AFC Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Marquise Brown

• Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes Bengals S Jessie Bates is a “prime candidate” for the franchise tag, which is projected to cost $12.911 million.
• In a long-term deal, Corry thinks that Bates would likely want more than Broncos S Justin Simmons‘ four-year, $61 million contract.
• Corry could see Bengals DE B.J. Hill commanding a salary exceeding $10 million per year. 
• As for Bengals DT Larry Ogunjobi, Corry thinks it could be an “either/or” scenario between Ogunjobi and Hill. 
• Regarding Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah, Corry writes that Commanders TE Logan Thomas‘ three-year, $24.065 million deal is a realistic figure. 

Ravens

New Ravens DC Mike Macdonald was asked to compare Ravens HC John Harbaugh and Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh during his introductory press conference with the team.

“Sure, you start listing the differences, and it kind of comes full circle where it ends up being more similar than not,” Macdonald said, via RavensWire.com. “But I’ve said this in the past, not just because [head coach] John [Harbaugh] is sitting right here; the biggest common denominator is two real, genuine guys that shoot you straight. There’s no alter-anything going on. There are no side deals. It’s just upfront and honest, and that’s all you can ask for as an employee and as a part of the organization. So, two guys who it’s easy to want to go to battle for, for sure.”

Marqise Brown

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta spoke highly of WR Marquise Brown and says the fifth-year option is a good value for what he brings to the team. 

“First of all, Marquise [Brown] was my first pick, and I think very highly of Marquise. I think he’s a talent. I love his personality and his competitiveness and his passion. I think he had over 90 catches (91) this year and just over 1,000 yards (1,008). But I like his energy that he brings, and quite honestly, for his skill set, for what he brings to the table, the fifth-year option, in my mind, if you look at receivers and what they’re making now, it looks like a bargain. He’s just a nice piece, and honestly, if we didn’t bring him back, we’d be trying to find another receiver,” DeCosta said, via RavensWire.com. “I really hoped that this year, maybe, I wouldn’t get as many questions about receivers as I’ve been getting over the years (laughter), so he’s a big part of me stopping you guys from asking me so many questions about receivers, although here we are again; I’m still getting questions about receivers. (laughter) So, that’s what I would say on him. He’s a great person, he plays the game the right way. I think he’s got a high-care factor, and I still think, I still believe there’s a lot of upside there, and I think he would say the same thing. He hasn’t played his best football, and I would say that about most of our guys, and that’s why I’m excited – because I think we’re going to get that this year.”