Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor confirmed QB Joe Burrow had surgery to repair his injured toe ligaments and has started the rehab process. (Jay Morrison)
Bengals DE Joseph Ossai received an $11,593 fine for a facemask penalty.

Ravens

Ravens TE Charlie Kolar is in the fourth year of his career after being a fourth-round pick in 2022 by Baltimore. Kolar has earned a role as the Ravens’ blocking tight end and wants to do whatever he can to help the team.

“My parents, they are both strict and they instilled a level of toughness in all aspects of life, but also at the same time, a level of unselfishness,” Kolar said, via Jeff Zrebeic of The Athletic. “I want to play in this league for a long time. I want to have a zillion catches. I want to win a Super Bowl. I want to make a lot of money. But the point of all of this is, what can I do for my team right now? Last year, it was a ton of blocking and a ton of special teams and a few catches here and there.”

Although Kolar has recorded just 20 receptions throughout his career and none so far this season, he doesn’t see any reason to complain.

“I’m still getting paid a ton of money. I don’t see what I have to complain about,” Kolar said. “Everybody wants more targets, but I feel very blessed for where I’m at. It’s a delicate balance to be grateful, but also be hungry for more. I try and walk that line.”

Kolar’s pre-draft scouting report from 2022 indicated that he wasn’t very good as a point-of-attack blocker. The fourth-year tight end is proud of how far he’s come.

“I don’t actually disagree,” Kolar said. “I don’t think I was a great point-of-attack blocker in college. But I’m definitely proud of how far I have come.”

The Ravens ruled out DT Nnamdi Madubuike from Monday night’s game against the Lions with a neck injury. Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Baltimore is still trying to figure out the extent of the issue: “They’re dealing with the symptoms and they’re testing right now. So he will be ruled out for this game and they’re trying to get to the bottom of it.” (Jamison Hensley)
Ravens LB Kyle Van Noy was fined $17,389 for a body-weight hit on the quarterback.

Steelers

The Steelers are off to a slow start following a loss to the Seahawks in Week 2 to drop to 1-1. When asked how Pittsburgh can turn things around, veteran QB Aaron Rodgers responded that they can’t get hung up on recent results and they have a long season ahead.

“I don’t like getting too binary, but winning. That’s a good response,” Rodgers said, via Jim Wexell of the team’s site. “But we can’t get attached to the binary system that our league is judged on, necessarily, because it is a 17-game season, and the process has to be great. So just dig into the details in the process, enjoy it, practice well, and then let game day take care of itself.”

Rodgers hasn’t seen anyone sulking around Pittsburgh’s locker room.

“I haven’t seen anybody hanging their heads,” Rodgers said. “The most important thing, like I said after the game, is it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Can’t ride the ups and downs. You have to embrace the results that happen and take a look at your process every single week, whether it’s a win on the scoreboard or a loss. And great competitors know that sometimes their best is not going to be good enough on some days, but your best is not just a game-day performance. Your best is a weekly accumulation of how you prepared on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, how you practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then the communication that you exhibited during the week as well. So as long as we stay on those things, game days take care of themselves.”

Rodgers is set to square off with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, where the veteran quarterback is 0-2 throughout his career. He reflected on last year’s 25-22 loss to New England when he was with the Jets.

“We had a chance,” Rodgers said. “We were up five last year with like two minutes left, and they hit a big, big pass. We were tied with them going into the fourth in ’18, and then got beat by a couple scores. I didn’t play in 2010. Matt Flynn played, played well, but we gave up one of the greatest plays I’ve been a part of in my NFL history, and that’s when Dan Connolly had a kickoff return that almost went for a touchdown. Hated that it was against us, but as a lover of the big guys, when they get the opportunity to show the athleticism, there may have been a few of us on the sideline who had a very tiny, quiet ‘go’ on that play. But, yeah, be nice to get a win there.”

Steelers OC Arthur Smith talked about his preferred identity on offense: “I don’t fancy myself as an air raid guy and I don’t fancy myself as a Wing T guy. You want to be balanced.” (Ray Fittipaldo)
Pittsburgh’s early struggles on defense have put a spotlight on DL Keeanu Benton, who is playing nose tackle more often this year. He didn’t agree with the characterization that he’s playing out of position, though: “I feel like I am where I’m supposed to be. Wherever God put me, and wherever I can get a helmet at is where I’m supposed to be.” (Nick Farabaugh)
Steelers LB Patrick Queen was fined $17,389 for a blow to the quarterback’s head/neck.

The post AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.