AFC Notes: Irv Smith, Bengals, Ravens, Lamar Jackson, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals TE Irv Smith, Jr. said he chose the Bengals over the Dolphins in free agency and thinks he could be the missing piece for the team to win a Super Bowl.

“I felt like Cincinnati had the best chance to win a Super Bowl,” Smith said, via the team’s website. “It’s a great organization. Great coaching staff. (HC) Zac Taylor was very adamant about me coming to the team knowing what I can do to help the offense. And the proof is in the pudding at the tight end position. Having a relationship with Ja’Marr, getting to play with Joe Burrow and those guys speaks for itself. I’ve watched a lot of Bengals games over the years. I wanted to be a part of this opportunity to chase a ring and be a part of something special … I feel like I’m almost the missing piece to get us that Super Bowl.”

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said Smith was best with the ball in his hands in space.

“He’s great with the football in his hand. We found ways. Screens. On some of the keeper game, the movement game. We found ways to get him the ball,” O’Connell said. “Once he has the ball in the open field, he’s very rarely going to get tackled by the first defender. He was having a great training camp and he had a little bit of a finger injury. It didn’t slow him down by any stretch because he was still out there working, getting acclimated in our offense.”

Ravens

Former Ravens OC Greg Roman wrote an article on The33rdTeam.com where he explains that Lamar Jackson is at his best when on the move as opposed to sitting in the pocket and sustaining hits. 

“Jackson was such a master of avoiding hits, and honestly, he was safest when he was out in space on the move because he was in control as opposed to in the pocket with his eyes downfield, hoping somebody doesn’t run into the back of his legs,” Roman said, via NFL.com. “The few times he got injured were behind the line of scrimmage, looking to make a throw down the field.”

Roman thinks Jackson’s playing style is often misunderstood by fans who are more accustomed to elite pocket passers. In the end, the former offensive coordinator believes mobile quarterbacks will earn more opportunities in the league.  

“If you have a quarterback with certain skills, you’ve got to tap into their strengths, and you’ve got to mine for gold there and have convictions,” Roman said. “When you’re doing something different, half the fans aren’t even going to understand it because that’s not what they’re used to. You know that going in, but you’ve got to have the strength of conviction and courage to forge ahead with it. The elite pocket passer will always be valued. At some point, you’ve got to stand in the pocket, throw the ball and deliver it to win consistently. How much you have to do that will change, but there’s no doubt the opportunity exists for mobile quarterbacks because NFL decision-makers have seen it work.”

Steelers

• The Steelers hosted North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch and Purdue WR Charlie Jones for top-30 visits on Friday, per Ray Fittipaldo. 
• TCU OL Steve Avila has a Top-30 visit with the Steelers. (Calvin Watkins)