AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger

Ravens

Ravens HC John Harbaugh said that new S Earl Thomas looked “really good” up to this point as he learns Baltimore’s defensive scheme. 

“He has never looked ‘comfortable.’ I would not put ‘comfortable’ and ‘Earl Thomas’ in the same sentence,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN.com. “He has looked determined. He looks like he understands the defense, which I think is what you’re alluding to. He looks crisp and sharp. He has been moving really well. He looks really good to me.”

Thomas says the Ravens’ system is far more complex than what he’s used to with the Seahawks. 

“This defense is very complex compared to what we were doing in Seattle,” Thomas said. “We were just running Cover 3 all the time. But now, we’re making calls on the fly. That’s the biggest part. That’s the biggest adjustment for me. But, just being around these guys, that brings it all in. They’re helping me. That’s what brothers do.”

Thomas admitted that he hasn’t really enjoyed having to learn a new system.

“I haven’t really enjoyed it that much, to be totally honest,” Thomas said. “But, I know it’s going to pay off, because we’re going to make it very hard on quarterbacks.”

Ben Roethlisberger

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is excited for training camp and padded practices to really see what his offense, which will look drastically different than anything he’s had in years, is capable of in 2019. 

“I’m excited, I really am excited in what we have,” Roethlisberger said via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “We put a lot of work in, that’s what it’s going to take, it’s going to take a team effort. We’re all going to give everything we have and see where it goes. We can’t predict the future, but we can predict we’re going to give everything we have.”

Steelers

• Jeremy Fowler reports that free agent S Nat Berhe has had some early contact with the Steelers and is opening to returning. However, he’s reportedly focused on adding some weight and catching on with a team for training camp.  
• Steelers RB Jaylen Samuels said he has worked on his speed this offseason to be “be more decisive in and out of my cuts as a pure runner.” (Jeremy Fowler)
• Samuels added: “I believe I got faster. I can get in and out of my cuts a little bit better.”