AFC Notes: Zach Orr, Patrick Queen, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo said he’s going to continue shuffling personnel on the defense until players claim a spot without question.

“Ultimately, you’d like to just see somebody settle in and say, ‘This is mine,‘” Anarumo said, via The Athletic. “But again, I’ll say the word. It gets boring, but it’s just consistent. I just want to see consistency, play in, play out. And until we get that, we’ll continue to rotate.”

Anarumo was asked if CB Cam Taylor-Britt has been a liability on the perimeter.

“I hate to say that about any of our guys,” Anarumo said. “Certainly, those stats aren’t what you want. If we just tackle the guy on a 5-yard out — they tempoed us and he should have gotten up there and pressed him and it doesn’t even happen but we didn’t. We are never going to give up on a guy like that. He’s got the great want-to and he’s doing everything he can. But we’ve got to do it better, that’s for sure.”

Bengals rookie CB Josh Newton figures to continue to work into the rotation as the team hopes to find an answer at cornerback.

“Josh has been a hard worker,” HC Zac Taylor said. “I like his energy. I like his approach as a young player, so we’ll just continue to work with him and see how it plays out.”

Ravens

Despite a 7-4 record, the Ravens’ defense has had lapses this season which could limit them in a postseason run. Baltimore DC Zach Orr explained their urgency towards improving with a focus on defending the pass.

“It’s definitely been a work in progress — not just this past week — but I feel like this week has really amped up, because time is clicking with the truth be told,” Orr said, via Ryan Mink of the team’s website. “It’s only seven weeks left in the season, and things are not where they need to be at for us, especially in the pass defense. So, we’ve been working hard – coaches and players – to try to get this thing figured out.”

• Orr feels like they have “fallen short” on their typical defensive standards this season: “We’ve fallen short of the standard multiple occasions this year.” (Jeff Zrebiec)
• Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey was fined $22,511 for Unnecessary Roughness (use of the helmet) and $11,255 for Unnecessary Roughness (facemask), while DT Travis Jones was fined $22,511 for Roughing the Passer (blow to the head/neck).
• According to Aaron Wilson, the Ravens worked out WR Keke Coutee, CB Eric Garror, CB Desmond King, and P Michael Palardy last week.

Steelers

Steelers LB Patrick Queen said he wasn’t offered a contract to return to Baltimore and admitted that he was upset about it.

“I wasn’t offered to go back. I don’t know if I said that or not, put that in public or not,” Queen said, via PFT. “I wasn’t wanted back. I didn’t get the offer back. It was definitely kind of upsetting, being there for four years and the bond that you grow with your teammates and stuff. But at the end of the day, like I said, the first few months, you definitely go through those feelings. And now, after playing games, you just go by — you want to win games. You want to win with your teammates, your new teammates, you want to bond with those guys. Everything that you do is this organization that you’re in now. I will have feelings, obviously. Anybody in my position would this week. So, I’m just taking it one day at a time, and whatever happens, happens.”