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

Bengals

Bengals first-round OT Amarius Mims has impressed many around the building and is becoming one of the team’s bigger storylines during camp. Cincinnati OC Dan Pitcher believes he hasn’t shown anything concerning and praised the big rookie.

“All the red flags that would prevent a player like Amarius from having long-term success in this league, we haven’t seen any of them,” Pitcher said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “It’s still early. He’s got to stack good days on good days on good days.”

“And he’s a rookie and he’s going to have things that pop up that he’s going to have to overcome, but when you just talk about character traits and work ethic, confidence, humility, being a good teammate, fitting in with the guys, feeling like this isn’t too big — all those things: Check, check, check, check, check, check. He’s got to keep doing the things he’s doing right now. But early returns are very exciting.”

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mims was the Week 1 starter after he’s looked far more advanced than the staff expected coming into the league with only eight college starts. 

Ravens

Ravens assistant coach Megan Rosburg said she’s gained the respect of the locker room and hopes to do what any good coach does, put players in the best position to succeed as possible.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the players. Whether you’re a female coach or a male coach, your resume is what they do on tape,” Rosburg said, via The Athletic. “If you can give the players information or give them an advantage to help them win on Sunday, they will trust you and they will respect you. If you’re genuine and you do things that will help them win and help them prolong their career, it doesn’t matter what you look like. … If you’re real with them and you can help them, they’ll trust you as their coach.”

Former Ravens DC Mike Macdonald had high praise for Rosburg, who said her knowledge of the game and ability to pick up quickly on information is unmatched.

“Nothing’s beneath her, but she’s capable of so much,” Macdonald said. “You didn’t have to think, ‘Oh, well, Megan, she’ll get it at some point.’ It was always like, ‘Oh, she gets it immediately.’ She’s the real deal.”

Rosburg’s passion for the game caused others to invest more into her in order to help her develop into a great coach.

“We really weren’t sure exactly what she was going to be capable of or what she was going to be able to handle, but very early on I realized that she was a football girl,” Former DL coach Anthony Weaver said. “So I was going to do everything within my power to help feed that.”

Weaver wouldn’t be surprised if Rosburg broke barriers and became the first female position coach or coordinator in the future.

“As her confidence grows and her knowledge of the game grows in terms of the schematics, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to see her growing into a position coach and maybe one day even being a coordinator,” Weaver said. “You talk about someone that’s capable of breaking glass ceilings — if I was going to bet on somebody, I’d have no problem putting money on her.”

Steelers

Steelers QB Russell Wilson has been out of practice to begin camp with a calf injury, allowing QB Justin Fields to get all the work with the first team. Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith likes what Fields brings to the offense and thinks they’re suited to get the most out of him.

“He’s a dangerous football player with the ball in his hands,” Smith said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It allows you to get creative. Maybe you change up a little bit of a defensive game plan for him. Certainly he adds a different element.”

“There’s a lot of things we can play to his strengths, and that’s exciting. Sometimes were asking him to be aggressive, even in 7-on-7. You have to try to in practice. Nobody wants to see negative plays or if he just checks down. We got to see what he can really do and what he can see in the pocket and all that stuff. Him having more reps is accelerating that process.”

• Tomlin on if Wilson is still the starter: “You guys saw the depth chart I released yesterday. That is real.” (Brooke Pryor)
• Tomlin continued on the competition: “Very much is a competition. What happens in stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting because it’s more game-like.” (Pryor)