AFC Notes: Trey Hendrickson, Deshaun Watson, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn spoke about the situation involving DE Trey Hendrickson and why the team allowed him to pursue a trade this offseason.

“As you’re trying (to put) all these pieces together, you have certain limitations eventually,” Blackburn said, via Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “So he seemed to feel strongly about it, and thought the strength of interest out there was going to be at a certain level. And so, we said that it would be okay to at least explore, and so we don’t do that all the time, but in this case, we felt like it was the right thing to do, on a case-by-case basis, every time. And he’s still Bengal, so we’ll see. It’s just something that we’ll keep working through.”

“I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what’s going to happen,” Blackburn added. “So, we’ll just have to see how it all plays out. I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at. I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something, and also, we have all the respect in the world for him. He’s been a great player. We’re happy to have him. And so maybe we’ll find a way to get something to work. We’re just gonna see where it goes.”

Browns

Browns GM Andrew Berry said it is “too early” to put a timeline on Deshaun Watson‘s recovery from a torn Achilles.

“It’s too early to tell,” Berry said, via Zac Jackson of The Athletic. “We know he’s going to miss a significant portion of this season, but at least at this point, when it’s still fairly early in the recovery process, I just think it’s too early to put a timetable on it, or at least a definitive timetable on it. He works his tail off for rehab. Unfortunately, he’s had more experience in long-term rehab than probably anyone cares to have, but he knows how to work and be diligent in those situations. Ultimately, his body is going to tell that part of the story and how it responds and how it recovers, and it’s just really too early to say.”

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Watson is doing a great job on his rehab and is at the team facility every day. 

“He’s doing a great job with the rehab,” Stefanski said. “He’s in there every single day working very hard, but he’s where he is supposed to be in the rehab, and then we’ll just kind of take that one day by day. (No projection), Not at this point. I think the most important thing for him is to attack this rehab, and he’s doing that.”

Steelers

The Steelers have a looming decision at quarterback, with Mason Rudolph currently the only player at the position under contract. Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger gave an endorsement of Rudolph, saying he’s a good decision-maker with good arm strength. 

“Mason can do that. Mason can throw the ball and make decisions,” Roethlisberger said, via SteelersWire. “That’s never been a question. He can make decisions and get the ball out of his hands. He’s not afraid to take shots down the field either.”