AFC North Notes: Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals WR John Ross said doctors considered his injury “life-threatening” after his sternoclavicular joint came near an inch away from puncturing an artery. 

“I asked him ‘could it be life-threatening?’ And he said ‘definitely,'” Ross said, via ESPN.com. “He said it was a couple inches off or something like that from hitting the artery. I didn’t want to know any more after that. I said ‘as long as you fix me, I’m fine.'”

“It’s hard to put things in perspective, because it’s been so much time,” Ross added. “I definitely feel I can contribute, and I definitely will put my best foot forward to go out there and do everything I can to help us win.”

Browns

Ordinarily, a player with four more years left on their contract would seem to have a pretty set future, as far as the NFL is concerned. However, Browns WR Odell Beckham was already traded once on his current contract and was asked on Thursday about his future in Cleveland. Beckham’s answer won’t do anything to dispel any speculation this offseason. 

“What the does the future hold? I don’t know,” Beckham said via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “No one knows what the future holds tomorrow. I couldn’t tell you. My locker is right next to one of the people that mean the most to me in the world [Jarvis Landry]. I think about coming to work and seeing him every single day and how special this could be, so I couldn’t sit here and tell you whether I’m going to be here, want to be here, don’t want to be here. This is exactly where I’m at right now, and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

• Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Browns C J.C. Tretter and OT Chris Hubbard returned to practice after both battled knee injuries earlier this week. 

Steelers

• Per Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Steelers RB James Conner said he wouldn’t play this week against the Cardinals as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.