AFC Notes: Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. commented on Bengals rookie WR Jermaine Burton, who hasn’t seen much playing time as he attempts to work his way up the depth chart. 

“This is a massive red flag,” Dehner Jr. said, via BengalsWire.com. “The fact he only had five snaps…whether he made plays or not, we knew he could make plays like that…the issue with Burton was not what he’s going to look like when you’re throwing the ball up to him…The problem is developing enough trust to be out there with Joe Burrow early in the game. Amarius Mims did…Here’s Burrow afterward talking about how he’s got to get in his playbook.”

• Bengals HC Zac Taylor on the team signing K Evan McPherson to an extension: “Evan has shown to be a consistent weapon for our team. He has come through in enormous moments for us, and he’s a big part of what we’re going to do going forward.” (Ben Baby)

Ravens

Ravens HC John Harbaugh continued to play some of his starting offensive linemen into the third quarter during the second preseason game, including 2022 fourth-round pick G Daniel Faalele, 2023 seventh-round pick G Andrew Vorhees, and 2024 second-round OT Roger Rosengarten.

“There were some good plays and some bad plays,” Harbaugh said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “Until you see the tape, you really don’t know.”

“I feel like the more we play together, the more we mesh,” Faalele added.

Steelers

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin spoke about the struggles that the offense went through during their most recent preseason matchup against the Bills, with quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields unable to get things going.

“We didn’t do a good enough job of protecting the quarterback,” Tomlin said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “We’ve got to do a better job in pass protection than we did — not only in possession downs but just in general. I was really up-front with the group about it in that regard, that can’t be a problem for us.”

Tomlin added that because the team was unable to sustain their offensive drives, it was difficult to evaluate Wilson.

“It’s somewhat of an incomplete study because you just don’t get a chance to see them operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs,” Tomlin mentioned.

Wilson himself evaluated his own performance coming off of his calf injury that he sustained at the start of training camp.

“I was trying to play in rhythm, trying to get the ball out when we could and then also just trying to hang in there on the third down,” Wilson noted. “I felt strong. I wasn’t thinking about [my calf]. Anytime you have an injury, sometimes if you’re worried about it, you’re in the back of your mind. You’re thinking about it. Didn’t feel that at all really the past week or so. And I felt really good this past week and everything else. And so to play out there tonight just to get back out there in the black and gold was really cool. I think the best thing that I can do, personally, is just stay consistent in an approach. Had a little bump in the road with my calf. But the best part is I was out there tonight and playing. … And I know what I can do when I’m a hundred percent, I’m getting close.”

• Steelers C Nate Herbig suffered a significant shoulder injury that will keep him out for an extended period, with rookie C Zach Frazier now expected to be the starter to begin the regular season. (Gerry Dulac)