AFC Notes: Tee Higgins, Brian Callahan, Jimmy Haslam, Bengals, Browns

Bengals

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler write there’s little to no indication Bengals HC Zac Taylor is on any kind of hot seat. That said, changes to his staff this offseason are possible with Cincinnati on track to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. 
• Graziano mentions there are rumblings Bengals WR Tee Higgins is considering changing agents, as he’s not listed with his previous agent, David Mulugheta, in the NFLPA database right now — or with any agency for that matter. That could have implications for Cincinnati’s chances of keeping him after this season, which previously had been assumed to be slim. 
• Kelsey Conway confirms Higgins and Mulugheta have parted ways. 
• Bengals HC Zac Taylor said LB Joe Bachie suffered an adductor injury and will be out “for weeks,” per Ben Baby.
• Taylor added there is “no timeline” for DT Sheldon Rankins‘ return from his illness. 

Bengals 

Titans HC Brian Callahan, who was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2019-2023, reflected on his time coaching Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase ahead of their Week 15 matchup, calling both players future Hall of Famers. 

“I told them that at some point I’ll look back and they’ll both be in the Hall of Fame and I’ll get to say that I was a part of their journey and man, they’ve only gotten better. It’s fun to watch and terrifying to get ready for,” Callahan said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s site. 

Callahan thinks both players have continued to improve and knows Tennessee must find a way to “keep a lid” on Chase. 

“They keep getting better. The both of them. And I think Joe’s playing the position as good as anybody in the NFL right now,” Callahan said. “Ja’Marr just continues to do things that everyone thought he could do and then he does something more and their performance has been incredible. We’ve got to find a way to try to keep a lid on as much of it as we can, but they’re both just such fantastic players.”

Burrow recalled Cincinnati’s 27-3 loss to the Titans in 2023, acknowledging how his calf still wasn’t fully recovered at the time. 

“You always know you’re going to be sore after the game,” Burrow said. “Those guys play really hard. They’re tough, physical, athletic. You know they’re going to get home. You’ve got to play the game the right way against these kinds of teams and get the ball out quickly extend when you can. They’re going to win some rushes pretty quick sometimes and in those instances, how quickly can you get out and make a play? That first third of (last) season, my calf wasn’t feeling great. It’s tough to play against those kinds of teams if you can’t move around. That’s kind of been how it is historically against the Titans. I made a lot of plays with my legs because of how good they’ve been up front and I’m anticipating having to do that again.”

Browns

Browns owner Jimmy Haslem admitted that he’s confused by the team’s lack of success this year coming off of an 11-win season.

“We went from 11-6 and making the playoffs to 3-10, so it’s a little perplexing what happened,” Haslam said, via ESPN.

While Haslem reiterated support for HC Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry, he was less confident about the team’s solution at quarterback.

“We need to get through the season and we will look at everything,” he said.