AFC Notes: Ja’Marr Chase, Amari Cooper, Cameron Heyward, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor was glad to have Ja’Marr Chase back at practice after the receiver elected to skip their voluntary minicamp. 

“It was good to get him back in here. He’s in great shape,” Taylor said, via BengalsWire. “When someone’s not been here, you don’t want to rush him into things, but he clearly has done a great job this offseason. Really happy to get him back in the building. He was in all the meetings, did all the walkthroughs and all that stuff, and then did a great job mentoring some of the other players as he was out there during practice. So I thought we got what we needed out of him and was appreciative of him even though it is mandatory. You see there are still guys that aren’t always there and he showed up and did everything that we talked about him doing.”

Browns

It seems likely that the Browns will sign WR Amari Cooper to a contract extension but GM Andrew Berry declined to comment during an appearance on NFL Network.

“What I will say about Amari is since he’s been a member of the Cleveland Browns, he’s obviously been a high-level, Pro Bowl-caliber receiver,” Berry said. “But he’s also a great teammate and he’s a great professional. We’re happy to have him as a member of the organization. Sometimes all teams will have periods where they go through this type of situation, but it does not change our affinity for Amari. We’ll navigate the business considerations, the business aspects, as it goes, but he is a big part of our team, and just as important, he’s a big part of our culture.”

Steelers

As he moves forward without an extension, Pittsburgh DT Cameron Heyward acknowledged the possibility of playing elsewhere. 

“I have talked to my wife (Allie), and we know the reality, and we have had those talks, and she said it could be fun to play somewhere else,” Heyward said, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “If that is what is needed to be done, then so be it.”