AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals first-round rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t had the start to camp that he and the Bengals’ brass had likely hoped for, but Bengals WR Tyler Boyd has the upmost confidence that the young receiver will be able to turn it around swiftly.

“He knows what to do,” Boyd said, via Cincinnati.com. “He knows how to run his routes. He’s winning … it’s just he’s overthinking at the catch point. We know and he knows what type of guy he is. It’s more so the mental side. I think he’ll get over that, he’ll start making more plays because we’ll continue to go to him.”

Boyd notes that Chase’s high draft status will put more eyes on him versus a guy that comes into the league in later rounds.

“When you’re the first-round pick, top-10, all eyes are on you,” Boyd said.  “You’re a stud in this league. You’re looked at like a true No. 1 at that point. There’s so much expectation. I think it’s a little bit more pressure on the guys who get picked first.”

Browns

• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said second-round LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had a weightlifting accident that forced him to miss practice, but he will be ok. (Mary Kay Cabot)
• Browns S John Johnson III is excited to see S Grant Delpit when healthy: “He’s strong-minded, I don’t think he’s discouraged. But I feel bad for him. Want to see him on field.” (Scott Petrak)

Ravens

• Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley said he expects to be ready for Week 1: “I do believe I will be full go by that point.” (Jamison Hensley)
• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson said he doesn’t think the league has him “figured out” as some anonymous whispers around the league have suggested: “We’re going to see. But I doubt it, though. I strongly doubt it.” (Hensley)

Steelers

It appears the Steelers will put a lot on CB Cameron Sutton‘s plate this year, asking the former third-round pick to play both nickel and outside corner depending on the situation. 

“Very easy for him, but difficult for others,” Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s one of the things that attracted us to him, even going back to the draft process. … We were blown away by his football intellect.”

Pittsburgh had experimented during camp with other options like Antoine Brooks or Arthur Maulet at nickel to allow Sutton to stay outside. But as the season draws closer it’s clear that Sutton is their best option at nickel. 

“We hadn’t focused on that element, because that’s what we know,” Tomlin said. “We know Cam is inside-capable, so we spent some time focusing on others. But as we get toward the end, we need to tool him up and get him ready to go as an option in that space. That’s why we’re having the discussion.”

When Sutton moves inside, it appears that he’ll be replaced on the outside by CB James Pierre, who has seemed to pull ahead of former third-round CB Justin Layne during camp. 

“He’s been getting better and better ever since I first saw him,” Steelers CB Joe Haden said. “He listens to coaching, he’s long, he’s fast. He’s just been making plays on the ball. He’s in the right position, and he takes coaching very, very well. He’s very, very scrappy and he loves the game a lot.”

• Steelers assistant Teryl Austin said seventh-round S Tre Norwood has a chance to be the first safety backup. (Ray Fittipaldi)