AFC North Notes: Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns QB Baker Mayfield said he has been focused on staying out of the media and working toward improving this offseason. 

“I have a different approach to this year,’’ Mayfield said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I think everybody who’s been interviewed on our team has hit the nail on the head over and over about ‘it’s time to work. It is time to do our thing, instead of talking about it.’ This is the first media thing I’ve done just because there’s no need to be talking about it. It’s just time to go do it. Right now, it’s kind of moving in silence, which is fine with me.”

Mayfield said that the addition of Brons’ new HC Kevin Stefanski has enabled him to “get back to those roots” of the game’s fundamentals. 

“That’s how I used to do it before getting on a bigger stage,’‘ said Mayfield. “So I’m happy to get back to those roots and … get back to the fundamentals to where I can accomplish the goals when the season comes around.”

Regarding his struggles in 2019, Mayfield called last season a learning experience and reiterated how he’s reverted back to “sheer fundamentals” instead of “complex drills.”

“There’s been a lot of learning throughout this process,’’ said Mayfield. “During all this, it’s kind of made everybody go back to the just sheer fundamentals. You can’t do so many complex drills and all the stuff you might and everybody might not have the same equipment, but we can teach the very base fundamentals of what this new coaching staff wants to do and go from there. I think that has been the best thing is essentially just getting back to the basics.”

• A source tells Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot that the Browns are still interested in free-agent DE Jadeveon Clowney. Cleveland reportedly has the highest offer on the table to Clowney but he’s hesitant to sign with the Browns. 
• Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson said on the Pat McAfee Show he thinks that part of the holdup might be that Cleveland’s offer is for longer than one year. Clowney has come off his initial $20 million per year asking price but still wants just a one-year deal to be able to test the market again in 2021. 

Ravens

• Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes the Texans signing OT Laremy Tunsil to a record deal that’s still short in terms of years will complicate negotiations between the Ravens and OT Ronnie Stanley.
• Tunsil secured $22 million per year from the Texans and $40 million fully guaranteed at signing as part of his three-year extension. 
• Per the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Stanley said he and the team have been discussing a potential contract extension for a few years now and he’s comfortable where the two sides are at. 
• Asked about Tunsil’s new deal, Stanley he was happy because Tunsil “deserved it.” (Zrebiec)
• Stanley didn’t say though if he was going to use Tunsil’s deal as the benchmark in his negotiations with Baltimore: “I definitely want to get paid my value and what I feel I’m worth. At the end of the day, money is not the most important thing to me.” (Jamison Hensley)
• Entering the final year of his rookie contract on his fifth-year option, Stanley’s not in a rush to sign an extension: “I’m in no rush. I’m not really worried about it.” (Zrebiec)

Steelers

• Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Steelers WR Diontae Johnson said he suffered a groin injury in Week 2 as a rookie and played through it the rest of the year. 
• Johnson had surgery to repair a sports hernia this offseason. He’s not received clearance to return to training but is hoping to get it soon.