby)
• Bengals OL Jackson Carman was a full participant in practice. (Baby)
• Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie said that he was offered more money from other teams, but really bought into the Bengals’ vision for the future and plan. He loved the locker room and is happy he decided to choose Cincinnati. (Laurel Pfahler)

Browns

• Nate Ulrich confirms the Browns are re-signing DL coach Chris Kiffin after he briefly left the organization earlier this offseason for the University of Mississippi. 

Ravens

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta commented on how the team would like to approach adding offensive linemen this offseason. 

“I think we’ll probably add two guys, possibly,” DeCosta said, via RavensWire.com. “Potentially. It’s hard to say. There’s always going to be a lot of moving parts. If the right player becomes available, we’ll probably make a move. We were very happy last year when Kevin Zeitler became available, and we pounced. I think that’s kind of what our mindset is; if we’re in the Draft and there’s a guy there at [Pick] 14 and we like him, we’ll take him. If we’re comfortable trading back to [Pick] 20 thinking a guy might be there and he’s an offensive lineman, then we’ll take him. If there happens to be a [salary] cap casualty on March 18th and that guy looks like he can make our team better, then we’ll probably try to swoop in. That’s basically our mindset. If a team calls us and offers a guy and we have the draft capital to make it happen, potentially that’s something that we might look at. There are a lot of different ways to build a team. For me, it always is based on the fit of the player, how does he fit what you do, does he fit your culture, do you have a need and can you afford him?”

• The Ravens are hiring University of Michigan analyst Ryan Osborn to their defensive staff as a quality control coach.  (Jeff Zrebiec)
• Baltimore is also hiring former Dolphins OLBs coach Rob Leonard to the same role. (Jeff Zrebiec)