AFC Notes: Browns, Lamar Jackson, Ravens, Steelers

Browns

Browns LB Anthony Walker mentioned that the team didn’t have a strong camaraderie last season, unlike his time with the Indianapolis Colts. However, Walker believes Cleveland is building a better atmosphere this offseason. 

“I’ll be completely honest, when I was in Indy, I thought that we established that culture there,” Walker said, via Mary Kay Cabot. “And when I came here, it was a little different. And I’m starting to feel what I felt in Indy when I was there. Just the brotherhood that we had, all the guys coming together, the team camaraderie.”

Walker added that the team felt “a little standoffish” last year and reiterated that they are building a closer locker room. 

“Last year it was a little standoffish and this is professional football, so I get it,” Walker said. “But to be a great team you’ve got to have that camaraderie, you’ve got to have that team mindset because when you go through the dark days, sometimes you may lose or the dog days of camp, the dog days of this grind and minicamp and everything like that, you need that team brotherhood, that team bond to keep bringing you together, and I’m glad that we’re building that.”

Aside from the situations with Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. requesting a trade, Walker also thinks that COVID impacted how the team communicated with each other. 

“You’re coming off covid and guys are so spread away,” Walker said. “We had two locker rooms, I think I had five lockers to myself last year. Now it’s everybody in one locker room, you see the guys every morning. Everybody’s here. As voluntary as [the offseason program was], a lot of guys were here to get those workouts in in phase 1, phase 2 and everything like that. So just to have the whole team together I think will be the biggest difference.”

Ravens

Ravens WR Devin Duvernay feels that his overall game has grown entering his third year in the league and he hopes to make a bigger impact on the offensive side of the ball this year.

“Yeah, I mean, just overall game, you know. Just route-running, catching, you know just flying around playing fast. I think those are the things I’ve continued to try and improve on and things I need to continue to improve on to just keep elevating my game, you know, outside of special teams, you know, and get on bigger receiver roles and things like that,” Duvernay said, via Ravens Wire.

• CBS Sports analyst and former agent Joel Corry writes Ravens QB Lamar Jackson would be well-justified to seek more than Browns QB Deshaun Watson‘s record-breaking five-year, $230 million deal. 
• Corry points out Jackson has more awards and accolades than Watson and doesn’t have any character concerns either. 

Steelers

Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster made an appearance in Pittsburgh to sign autographs at a charity event, noting that he could see himself back with the team one day despite signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs this offseason.

“I could see myself back here. Even today, this shows a lot, that I still have fans out here coming out to support me,” Smith-Schuster said, via KTKA. “It was just very important. It was huge to come back. I spent five years here, to come back to the city where I started my career. When you sign and go to a new team, you move so fast, that I literally picked up all my stuff and moved. I didn’t have time to say bye to the fans. What we’re doing today is really cool.”