AFC Notes: Bengals, Jim Schwartz, Browns, Lamar Jackson, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Last year the Bengals had a starting five of Jonah Williams, Quinton Spain, Trey Hopkins, Hakeem Adeniji and Isaiah Prince for their playoff run. After an offseason focused on improving the offensive line, injuries have once again left the team in the divisional round with a shaky five — Jackson Carman, Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Max Scharping and Adeniji. The pressure is once again going to be on QB Joe Burrow to make up for it. 

“It’s critical,” Bengals HC Zac Taylor said via the Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “That’s a big part of it. We have trust there that he can diagnose the looks quickly and get the ball out.”

Fortunately, Burrow seems far better at understanding when to get the ball out quickly and take what’s there, even if extending the play remains one of his strengths still. 

“He does a great job of understanding the coverages and knowing where the ball needs to go quickly,” Taylor said. “You can see everybody else understanding that now. The first play of a drive they played Tampa 2 and we had four verticals called and he got the ball to (Joe) Mixon as quick as he’s ever done. And you know you can see how quick Mixon was ready for it now because they understand those looks now, too.”

Browns

Retired Browns DL Robaire Smith is confident that DE Myles Garrett will “thrive” in recently hired DC Jim Schwartz‘s system. 

“You said ‘could he,’ or ‘will he,'” Smith said, via Chris Easterling of the Beacon Journal. “Because he’s going to thrive, man. I don’t, with that guy, man, shoot, I don’t see too much where he can’t. But this right here, he definitely going to love this a little more. I’m assuming they’re probably going to stay in the 4-3 of some sort. With (Garrett) out there, man, I don’t think no one’s going to be able to block him away the way Jim lets him go. You know what I mean? So I think with the scheme, if Jim (is) running his scheme, woo, I dunno, it could get scary man, get very scary.”

Smith expects Garrett to be used in a similar way to when Schwartz was the Titans’ defensive coordinator with DE Jevon Kearse. 

“You got to think back to those Jevon Kearse days and those guys the way (they were) able to get off that ball and cause havoc, man,” Smith said. “And (Garrett’s), oh man, almost twice as big with the same type of speed. So it could get scary. Very scary.”

Smith said that Schwartz allows his defensive linemen to be themselves and not try to force them into a certain way of playing. 

“First of all, he lets you be a player, you know what I mean?,” Smith said. “So he lets you be yourself, which is more times, nine times out of 10, if you let a defensive lineman do that, he’s going to show you that athleticism and power. To that point, he don’t try to change no one. Instead, he tries to put them in the best position where their skillset and their true talent can shine.”

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes Steelers LB coach Brian Flores was a strong contender for the Browns’ opening at defensive coordinator but they ultimately decided to go with Schwartz. 
• Schwartz said he is feeling “ready to go” after missing time in previous years due to health issues: “I feel good. I’m ready to go. … I appreciate hands-on ownership. Appreciate owners who are willing to make improvements.” (Chris Easterling)

Ravens

• According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, other teams and executives are approaching this offseason as if Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is available given the sudden appearance of discord between the two sides. 
• If Baltimore decided to trade Jackson, La Canfora’s sources believe GM Eric DeCosta would prioritize getting him out of the AFC and adding young, proven talent, not just draft picks, potentially in the secondary. 
• With that in mind, the Falcons and Panthers stand out as teams who need a quarterback and could offer a proven defensive back — CB Jaycee Horn for Carolina and CB AJ Terrell for Atlanta — a top-ten pick and probably some additional draft capital. Said one GM for another team: “That’s the kind of deal Eric makes. Really, all four teams in [the NFC South], you could see it. I just don’t think the Saints could make it work with their cap [issues]. But I think Tampa would spend, and it’s over for Brady there.”
• ESPN’s Chris Mortensen says the Ravens’ final offer to Jackson was a six-year, $275 million extension that included more than $200 million in total guarantees and $133 million fully guaranteed at signing. 
• The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes that among the frustrations between the Ravens and Jackson, beyond just the inability to agree to a contract because Jackson is seeking full guarantees and the Ravens don’t want to reinforce that precedent, are a number of other issues that have bubbled up over the past two seasons. 
• Zrebiec explains the lulls in the passing offense over the past two seasons are one source of frustration. While the play-calling and lack of receiver depth is one factor, Jackson has also been prone to bouts of inaccuracy and poor decision-making. 
• The injuries that have ended his season over the past two years are also concerning from the team’s standpoint, even though Zrebiec points out both occurred while Jackson was in the pocket. 
• Zrebiec adds Jackson’s insistence on representing himself without an agent has frustrated the organization, which has to handle negotiations much more carefully as a result. His way of rehabbing and preparing for the season also hasn’t always aligned with Baltimore’s preferences. 
• Finally, Jackson’s social media reactions over the past year have exasperated certain Ravens decision-makers, including when the team traded WR Marquise Brown during the draft and when he went on social media without the team’s knowledge to share information on his injury because he felt the Ravens weren’t defending him. 
• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says people in league circles are monitoring Baltimore for potential staff changes involving Ravens OC Greg Roman, with a sense his time has run its course there. 

Steelers

• The Senior Bowl announced Steelers DL coach Grady Brown was selected to be the defensive coordinator of the National Team. 
• ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reports West Virginia is hiring Steelers assistant WR coach Blaine Stewart to their coaching staff.