Things are quiet for the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North right now.
Sure, guys like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have made the rounds at the Super Bowl and were asked about contract extensions. That’s notable with Joe Burrow’s coming up.
But somehow, the team that has been to two straight AFC title games doesn’t have that much drama surrounding it — especially compared to other teams in the AFC North.
From franchise quarterback drama and so much more, each AFC North team has some notable headlines with future implications that Bengals fans should know about. Let’s take a look.
Ravens: Lamar Jackson trade speculation
The Ravens will apply the franchise tag to star quarterback Lamar Jackson, with the possibility of a trade for the right offer, per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network :
“The Baltimore Ravens will place the franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson if the sides cannot agree to a long-term deal in the coming weeks — and there is a possibility other teams could tempt Baltimore to trade the former NFL MVP for a windfall of draft picks, per sources.”
It’s easy to think the Ravens and Jackson will work it out. But his market-resetting extension, a possible holdout, his injury woes and the possible package a struggling team would offer might just make this an incredibly interesting thing to watch in Baltimore.
Browns: The Myles Garrett injury
God Bless @Flash_Garrett 💪😂😂😂#SuperBowlLVII #GodBlessFootball pic.twitter.com/jFFsTCqGIO
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) February 10, 2023
The Browns have some minor news floating around about assistant coaches. Otherwise though, the biggest item was defensive star Myles Garrett suffering a toe injury at the Pro Bowl Games. But x-rays came back negative and he’s since been showing off that all is well on what is only a dislocation.
Steelers: The "Diontae Johnson punching Mitch Trubisky" thing
A silly rumor went out recently that Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson punched quarterback Mitch Trubisky in the face in Week 4, to which Johnson immediately shot down that idea via social media post. But as Curt Popejoy wrote, the Steelers were off to a miserable start last year and Trubisky was notably benched at halftime of that very game. It’s just another sign of the struggles the Steelers had last year and makes the team’s quest for a backup quarterback — if it’s not Trubisky — at least a little more interesting.
