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AFC Notes: T.J. Watt, Lamar Jackson, Browns, Ravens, Steelers
Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Browns

  • Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on why G Zak Zinter hasn’t played much this season: “He’s had players in front of him. Sometimes the opportunity comes for a variety of reasons. It doesn’t mean we’re not working very hard with him and all the work he’s put in.” (Grossi)
  • Lions HC Dan Campbell says C Kingsley Eguakun felt that signing with the Browns was the right thing for his career and wished him well. (Pouncy)

Ravens

Steelers

Steelers OLB T.J. Watt hasn’t played since suffering a punctured lung during a dry needling treatment, but has stayed off injured reserve with the hope he can return. Pittsburgh HC Mike Tomlin expressed optimism about Watt returning in Week 18. 

“I’m optimistic about his potential inclusion in this game,” Tomlin said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “We’ll work him up throughout the course of the week and let the amount of participation and the quality of participation be our guide in terms of whether or not he’s a participant. But certainly more optimistic this week than I have been in previous weeks as I stand here today.”

Tomlin added that they want to be “cautious” with how they reintegrate Watt. 

“He’s coming off of a medical circumstance different than the injury circumstance,” Tomlin said. “And so certainly he has a certain level of health, but we want to be cautious about how we work him back into the fold and certainly he’s done appropriate things in that area as well.”

  • ESPN’s Dan Graziano says the Steelers ideally want to see Watt get through multiple full practices before bringing him back into action off a collapsed lung. 

This article first appeared on NFLTradeRumors.co and was syndicated with permission.

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