AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

• Bengals WR Tee Higgins said he feels fully recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out of Week 4. (Ben Baby)
• Taylor said that RB Joe Mixon‘s ankle injury benefitted from two days of rest and they will continue to limit his usage in practice this week. (Baby)
• Taylor added Mixon should be “good to go” for Week 6 despite being limited. (Kelsey Conway)
• The Bengals worked out RB B.J. Emmons, CB Holton Hill, RB Elijah Holyfield, RB Anthony Johnson and WR Austin Watkins. (Aaron Wilson)
• Of this group, Cincinnati signed Holyfield and Hill to their practice squad. 
• The Bengals protected the following four players on their practice squad: RB Trayveon Williams, CB Holton Hill, LB Joe Bachie and G Keaton Sutherland. (Jay Morrison)

Browns

Browns WR Jarvis Landry said he is no longer using a knee brace and called it a “frustrating” experience playing with one. 

“Fortunately, I’m out of the brace, but [there] was a period where I had to put it on to walk, I had to put it on to go up and down the stairs,” Landry said, via Marla Ridenour. “Then on game day, I took it off because I was trying to be the little soldier on the field so nobody saw me with it on. It’s frustrating.”

Landry said he’s hopeful to be ready for Week 6’s game against the Cardinals. 

“I think it can be,” Landry said. “I’ve been missing the game. I want to be playing. I’ve been active in the meetings, continue to be a leader. But there’s still something about Sunday, game day that I’ve always looked forward to. And that’s the part of it all that I miss. I still put all the work in in a sense, but I don’t get that reward, which is the game day. Hopefully, that comes sooner than later.”

Landry added that he’d like to return at some point between the Browns’ homestand from Weeks 6-8. 

“We’ve got three home games this next little turn, so it will be a perfect time somewhere in there if I can get back,” Landry said. “At the end of the day, the team and myself and my camp, we’re smart about the decisions about coming back or not and when that will be.”

• According to Mary Kay Cabot, Landry (knee) will not be designated to return from the injured reserve on Wednesday. 
• Regarding Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. only having three targets in Week 5, HC Kevin Stefanski said that defenses can dictate where they go with the play calls: “He’s a dynamic football player, very front of mind when we’re game-planning, when we’re calling plays. Sometimes defense dictates that ball goes elsewhere. And we’re comfortable with that because we have good players elsewhere.” (Scott Petrak)

Ravens

• The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes Ravens LBs Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison have struggled in their second season. Baltimore has started mixing LB Chris Board into the mix more and could turn to veteran LB Josh Bynes if they lose patience. 
• The Ravens worked out cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Alex Myres on Tuesday. (Aaron Wilson)

Steelers

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger feels it’s unfortunate to lose WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) for the season given his impact on the team. 

“It’s awful,” Roethlisberger said, via Matt Freed of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “And I’ll speak selfishly, I’m hurt because I miss that guy. I mean, what he brings to this team — his energy, his excitement, the leadership. It sucks, it really does. And I’m not even the one hurt. I spoke to him on Sunday night, I felt his pain through the phone, speaking to his mom as well. It’s just sometimes things aren’t fair and we don’t know why they happen. And a guy that has given so much and a guy that means so much to this team and to me specifically, it’s not fair.”