AFC Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano points out if the Bengals can’t re-sign WR A.J. Green after 2020 they would be in line for a fifth-round compensatory pick at max because Green has more than 10 years of experience. 
• ESPN’s Ben Baby lists Bengals WR Alex Erickson as a veteran player in danger of being cut this preseason. 

Ravens

• The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec points out the Ravens have agreed to extensions with five out of the six players they’ve used the franchise tag on in the team’s history. 
• However, as it relates to franchise-tagged EDGE Matt Judon, Zrebiec adds there are extenuating circumstances like the uncertainty surrounding the 2021 salary cap and the number of other prominent players Baltimore will need to budget extensions for in the next two seasons. 
• Zrebiec points out the Ravens should be in decent shape with around $60 million in projected cap space next season, but players like LT Ronnie Stanley, CB Marlon Humphrey, TE Mark Andrews and QB Lamar Jackson all could demand top-shelf deals. 
• Judon previously acknowledged the reality that the Ravens might not be able to pay everybody: “They’ve kind of got a ‘bad-good’ problem to have. We have a lot of young talent, and unfortunately, we can’t all stay on the rookie deal our whole careers.”
• Zrebiec mentions the Ravens are unlikely to use the franchise tag again on Judon next season, as Stanley would be the top candidate for the tag. 
• He adds the floor for an extension for Judon was previously seen as the $16.5 million per year former Ravens EDGE Za’Darius Smith received from the Packers as a free agent in 2019. 

Steelers

An AFC executive called Steelers’ veteran C Maurkice Pouncey “still the best” center in the NFL. 

“He’s still the best, and it’s not even close,” one AFC executive said, via SteelersWire. 

Another NFL defensive assistant also said Pouncey is “one of the best”.

“He’s still one of the best, but I’m curious to see how he holds up this year physically,” sad the assistant. “He’s a guy you want on your team nine times out of 10.”