This division is usually quite competitive but it’s usually the Steelers and the Ravens fighting for supremacy. This year will be a bit different as the Steelers look vulnerable and the Browns are the team fighting with the Ravens to win the division. The Browns offense should be good with an excellent running game and the defense should be much improved. The Ravens offense is Lamar Jackson-centric and the defense is always good. The Steelers are counting on an aging Ben Roethlisberger behind a revamped offensive line (that’s putting it nicely) and a defense that should still be good. The Bengals just want to get Joe Burrow healthy and keep him that way. They will be better with a full season of Burrow but they still won’t be good.
Cleveland Browns
QB Baker Mayfield is hoping for a contract extension but this offense is based around RBs Nick Chubb (he got a contract extension) and Kareem Hunt. These two might be the best 1-2 punch at RB in the league and FB Andy Janovich is one of the best in the league. The Browns invested heavily in the offensive line over the past several years and it shows. LT Jedrick Wills, LG Joel Bitonio, C JC Tretter, RG Wyatt Teller and RT Jack Conklin make up one of the best lines in the league and they open big holes for Chubb and Hunt to run through. Mayfield is only asked to keep things moving and so far, he’s been pretty solid at doing it. The contract issue with Mayfield is complicated because he isn’t the star of the offense but replacing wouldn’t be ea. Competent QB play isn’t as easy to find as you think.
The passing game has some playmakers but they could really use a healthy and productive season out of Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham hasn’t ever been his dominant self in Cleveland and you can make the argument the offense was better last year without him. He has struggled to stay healthy and that has been his biggest issue. Jarvis Landry has been their most consistent WR and he is the security blanket Mayfield relies on when he needs to move the chains. Landry is rarely flashy but he’s extremely effective. Donovan Peoples-Jones has had a very good camp/preseason and they are expecting more from him. They would really like to see rookie Anthony Schwartz give them something with his electric speed. The TE group is deep and talented. Austin Hooper starts and he’s backed up by Harrison Bryant, both of whom are very effective players. They also have David Njoku, a supremely talented athlete who has yet to really break out and establish himself. The team could really use Beckham’s downfield ability to stretch the field, but if he doesn’t come through, they still have ways of being effective through the air.
The defense is built around DE Myles Garrett and he is a threat to be the Defensive Player of the Year, he’s simply that good. The Browns are once again trying to get someone to help take the pressure off of him on the edge. Garrett is a monster pass rusher but he’s largely been working alone as guys have either been injured or ineffective opposite him. The Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney to take over the other DE spot. I am an admitted Clowney denier, I think he’s overrated and he’s simply not a great pass rusher. He can be an effective defender but if you think he’s bringing great pass rush skill to your defense, you will be sorely disappointed. Clowney also has a long injury history which means there’s a good chance the Browns pattern of injury and inconsistency opposite Garrett continues. At DT the Browns are replacing their starters with Andrew Billings (coming off a Covid opt out year) and Malik Jackson (an aging vet from Philly). They need some other guys like Jordan Elliott or rookie Tommy Togiai to step up. The interior might be the defense’s Achilles heel.
The LB corps has been lacking playmakers for some time and they signed MLB Anthony Walker to tackle everything in sight, he’s been doing it for years in Indy. They also drafted Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, from Notre Dame. He’s an undersized LB who will fly all over the field, he’s not a starter yet but he’s the best chance they have at a real playmaker there. The start Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki for now. The LB unit should be better. The secondary is looking at a massive overhaul with rookies, free agents and guys returning from injury to join Denzel Ward. Ward is still a potential #1 CB but last year the secondary was a mess. CB Greedy Williams returns from injury to fight for a spot opposite Ward but he’s always banged up. Rookie Greg Newsome was the Brown 1st round pick this year and he’ll fight for that same spot outside. Troy Hill was signed from the Rams to be the nickel back and he’s a massive upgrade. The team also signed S John Johnson III from the Rams and he’ll start at one safety spot. The hope is that second-year man Grant Delpit will return from missing his rookie year with an injury to be the other starter at safety but until then, veteran Ronnie Harrison will start. The defense has a chance to be much improved if the defensive front comes together and secondary has a healthy year.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens offense really is built around Lamar Jackson and now they are even more dependent on his health as RGIII has retired and the main backup to Jackson is Tyler Huntley. This is a precarious position given Jackson’s game, he is a runner who takes too many hits. It’s also slightly concerning with all of the changes on the offensive line. LT Ronnie Stanley returns from injury and that’s good as long as he gets back to being himself. Bradley Bozeman moves from LG to center to replace Matt Skura, who had a rough year last year. The Ravens brought in veteran RG Kevin Zeitler, a solid move considering they never adequately replaced Marshall Yanda last season. RT Orlando Brown was traded to the Chiefs after he played LT last year for Stanley and didn’t want to return to his RT spot. Steelers free agent Alejandro Villanueva was signed and he’s moving to RT. That leaves the LG spot up for grabs for now. The team needs a top offensive line because they rely heavily on the run game, and not just Jackson’s run game.
JK Dobbins was supposed to step in for Mark Ingram after a solid rookie year. He will now miss the year with a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. Gus Edwards moves up to the starting spot and unless the team decides a veteran like Todd Gurley or Adrian Peterson are worth signing, it’s Edwards’ show. The WR group gets some much-needed help with veteran Sammy Watkins coming over from Kansas City and rookie Rashod Bateman drafted in round one. Bateman had an injury in camp but they are hopeful to have him back early in the year. Bateman and Watkins add some size and playmaking to a unit that lacked both. Marquise Brown is still the main deep threat and they hope having more talent around him will open things up for him. Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle return as the top two TEs and they are highly effective guys in this offense, Jackson especially trusts Andrews in tight situations. If the passing game can evolve a little to help Jackson to be less reliant on his legs, that would be a major win for the Ravens.
The Ravens’ defense has been good since they became the Ravens and it never seems to matter when the players change, they just continue to be good. That’s great but this Ravens defense is pushing the limits given the age of the front seven. The starters (or likely starters) in the front seven over 30 years old at the start of the season; Derek Wolfe (31), Brandon Williams (32), Calais Campbell (35), Justin Houston (32) or Pernell McPhee (32). Under 30; Patrick Queen and Tyus Bowser. LJ Fort would have been another over 30 but he tore his ACL and is out for the year. Malik Jefferson is his likely replacement, he’s young but in this case that’s not a great thing. If age catches up to the is team, they are in trouble. They only have a couple of young guys (DL Justin Madubuike and LB Odafe Oweh) they can hope step up if they need them.
The secondary is a different story. Only CB Marcus Peters is a little older (he’s 28) while CB Marlon Humphrey, S Chuck Clark and S DeShon Elliott are all still under 26. They make up a pretty good unit when they are playing at their highest level. Humphrey is one of the best CBs in football and Peters isn’t quite as good as he thinks he is but he’s still pretty good. The safeties don’t get a ton of credit but they know what they are doing and they do their jobs well. The only older guy is veteran Jimmy Smith but he’s still an effective player.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger back and at this point he’s basically a year-to-year guy and it could end at any time. They had three other QBs on the training camp roster; Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins, and Josh Dobbs and given this team’s offensive line, they may need a few of them. Rudolph is a solid backup but I don’t see them entrusting this team to him long-term. The best bet for a QB of the future is the rehabilitation of Haskins. Dobbs was placed on IR; they just can’t quit him. Big Ben can still sling it around but he’s a statue in the pocket and a sitting duck behind a shaky offensive line. The team is counting on Chukwuma Okorafor to take over at LT, an iffy proposition but not the worst one up front. Zach Banner was supposed to return from injury and fill in at RT, he was just placed on IR too. It’s Joe Haeg at RT, that’s a problem. Trai Turner was signed after a rough year with the Chargers to take the RG spot and Kevin Dotson is being counted on to fill in full-time at LG. For now, JC Hassenauer is the new center unless rookie Kendrick Green can replace him. When the words most associated with your offensive line are iffy and hope, you’re probably looking at a long year up front.
The running game was atrocious last season so the use of a first round pick on RB Najee Harris is far more understandable than it would be for most teams. Harris is lightyears ahead of Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell Jr, Jaylen Samuels or any other option they had and is the team’s unquestioned starter at the position. He has a great set of all-around skills to utilize and should be a major asset moving forward. There is more talent at WR than the team probably gets credit for. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been disappointing since his break out campaign a few years ago but he’s still a credible threat. Diontae Johnson is a talented guy who just needs more consistency with his hands. Chase Claypool looks the part of a #1 WR but he needs to put together more consistent production. James Washington is an underutilized player who wants out. Eric Ebron and rookie Pat Freiermuth should make a nice combo at TE and Roethlisberger has been known to utilize a good TE here and there. The offensive really comes down to blocking because Roethlisberger will not be very productive if he’s on his back or on the sidelines with the trainers.
The Steelers defense is a lot like the Ravens defense in the fact that the parts almost seem irrelevant, the defense is good no matter what. The Steelers still have some great parts but some are aging and some are unproven. Up front, Cameron Heyward and Tyson Alualu are aging veterans who still get it done while Stephon Tuitt should be in the prime of his career, unfortunately Tuitt went on IR. At LB, TJ Watt has taken over the mantle as the pass rushing star and filled the role quite well. He has Defensive Player of the Year type of production; the award could be his any time. He needs a new running mate at the OLB spot with Bud Dupree leaving and team hopes Alex Highsmith can step up. That’s a tall order for a guy who had two sacks last year which is why they signed veteran Melvin Ingram. Ingram is aging, coming off an injury and coming off a few disappointing years with the Chargers, does he have anything left? Devin Bush returns at ILB and he’s a great athlete but the team wanted to take some things off his plate so he could just play. Enter Joe Schobert, brought over in a trade from Jacksonville. Schobert is a very good player that Jacksonville just felt they didn’t need right now and Pittsburgh swooped in. He should really solidify the middle of the defense as the play caller and allow Bush to just make plays.
The secondary is hoping Joe Haden can squeeze another year out of his 32-year-old body to be their top CB because the depth chart is slim behind him. Cameron Sutton is probably the nickel guy to replace Mike Hilton. Some guy named James Pierre is the other outside starter opposite Haden, he’s going to get targeted a lot. S Minkah Fitzpatrick is a star and they are certainly glad they traded for him a couple years ago. He’s a playmaker and the leader in the back end. Terrell Edmunds hasn’t really lived up to his first-round draft slot but he’s gotten better over the last few years so he’s fine. The defense has generally been greater than the sum of its parts over the years but the questions at OLB opposite Watt and CB opposite Haden are concerning.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals loved what they saw from Joe Burrow last year, unfortunately they only got to see it for 10 games as Burrow went down with a knee injury. His recovery seems on schedule now they just have to try to keep him safe. They didn’t draft the OT everyone seemed to agree they needed in the draft last year, Penei Sewell, instead taking Burrow’s former LSU teammate WR Ja’Marr Chase. Chase joins a pretty good WR unit while the offensive line is still a question mark. LT Jonah Williams and RT Riley Reiff should be fine but the interior of the o-line is a mess. They really need rookie Jackson Carman to make the transition from OT inside to OG to improve their talent. G Quinton Spain, C Trey Hopkins, G Xavier Su’a-Fila simply don’t elicit confidence. They finally gave up on Billy Price and Michael Jordan inside so at least they are learning.
The Bengals have surprisingly good talent at the skill positions. RB Joe Mixon is a good back he just needs to stay on the field. At WR, they added Ja’Marr Chase in the draft, he has legitimate #1 WR talent and his connection with Joe Burrow is unquestionable. Those two could make quite the duo for the next decade. They drafted Tee Higgins last year and now he becomes the big WR opposite Chase on the outside and he has looked great in camp. He’s big-bodied and makes an easy target and for now, he looks like their #1 WR. Tyler Boyd is the senior member of the starting trio at 26 years old. He’s an excellent slot guy who can also do some damage out wide when they want to move the guys around. There isn’t much at TE but Drew Sample is still young and could develop. The team lost Gio Bernard in the off season and that could hurt since Burrow could always count on him when he was in there. Rookie RB Chris Evans had a very good camp and preseason, he may be useful.
The Bengals defense was terrible at getting to the QB and they let their top pass rusher walk in free agency because they didn’t want to overpay him. So, they overpaid a different pass rusher. Trey Hendrickson was brought in from New Orleans and while he was effective there, he was a part-time player. He will be a starter in Cincy. Sam Hubbard is the other DE and while he’s solid, he’s unspectacular and he will need to step up his game too. DT DJ Reader is an underrated player inside and they signed Larry Ogunjobi from Cleveland to start next to him. They should improve the team against the run but it’s not like they could get much worse. Akeem Davis-Gather, Germaine Pratt, and Logan Wilson make up one of the more underwhelming LB corps in the league. They aren’t bad, they just aren’t that good. Better play up the middle in front of them might help them to make plays.
The secondary has undergone another overhaul at CB just a year after the one they had last off season. This time William Jackson and Mackensie Alexander are out and Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton are in. Trae Waynes was added last off season and he stays as the likely #1 CB, that’s not a good thing. Much like the LBs, this is an underwhelming group. Without a stellar pass rush, I fear they won’t hold up well. SS Vonn Bell returns for his second year as the starter in Cincinnati and Jesse Bates returns at FS. Bates is one of the most underrated defenders in the league while Bell is solid but unspectacular. One bad thing is that Bell had 116 tackles last year and Bates had 107, you never want your safeties both racking up over 100 tackles in a season. Way too many tackles having to be made far down the field. The Bengals defense isn’t likely to be discernably better this year.
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