The Cincinnati Bengals have been the quiet team in the AFC North for most of the offseason.
Until this week.
There, the Bengals revealed the news first-round pick Jonah Williams needed surgery to repair a torn labrum and will likely miss the entirety of his debut season. That reshuffles the offensive line and creates a similar unit to the one they used for last year’s struggle-filled season.
Naturally, the rest of the AFC North news doesn’t feel as important after hearing the Williams development.
Baltimore Ravens: Another player has camp drama
A week ago, the Ravens had an odd occurrence where veteran leader Michael Pierce showed up and was sent off by coaches as a safety concern because of his weight.
This week, center Alex Thompson didn’t show for training camp and the team put him on the reserve/did not report list.
The Ravens aren’t releasing the how or why pertaining to the undrafted free agent’s absence, though it is a little notable these problems keep popping up. While they aren’t totally uncommon, Ravens coaches would clearly love to have everybody in town.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Shazier talks comeback
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier continues to be adamant he’s heading for an NFL comeback.
Shazier suffered his spinal injury in December of 2017 and continues to make incredible progress in his recovery.
He recently outlined his goals:
“I still want to make the Hall of Fame, still want to be the best linebacker in the NFL. I’m not giving up on my goals, and the doctors said don’t give up on my goals, so there’s no problem with me doing that. I’m just going to keep working, and hopefully I’m going to be back as soon as I can.”
It’s awesome to see Shazier keep working toward getting back on the NFL field. Equally as great is the fact the Steelers keep supporting his endeavor, having picked up his fifth-year option last year and signed him to a one-year deal this offseason.
Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield loses bet to Saquon Barkley
Things are quiet around the Browns right now, though it seems things are never 100 percent quiet around Mayfield.
Mayfield, despite a solid rookie season that ended up giving Browns fans plenty of hope for the future, ended up losing the 2018 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award race to New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
The two friends had a big bet involving a chain going on over the award. Let’s just say Mayfield finally lived up to his end of the agreement, playing off his friend’s “SaQuads” nickname:
