AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Texans

Browns

Browns GM John Dorsey denied the characterization that they’ve undergone an “aggressive” rebuild and noted that “it’s going to take three years to get this thing up to relevance.” 

“We’ve accelerated here a little bit,” Dorsey tells Kimberly A. Martin of Yahoo Sports. “When you have a quarterback like Baker Mayfield going into his second year, why not surround him with some offensive weapons to take the onus off him a little bit and let these playmakers really allow him to be more relaxed?

“Give him pieces around him to make this offense more exciting,” Dorsey added. “And then on the flip side, on the defensive side of the ball, go get some pass rushers. Go get some corners. … That’s why you go out and get Olivier Vernon, that’s why you get Sheldon Richardson. Pair them up with Myles Garrett. Now you have a formidable front four that can apply pressure to quarterbacks in those 16 weeks.”

Ravens

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson came into OTA’s unaware that the team would be running a new offense this year. 

“Coming in, I didn’t know we would have a totally different offense,” Jackson said via the Ravens’ official website. “When I got here, coach was like, ‘Yeah, we have a totally new system. You’re going to have go through this and that.’ It’s been getting to me a little bit.” 

Texans

Texans S Justin Reid is anticipating a big jump in his second year after playing a lot his rookie year. 

“It’s a totally different feeling,” Reid said via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “There’s like a comfort level, not a comfort level as in I’m satisfied, like I’m taking it easy or anything like that, but a comfort in knowing where I am, knowing the playbook, knowing my teammates better and that sort of deal. It just feels like I get to use last year as a springboard into going into this season. Instead of starting down here, now I get to start here and keep trying to build up and raise from there.”

Reid had surgery on his wrist this offseason but is out of the cast and fully participating in Texans OTA’s. He anticipates being completely ready for training camp.