AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Last year was Bengals QB Joe Burrow‘s big coming out party and breakout season as he led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl. The team is even more enthused about his continued growth and what the future holds for them with Burrow at the helm. 

“His command over the last year really grew,” Bengals OC Brian Callahan said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And that’s the fun part. You got all these reps invested, you know the guys you’re playing with, they know the offense, you can have a ton of fun as a quarterback. You can do all kinds of cool stuff. That’s what made Peyton [Manning] great. They could never be right. The defense could never be right, because he would see whatever was across from him, know what they were playing and know what the answer was. That’s the evolution you want, that Joe has the capability to be at.”

Browns

Browns S John Johnson revealed that he isn’t exactly rooting against Panthers QB Baker Mayfield, who he is set to square off against in Week 1. Johnson also doesn’t place any blame on his former teammate for how things went last season in Cleveland.

“I think he’s confident,” Johnson said, via Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. “That was probably a big thing that happened last year, maybe the confidence wavered a little bit. But looks confident, looks healthy, looks like he’s whipping the ball, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

“We’ve been out here, we had OTAs without him and stuff like that,” Johnson continued. “So I think now we’re at a point where we’re locked in, we’re laser-focused on beating Carolina. I’ve said this so many times — it’s a business. I feel like I understand that. Maybe young guys don’t really understand the dynamic yet, but guys come and go. You’ll forever be judged when you go out there on the field. So it’s a business and we had to make some decisions.”

“We never blame anyone, let alone one person. It’s a collective effort,” Johnson added. “We could have been better on special teams, we could have been better on defense, could have been better on offense as a whole.”

Ravens

Ravens HC John Harbaugh offered no new details about a potential contract with QB Lamar Jackson, saying that the team is focused on football for the time being. 

“I don’t have any updates,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN. “My interactions with Lamar have been all football. He’s been focused and locked in on that, 100 percent, from a football standpoint.”

“Lamar has said he’s focused on the season, he’s under contract and he’s going to have the best season he can have,” Harbaugh added. “He’s hopeful to get a new contract and we’re hoping to get him a new contract. All the rest of it is business. There is nothing other than coming to something that is mutually agreeable.”

Steelers

• Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky is excited about earning the respect of his teammates and being named a captain: “It’s a tremendous honor. Anytime you’re voted by your peers, your teammates, it obviously means a lot. I just come in here and try to lead by example and earn the trust of my teammates.” (Mike Giardi)
• The Steelers now have first-round QB Kenny Pickett listed as their backup quarterback on the depth chart, with QB Mason Rudolph dropping to No. 3. (Adam Schefter)
• Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on naming Trubisky the starter and Pickett the backup: “We’re really comfortable with what Mitch has shown us…I’m really pleased with the growth and development of Kenny. That’s why he’s listed as QB2.” (Ian Rapoport)
• Tomlin said Pickett began improving at a rapid pace once the preseason games began and he expects him to continue progressing. (Ray Fittipaldo)
• Tomlin praised how Rudolph handled things this summer: “He didn’t bat an eye, he didn’t blink, he didn’t pout about the reps or what group he was running with.” (Brooke Pryor)