AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Jonah Williams, Kevin Zeitler, Bengals, Ravens

Bengals

When asked about Bengals OT Jonah Williams‘ future with the team, director of player personnel Duke Tobin said he was impressed by the veteran tackle but it’s “hard to predict” what he’ll demand on his next contract. 

“Jonah I thought played well made a position switch, gave us a full season,” Tobin said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It was impressive. He showed that he’s versatile which will play well for him over time. I don’t know what the future holds. We’ll see. We’ve got this pie, whether there’s a big enough piece of pie for him or he’s going to get a bigger piece of pie somewhere else, we’ll see. It’s hard to predict right now exactly what other teams are going to do and their interest level in any of our free agents. We’re proud of Jonah for the way he played.”

As for C Ted Karras entering the final year of his contract, Tobin called him a “leader” of their offensive line and won’t force any selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

“We’ll see. We believe in Ted. Ted is a pretty damn good cog in what we do. He’s a leader for us. He’s been durable. We think we’ve got some young guys that can play, we’ll see if they continue their development. We’re not going to force a pick at any of those positions just because we feel like someone is getting towards the end of their career. We think Ted has some gas left in the tank and thought he played pretty darn well this year. He’s an importance piece of what we do.”

Bengals veteran DT D.J. Reader is an impending free agent. Tobin said Reader is another leader but they are still determining what they’d offer him. 

“D.J.’s been great for us. He’s the defensive Ted Karras. He brings other people along with him. He makes people believe; he holds people accountable. He’s a great leader for us and he’s been a really good player for us. It’s a shame he got hurt again, I know he’s going to attack that rehab and we think he’ll be back and we think he’ll be just as good. In terms of financially, what the dollars are and what we’re able to pay, that’s all to be determined. Do we want him back, yeah. He’s a good player for us, we want all of our good players back and he’s not at the end of his career. We’ll see what happens as we go. But he has been and could be a very important part of our team going forward.”

Joe Burrow

The Bengals are moving into a different phase with QB Joe Burrow no longer on a rookie contract. They’ll have to be much more bargain-conscious in free agency. However, they anticipate the chance to play with Burrow will help them woo certain free agents. 

“Everyone wants to play with Joe and the other guys we have in the locker room,” Bengals director of pro scouting Steve Radicevic said via the Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “Zac has done a great job of building the foundation and the core group. I think Cincinnati is a place players are going to want to come play and compete.”

Ravens

Ravens OL Kevin Zeitler hopes the two sides can come together on an agreement that will keep him in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.

“Obviously, I want to be back as a Baltimore Raven, there is no doubt about that,” Zeitler said, via Ravens Wire. “I’ve loved my time here, I love the people here, love my teammates here, and I want to keep playing with them. Hopefully, that business side of football can be figured out nice and quick, and we can get that taken care of. But, whatever happens, I am ready to roll.”