In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we look at the possibility of the Steelers getting closer to a deal with receiver Mike Wallace, Joe Flacco's confidence that he'll be a Raven for a long time, and who the Bengals' No. 2 receiver will end up being.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Progress Being Made on Contract for Mike Wallace
The Steelers already freed up some cap space by releasing veteran offensive lineman Jonathan Scott and replacing him with offensive tackle Max Starks. The money saved could be used toward a new contract for receiver Mike Wallace.
"The sides have remained in close contact and continued their dialogue and are expected to maintain a steady pace with the start of training camp looming," La Canfora reports. "There has been some movement and though no deal is imminent and work remains to be done, the situation has certainly improved since early this offseason. Both sides are motivated to complete a long-term contract."
Baltimore Ravens: Flacco Confident He'll Remain a Raven
Entering the final year of his contract, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is confident that this won't be his final year with the team. He isn't worried about a new deal being worked out immediately.
"I'm not worried about it," Flacco said Saturday night during a Special Olympics charity event at Al Packer Ford. "I told Joe don't even call me. I'm not worried about it. Unless you have some kind of crazy news, then don't concern me with it. I'm going to go out there, I'm going to play, I'm going to practice. There really is no time table. If it happens, it happens. I see myself being here for many years, no matter what happens."
Although there have been unsubstantiated reports that a contract for Flacco is expected to be hammered out before the opening of camp, no deal is imminent at this time.
I hope Baltimore gets a deal done as soon as possible with Flacco, and that he receives a mammoth contract. When Baltimore's defense goes down the tubes, fans will be wondering why they overpaid for an overrated quarterback.
Cincinnati Bengals: Projecting Sanu's Role on Offense
Like the Browns, the Bengals have really started to build their core offensive players through the draft. Could Mohamed Sanu be another immediate contributor on offense? Not all fans are in agreement, but here's what one of Cincy Jungle's writers had to say:
There's not a clear-cut No. 2 receiver opposite A.J. Green right now. Some feel that Brandon Tate has the inside track on the job because he has the most NFL experience. Others believe that Armon Binns will win the job because he has impressed many onlookers at the team's mimcamp back in May and has good size for a player at the position. Either scenario might be true and we could see what amounts to a committee approach, as we expect to see with the running back position.
However, I think it's Sanu who is going to play an integral role in the offense and I feel that we're likely to see him on the field as a two or three-down receiver. I actually think that in two and three receiver sets, Sanu will be the starter to line up opposite Green and then rotate into the slot--particularly on early downs. There are a few reasons for the method to my madness.