AFC Notes: Deshaun Watson, J.K. Dobbins, Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

Bengals OL Orlando Brown confirmed that he had higher offers from other teams, including the New York Jets, but ultimately wanted to be in Cincinnati.

“The best situation in the world for me is Cincinnati,” Brown said, via Bengals Wire. “There was a few other teams involved. The New York Jets was the other option as well. They were kinda going through things with Aaron Rodgers…they had a better price, but ultimately man, this was the best situation for me.” 

Browns

Browns QB Deshaun Watson doesn’t think he deserves to be rated among the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL like he was during the height of his career with the Texans. 

“I missed two years of football, so I shouldn’t be in those rankings, to be honest,” Watson said, via Tom Withers of the Associated Press. “If you’re asking me, I haven’t played ball. I haven’t played enough football the last few years to even be up there. So I got to go out there and prove and show what I got to do to get back in those conversations.”

Watson said he wants to be the best version of himself as possible for the Browns. 

“I’m self-driven,” Watson said. “I want to be the best I can be for Deshaun Watson. I can’t get caught up in the other guys and seeing what they’re doing and all of them are elite. If you’re a starting quarterback in this league, you’re pretty elite. This is a hard business. This is a hard job to have and it’s only 32 spots. I feel like everyone’s elite and I got to be self-driven to be the best Deshaun Watson I can be for this team and for myself.”

Ravens

When asked about his absence from team activities this offseason, Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins responded he was being “cautious” and his teammates understood his situation. Dobbins is notably entering the final year of his contract. 

“I was just being cautious,” Dobbins said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “I want to be there for my teammates, and that’s all it was. My teammates understood what was going on. So, it’s all good now I’m out here.”

Dobbins called Eric DeCosta the “best GM in the game” and is confident his contract situation will get worked out. 

“[He’s] the best GM in the game, so he’ll get it worked out,” Dobbins said. “So hopefully I’m playing for the Ravens for the rest of my football career.”

Dobbins is confident he can be “one of the top backs in the league” when he’s healthy. 

“I do think that healthy, I can be one of the top backs in the league,” Dobbins said. “That flashes sometimes, but I just got to prove it and I am going to prove it one day. One day it will happen.”