AFC North Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Bengals

• The Athletic’s Paul Dehner believes that getting the Bengals to the playoffs would probably be enough to convince Cincinnati to give QB Andy Dalton a contract extension, assuming he doesn’t have another terrible postseason performance. 
• Apart from that, Dalton could still earn an extension if he shows progress in new HC Zac Taylor‘s offensive scheme.
• According to San Diego Union-Tribune contributor Dr. David Chao, Bengals first-round OT Jonah Williams likely had a pre-existing issue with his labrum in his left shoulder from college. Williams tore the same labrum during OTA’s and will likely miss his rookie season as he recovers from surgery.
• Chao says he observed Williams playing with a left shoulder strap during college. The strap is used to stabilize the shoulder when the labrum is torn.
• In Chao’s experience, the strap is not used as a preventative measure because it limits the range of motion, meaning Williams likely suffered some kind of shoulder injury even though he was never publicly listed by Alabama as having an issue. 

Browns

• Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot believes Browns GM John Dorsey would not sign WR Tyreek Hill if he was cut by the Chiefs because Dorsey already took a huge risk on former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt. 
• Cabot says the Browns feel good about getting contributions from third and fifth-round rookie LBs Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson, respectively, this season. 
• Cabot expects WR Jarvis Landry to be ready to go at the start of training camp, even if he doesn’t feel 100 percent. 

Ravens

Ravens G Marshal Yanda signed a one-year extension this offseason to put him under contract with the Ravens through the 2020 season. However, Yanda isn’t sure if he’ll even play that long. 

“You just take it one day at a time,” Yanda said via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “I’m healthy, I’m feeling really good about playing this fall, and I don’t look any further down the road. I’m worried about playing this fall and playing good football.”

Yanda, who is 35, signed a one-year, $8 million extension this April that was more about giving him the flexibility to finish his career in Baltimore than a commitment to playing in 2020. Yanda played all 16 games in 2018, but he said his health is a major factor in how long he ends up playing. 

“Just with the injuries that I have had, last year was a wait-and-see kind of deal, one week at a time, one game at a time, and I just didn’t know how my body was going to hold up,” Yanda said. “So, I was prepared, if I was going to end the season on injured reserve, then I was probably going to hang it up, just because you don’t want to keep pushing your body too far.”