AFC Notes: Lamar Jackson, Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

Bengals QB Joe Burrow said having a full offseason will tremendously improve his game and is focused on making more plays outside the pocket.

“I’m more well equipped to go outside the pocket and make those kinds of plays because I’ve been working really hard on that the last two years,” Burrow said, via PFT. “I didn’t quite get to show some of that until the last couple games that I played last year. But early on, I didn’t really get to show that. That was the biggest emphasis of last offseason for me, and that’s continued into this offseason. So that’s a part of my game that I’ve decided to showcase.”

• Bengals OC Dan Pitcher considers RB Zack Moss as an “all-around player” and is excited to see how he develops in their offense: “I view Zack Moss as an all-around player. He can run any scheme…. You’ll see Zack Moss’ value more that live games are here than you’ve ever seen to this point.” (Ben Baby)
• Pitcher also thinks second-year RB Chase Brown is becoming an all-around player and is one of the fastest running backs in the NFL: “Chase Brown is building himself into an all-around player. Currently, he’s a very explosive football player. Chase Brown is one of the fastest backs in the league. I think you’ll see that on display.” (Ben Baby)
• Burrow said WR Ja’Marr Chase is “ready to go” for Week 1: “He’s ready to go. Saw him out there today, he looks fast, strong like he always does. Confident if he does go out there Sunday he will be the Ja’Marr we all know.” (Paul Dehner Jr.)

Browns

• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) practiced on Wednesday and has a chance to play in Week 1, per Scott Petrak. 
• Wills Jr. confirmed he won’t be starting Sunday’s game against the Cowboys at left tackle, via Chris Easterling. 
• Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) said he hasn’t had any limitations this offseason and didn’t finish an individual practice this week as a precautionary measure, via Petrak. 

Ravens

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has become known as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but wants to bring his team championships in order to be recognized as one of the best players of all time, regardless of sport.

“I haven’t gotten a Super Bowl yet. That’s the only thing that bothers me,” Jackson said, via The Athletic. “I don’t care what (naysayers) say because they still talk about Michael Jordan, they still talk about LeBron (James). They still talk about Steph Curry. Those guys got championships. I don’t have one yet. So it’s like, ‘All right, cool, you’re going to talk about me.’ I need to get a championship, a few championships. But I know they’re still going to talk about me. I have to live with it.”

Ravens WR Nelson Agholor said Jackson is extremely authentic and a big reason why everyone is drawn to him is his focus on winning a championship.

“That’s something that I think is why this whole league respects him,” Agholor explained. “For him to be as special of a talent as he is, he’s also the most authentic man that we’ve seen. He’s very consistent as a human being. He keeps everything real, he respects real and he embraces everybody to be themselves. That’s what you love about him. He speaks life into everybody in here, because everything is about the ultimate goal.”

Jackson owns a prominent role within the organization and isn’t afraid to give his input and bounce ideas off of anyone.

“What I’ve noticed about Lamar really is more of an intangible thing: his urgency as a leader, his urgency with other players,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said. “He’s just really in tune with the other players every single practice. He’s so engaged with the coaches. He’s engaged with his teammates. Heck, he’s engaged with me — we talk personnel. … He’s got great ideas and suggestions. He just really wants to win badly.”

• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on the season starting Thursday: “I’m ready to go. I’ve been going against my guys for weeks. It’s time to go against somebody else.” (Jeff Zrebiec)
• Baltimore K Justin Tucker is changing his pre-game routine after the situation with the Chiefs: “All I’ll say about it is I’m excited to go into a great environment … and do everything I can to prepare myself to be ready to contribute to the Ravens winning a game.” (Jamison Hensley)
• Ravens OC Todd Monken expressed his confidence in the team’s revamped offensive line: “I feel real good about those guys. Every one of them, besides Andrew [Vorhees] at left guard, those guys have been with us – and Andrew was with us last year. They’ve had a great camp, so we’re real comfortable with them playing.” (Jamison Hensley)