AFC Notes: Lamar Jackson, Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

• Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase said he hopes Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd return for 2024, but wouldn’t hold them back from offers they receive in the open market: “They know I want them. They know what I want. End of the day, it’s what they want. I won’t hold nobody back from what they want. Let them be the greatest they can be. I support everything they do,” via Paul Dehner Jr. 
• The Athletic’s Ben Standig mentions Bengals DC Lou Anarumo has come up as someone who could receive serious interest during the upcoming hiring cycle and potentially a favorite to land one of the open jobs. 
• PFN’s Adam Caplan has also heard a lot of buzz around Anarumo, though one source said it’ll be key for him to show he has a good plan to staff the offensive side of the ball.

Browns

• Browns DC Jim Schwartz confirmed he’d be interested in becoming a head coach, once again: “You always aspire to the top of the profession, and I’m not different there,” via Jake Trotter. 
• Regarding recently signed practice squad OL Rodger Saffold, Rich Cimini reports Saffold requested to be released from the Jets’ practice squad before he arrived in Cleveland. 

Ravens

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson recalled the 2019 season when Baltimore earned the No. 1 seed going into the postseason and he won the Most Valuable Player award, describing there is a “different” atmosphere around the organization this time around. 

“2019 is over with,” Jackson said, via ProFootballTalk. “We’re always talking about it. I always find myself talking about it, but it’s different. That was just my first full season [starting] in the NFL and my second year in the league, at that. But it’s a different mindset, a different group of guys. I just feel like all around, we’re different.”

Jackson pointed out their 2019 team “hit a hump” around this time of the year. 

“We were 14-2. It looked like we were going to be unbeaten,” Jackson said. “I felt like all phases were just playing at the top of our game at the time. I don’t know where it was when we just hit a hump. We just couldn’t get it done that January, but I strongly feel like this year it’ll be different.”

Jackson reiterated they have to let go of what happened in 2019 and feel they are a much different team. 

“We just let that junk go. We have to let that go,” Jackson said. “[We have] different guys, like I said, [and this is] a different team. All around, just a different atmosphere. I feel like we’re just on a whole other level from then, because all we talk about is just the next team — not what the future may hold in a few weeks.”