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Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

Let's see what's in the AFC North mailbag.

The C writes: Hey JW, I'm wondering since Derrick Mason is back will the Baltimore Ravens still go after more receivers to pad the depth chart?

James Walker: The Ravens are taking the approach that they're always open to improving their team. But Mason's return was clearly the best-case scenario for Baltimore at receiver. All the free agents available had concerns, whether it was age, prior injuries, etc. There were rumored trade possibilities. But as I've said all along, none of them were realistic. Barring injury, don't expect the Ravens to make any significant additions at receiver now that Mason is back in the fold.

Anthony from Mamaroneck, NY writes: James, how is Ryan Mundy developing? Do the Steelers see him as the eventual replacement at free safety or is he here for sufficient depth?

James Walker: The Steelers like Mundy's smarts and instincts, Anthony. But for now he's there to provide depth. Safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark fit one another perfectly and have an ability to raise each other's games. Cap room is an issue right now. But with another good season, I expect Pittsburgh to make Clark a priority, while continuing to work on Mundy's development. One thing I noticed about the Steelers is they're constantly coaching up all 53 players on their roster, not just the starting 22. You would be amazed how many teams struggle to do that during the course of a season.

David from Chicago, IL wants to know if there is any update on Andre Smith's contract?

James Walker: The fact that No. 5 pick Mark Sanchez and No. 7 pick Darrius Heyward-Bey are signed should provide optimism the Cincinnati Bengals and Smith at No. 6. But being around the team the past four days it has been eerily quiet, which is not a good sign. I don't think anybody is surprised Smith has missed the first four days of training camp. Nearly everyone in the media predicted as much soon after the draft. But as of Monday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis continues to keep the door open for Smith to earn the job as the starting right tackle. It's just a matter of how much Smith's missed time will hurt his learning curve.

Jim Goodrich from Zanesville, Ohio wants to know of Joshua Cribbs underperformed his contract, would he have given money back.

James Walker: Now it's soapbox time in the AFC North. I don't have many pet peeves, but Jim is bringing up one of my biggest ones. Fans who scream out "players should honor their contracts" have a very narrow-minded view of the NFL. To put it bluntly, this is a shrewd business where contracts are not guaranteed. Every year dozens of teams do not "honor its contracts" by cutting underperforming players. Yet fans never seem upset when their team gets rid of a bust before the end of his deal. No one screamed "travesty" this offseason when the Browns stopped honoring Kevin Shaffer's $36 million contract. No one was upset when the Ravens saved $8 million by releasing Chris McAlister. The same goes for the Bengals, who didn't feel Levi Jones was worth his $3 million salary. So they didn't honor it and released him. The point is the business side of the NFL is brutal on both ends. It's a performance-based league. So next time a player wants a new deal, always consider the alternative and be wary of taking sides of the player or the team.