AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Roquan Smith Contract Details, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

• Field Yates notes that the Bengals will roll over $2,498,443 in unused 2022 cap space to next season. 
• Bengals HC Zac Taylor said WR Tee Higgins is sick and didn’t practice Wednesday. Taylor added starting G Alex Cappa will not play this week. (Kelsey Conway)

Browns

Browns QB Deshaun Watson knew this season would be challenging and understands that he has a long ways to go as a player.

“I knew I wasn’t going to walk in and be the MVP of the NFL,” he said, via ESPN. “I’ve got a lot of work to put in and I’ve got a long way to go.”

The Browns offense sputtered even after Watson returned from suspension.

“I wasn’t naïve to the point where I’m walking in and ‘Hey, we’re going to go to the playoffs and undefeated and do all these things,‘” Watson said. “I knew there’d be some challenges and a learning curve. I’m not sure who would think that I would walk in and just be the best quarterback in the NFL. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Watson said that he doesn’t have any expectations for himself in 2023.

“That’s for the media, you guys,” he said. “For me, I got out there and go to work. My job is to go out and try to win the game. Whatever expectations people put on myself, I’m not going to do that, because then I’m limiting myself and think about, ‘Oh, I need to impress this person, impress that person.’ That’s not me.”

• Field Yates notes that the Browns will roll over $27,587,123 in unused 2022 cap space to next season. 
• The Browns worked out WR Slade Bolden, WR JaVonta Payton and QB Nathan Rourke. (Aaron Wilson)

Ravens

• According to Pro Football Talk, Ravens LB Roquan Smith‘s five-year, $100 million deal included a $22.5 million signing bonus and base salaries of $4.5 million, $6 million, $15 million, $16 million and $16 million. 
• There’s also an option bonus worth $12 million in 2024 that’s fully guaranteed, as is Smith’s 2023 and 2024 base salaries. His 2025 base salary is guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year.  
• Smith has $4 million roster bonuses due on the fifth day of the league year in the final two seasons of his deal in 2026 and 2027.  

Steelers

• Field Yates notes that the Steelers will roll over $4,427,145 in unused 2022 cap space to next season.