AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said the team is ultimately erring on the side of caution with QB Joe Burrow with the ultimate goal of having his squad healthy and ready for week 1 against Minnesota.

“We’re just not there yet. He could do it, I’m sure he wants to do it. But again, our No. 1 thing is making sure our guys are ready to play in Week 1 against Minnesota so putting him out there is just not what we’re going to do,” Taylor said, per Kelsey Conway.

• Bengals OC Brian Callahan said second-round OL Jackson Carman has had some ups and downs, which is typical of a rookie: “I’d like to see more positive steps from him than he’s shown so far, but he’s doing things you expect rookies to do, then he flashes his potential. Name of the game is be consistent. Inconsistency is what hurts him the most so far.” (Paul Dehner Jr.)

Browns

Browns LB Mack Wilson is scheduled for an MRI after leaving the preseason opener with a shoulder injury.

“It was early in the game, one of the first couple of plays and just dinged that shoulder,” HC Kevin Stefanski said, via Brownszone.com. “Honestly not exactly sure which play it was and I can vividly remember him grabbing it, but we’ll see how he comes out of it after the MRI.”

Browns second-round LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was able to make his mark on the game following Wilson’s exit, where he finished with a game-high eight tackles, three of them coming for a loss, and one sack.

“He did make splash plays,” Stefanski said. “He made good tackles along the sideline, made a nice play on that screen. He needs to clean up his eye progression and he understands that and the coaches are working very hard. To really play fast in this league, it’s when you’re not thinking, and I think he’s getting there. With a lot of work, I think he will get there. But I think overall he understands that there’s plenty of work to be done.”

Stefanski wouldn’t commit to Owusu-Koramoah moving into Wilson’s spot with the starters if necessary.

“All these guys as we continue to progress through training camp, we’ll continue to meet as coaches and discuss those types of things,” Stefanski said. “I think with all of our rookies, we bring them up all on different timeframes and some guys are ready for more and some guys aren’t. So we’ll make that on a case-by-case basis.”

• Scott Petrak reports Browns TE Stephen Carlson will likely miss the 2021 season with a knee injury that he suffered Saturday night against the Jaguars.
• Mary Kay Cabot reports WR Anthony Schwartz, S Grant Delpit, and S Ronnie Harrison Jr. all returned to practice on Tuesday.

Ravens

• Per the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens QB Trace McSorley‘s back injury essentially ends the competition for the backup quarterback job. Zrebiec notes that Tyler Huntley may have been pulling away with the job already. 
• Ravens DC Don Martindale said CB Anthony Averett is the third-best corner on the team: “I think he has All-Pro talent.” (Jamison Hensley)
• Ravens OC Greg Roman said the offensive line isn’t a huge determinator for if QB Lamar Jackson plays in the preseason: “I’d say it’s ‘a’ factor but not ‘the’ factor. Lamar is making good progress and really like where he is right now. But that decision is made somewhat independently.” (Hensley)
• Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey has a mild groin strain but appears to have avoided a more serious injury after leaving practice Tuesday. (Hensley)

Steelers

• Ed Bouchette of The Athletic writes Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins could make the team as a backup, with QB Joshua Dobbs as the third-string quarterback and QB Mason Rudolph finding himself traded or released.
• Bouchette doesn’t see the team trading WR James Washington and instead thinks they will let him walk away in free agency at the end of the season.
• With RB Benny Snell hampered by a leg injury, Bouchette believes that he could lose his roster spot to RB Kalen Ballage, who he views as the better running back. Second-year RB Anthony McFarland is also likely to earn a roster spot.
• Bouchette notes that DL Tyson Alualu is likely the most underrated player on the Steelers roster and says the team is lucky to have him back after he almost returned to the Jaguars as a free agent.
• On whether third-round rookie Kendrick Green will start at center, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said: “You can surmise that, but there will be no bold proclamations.” (Brooke Pryor)
• Steelers WR Chase Claypool had to be helped off of practice after suffering an injury but it appears to be just a “minor ankle sprain.” (Adam Schefter)