AFC Notes: Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals, Browns Offseason, Robert Woods, Texans,

“He’s always hard on himself. Always looking for ways to improve and get better,” Bengals WR coach Troy Walters added. “If he had come down with those two and maybe one or two others, he’d be closer to the record. He set the standard this year. Now he has to repeat next year. He knows he’s got room to grow. Now the expectation is anything less than being one of the top three receivers is unacceptable. He set a new standard for himself.”

Browns

• Per Mary Kay Cabot, Browns GM Andrew Berry will speak at the combine and is expected to stick to the narrative that he will not trade DE Myles Garrett. Berry said at the Senior Bowl last month that he wouldn’t deal Garrett for two first-round picks.
• While Cabot says teams have made calls about Garrett, the Browns aren’t expected to engage unless they are offered an “insane” trade package or something involving a substantial quarterback change.
• Cabot adds that any team trading for Garrett would also have to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at as much as $40 million a year. 
• At the combine, the Browns will continue to monitor quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders despite having already heavily scouted both players. They already interviewed Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl and plan to get a better read on how each would deal with being the face of the franchise. Sanders has the Browns first on his top 30 pre-draft visit list.
• Cabot believes the team will most likely choose a quarterback at No.2 unless they are enamored by a sleeper candidate such as Jalen Milroe or Will Howard later on in the draft. She also suggests the team could select two quarterbacks as Washington did in 2012.
• Other prospects the team could consider with the second pick include pass rusher Abdul Carter and dual position Heisman winner Travis Hunter. 
• Berry made it sound in his season-ending press conference that the team could wind up moving on from RB Nick Chubb, yet Cabot says the team would likely be willing to re-sign him as a backup. She mentions the team will likely add a running back in the draft and free agency.
• Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has no timetable for return following his serious neck injury, yet Cabot states the team will have to keep their eye on the position in free agency and the draft in case he is unable to go.

Texans

Texans WR Robert Woods didn’t overlap with new OC Nick Caley in Los Angeles with the Rams. But Woods is familiar with a lot of the concepts Caley could bring after playing the best years of his career with the Rams under HC Sean McVay.

“I had a great time in the LA offense with Sean and everybody who was under him,” said Woods via KPRC’s Aaron Wilson. “I know that offense is capable of being high-powered, whether it’s the running back, with the tight ends, with the receivers, everybody is able to just have a role in the offense and be able to be used to their best talents.

“I know that was my experience when I was in LA. Sean moved me around a lot with motions and handoffs and passes, deep routes, intermediate and short. I feel like I was really just able to switch it up on offense. I think they can bring that to this offense, and it’s a lot of weapons on offense. You’ve gotta be able to let them go.”

Whether or not Woods gets the chance to play in that offense again remains to be seen. He’s a free agent this year and is turning 33 years old in April. His impact goes beyond the stat sheet at this point in his career but the Texans also have work to do at receiver and Woods had only 20 catches in 15 games. It does seem like he plans to play a 13th season, though. 

“Feeling good, kind of getting ready to revamp and go another year again,” Woods said. “Building the body back up, just like always and going into Year 13 and still just chasing it. I had a great time here in Houston, loved being with C.J. (Stroud), a great quarterback, loved our receiver room, our coaches. We’ll see how it goes in free agency. You know how free agency is. Whatever is best for me and my family and my football career. If that’s in Houston, however it goes, we’ll look to that.”