AFC Notes: Ronnie Stanley, Deshaun Watson, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns QB Deshaun Watson isn’t paying attention to ratings by media, particularly ones who are ranking him among the bottom quarterbacks in the league. 

“I don’t get involved with people trying to rate me places where they think I’m at the bottom of the list, you know, it is what it is,” Watson said, via ProFootballTalk. “If I was at the bottom, no one would talk about me. So, obviously, if anyone is talking about me, continue to talk about me, then I must be pretty damn good.”

Ravens

Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley is going into the 2024 season feeling more like himself after dealing with injuries in previous years. 

“I would just say I’ve been feeling more like myself than I have in previous years,” said Stanley, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “For the most part, just to be able to feel like myself physically has made me a lot happier. I guess being in that state when I was younger, it wasn’t as savory as a moment or savory as a time, just knowing that, “OK, your career could have been over after one play,” and not knowing if I was ever going to feel like that again physically or athletically. To truly feel like that and be out there and just notice myself getting better every day and feeling more like my old self every day, it definitely makes me happy.”

Stanley feels it was important for him to show up to voluntary workouts given it provides useful practice going into the season. 

“I was just really feeling like I wanted to get some football work in and it’s hard to do that on my own. As much as I love my offseason program and the things that I do, and I know how much better it makes me, you really can’t mimic doing football drills with other football players. I don’t have other pro guys, offensive linemen, who I could just call and say, “Hey, let’s go and do some drills,” or something like that. To also be around your teammates, to be working out and doing things together, it builds a lot of chemistry in those times. With this being essentially a whole new starting offensive line, I wanted to come back and help those guys, whoever was in there. Just be a good presence for them and not leave it all to Tyler (Linderbaum) to try and help four new guys on the line of scrimmage.”

Stanley said recovering from his ankle injury has been a gradual process and began feeling more confident in OTAs. 

“It’s more of a gradual thing. I think in the offseason, I definitely felt that, where it was like, “Oh, yeah, I feel really good athletically. I feel like I’m doing these drills on the field really well. I feel like I’m making sharp cuts, being able to get low and be flexible.” But it’s all different when you have to translate it to football. Not until I came back here, really through OTAs and just getting back into football stuff, is really when I started to feel more confident about all of that training and that rolling over to actual production.”

Steelers

Steelers first-round OT Troy Fautanu is getting used to lining up at right tackle after playing on the opposite side during his college career at Washington. 

“You constantly push off one leg thousands and thousands of times,” Fautanu said, via Tim Benz of TribuneLive. “Then you switch to the other side, and you aren’t really used to pushing off the other leg. It’s just a matter of time. I’ve already talked to my strength coaches. They already know it’s an area I want to improve — the strength of my left leg. I’m so right-leg dominant after playing the left side so long; it’s just something I’ve got to work on.”