This division has been a tough one over the past several years. The Bengals and Browns are no longer laughingstocks of the league and the Ravens and Steelers remain consistent. The Bengals get Joe Burrow back but there are still some questions about his wrist. The Browns’ roster is really good but they have Deshaun Watson at QB and he hasn’t been good for a while. The Ravens are the picture of consistency but their offensive line gives me pause and there was a brain drain on the defensive coaching staff. The Steelers always finish about .500 but can they do better than 9-8 with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as their QB options? I have my doubts.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are my pick to go from worst to first in their division this season. It happens regularly in the NFL and this team is getting Joe Burrow back. Yes, I’m concerned he has wrist injury that no QB has ever had before but I’m betting on a bounce back year from him and this team is trying to win. They didn’t trade Tee Higgins because having him and Ja’Marr Chase at WR gives their offense their identity. They are giving Burrow one last shot to win with his two elite receivers at his disposal. They signed Zack Moss to replace Joe Mixon at RB but I’m more interested in what Chase Brown gives them there. The offensive line is only replacing RT Jonah Williams. They signed Trent Brown which I can tell you is a bad plan, but they also drafted Amarius Mims. Mims is hurt at the moment but he should be back right around the time Trent Brown gets hurt, Brown is always hurt at this point. If guys like rookie WR Jermaine Burton and TE Mike Gesicki can contribute, this offense will have plenty of weapons. It’s all on Burrow’s wrist being fine.
While the offense wasn’t good once Burrow got hurt, it wasn’t their biggest issue last year. The defense fell off a cliff and they need Lou Anarumo to get this unit back to where he once had it. Trey Hendrickson is their one true pass rusher and they need him more than ever. It would help if Sam Hubbard or Myles Murphy or Joseph Ossai could figure out how to get some pressure. DT Sheldon Rankins can help some but he and rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. have to replace DJ Reader next to BJ Hill. The LBs are the same group but Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson have to be better than they were last season.
The secondary was a serious issue, especially at safety. They’re moving Dax Hill back to CB and replacing both safety spots. Geno Stone is a nice piece and they brought back veteran Vonn Bell who knows Anarumo’s defense. They are still counting on Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner at CB but hopefully Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, and rookie Josh Newton give them some depth that will make them better.
Baltimore Ravens
It’s tough picking against the Ravens, they have Lamar Jackson and now their running game has Derrick Henry, but I’m not convinced this offense will be great just yet. Jackson covers up a lot of issues but they will have three new starters on the offensive line and one of the returning starters is LT Ronnie Stanley, he hasn’t been the picture of health for quite some time. That puts a lot on C Tyler Linderbaum. Andrew Voorhies should start at LG after missing his rookie year coming off an injury. I’m not sure who the RG is just yet and it’s either rookie Roger Rosengarten at RT or Patrick Makari, I’m no bathed in confidence. The good news on offense would be a healthy return of TE Mark Andrews, Lamar’s favorite target. If he’s back, that takes some pressure off Zay Flowers, the only WR Jackson can count on. Rashod Bateman will try to be worthwhile, he’s not great at that. Nelson Agholor is okay but not great. They really should see what they have in rookie Devontez Walker, he might actually help. They’re going to lean on Derrick Henry for sure and he’s used to running behind a suspect offensive lines after the last few years in Tennessee.
The defense returns almost all the key players from last year’s roster with the only real exceptions being OLB Jadaveon Clowney and ILB Patrick Queen. Where this team really sees the turnover is on the defensive coaching staff. Mike McDonald left to be the Seahawks head coach, that was foreseeable considering how good he was at his job. But they also lost Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson who both left the staff to be defensive coordinators themselves. Zach Orr moves from being the LB coach to replace McDonald as the coordinator meaning there are a lot of changes to deal with.
The talent up front is special with Justin Madebuike having a breakout season last year and Roquan Smit being one of the best ILBs in the game. The one place this team needs help is outside pass rush. One of the young pass rushers; Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, or rookie Adisa Isaac is going to have to give them something because Kyle Van Noy can’t be the best edge rusher again if they want to compete in the AFC.
The secondary is deep and talented, led by S Kyle Hamilton. He’s the Swiss army knife every defensive coordinator wishes he had. He erases so many mistakes. Marcus Williams is an excellent partner with Hamilton, he’s smart, experienced and doesn’t make mistakes. Marlon Humphrey is still a really good CB, he’s not what he once was, but he’s good. Brandon Stephens holds his own at the other spot too. They drafted Nate Wiggins, who is an excellent cover man, he’s spindly but tough.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns can’t possibly have the bad injury luck they had last year on offense again, it’s just not possible. RB Nick Chubb, LT Jedrick Wills Jr, RT Jack Conklin, RT Dawand Jones, and even QB Deshaun Watson (although that one may have helped them) were all for the season at some point. The offensive line was hit particularly hard and this year they don’t have Bill Callahan to patch it together again. WRs Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Jerry Jeudy should make a solid trio and if Nick Chubb comes back, he and Jerome Ford are a nice duo at RB. TE David Njoku is a very good player and this offense will only be limited by Deshaun Watson’s problems. Watson has yet to regain his playmaking ability he once showed in Houston and this team needs that guy if they are going to compete in this division and this conference.
The defense can be dominating with Myles Garrett one of the absolute best pass rushers in the NFL. He dominates up front and makes life hard for opposing offenses. Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okonkwo proved to be decent pickups to give Garrett some pass rushing help even if neither one is great. The interior of the line was better with Dalvin Tomlinson stuffing up the middle but they brought in more veteran stop-gaps again; Quinton Jefferson and Shelby Harris most notably.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a playmaker and they signed Jordan Hicks to be a steady MLB. The secondary is loaded with talent in CBs Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr, Greg Newsome are an awesome trio of CBs. With safeties Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill who are pretty good, this unit is tough. This team is set up to be a contender if they can get better QB play and stay healthy all year. It’s a tough division but they are built for it.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are another team with a really solid roster all over but major questions at QB. Russell Wilson is supposed to be the starter but he started training camp injured and Justin Fields got reps with the starting unit. Fields still has issues holding the ball too long but he’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands so he adds something to the offense. They are not great at WR with George Pickens the only proven commodity. Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and rookie Roman Wilson don’t inspire confidence.
This team should run the ball a lot so there should be plenty of carries to go around for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to share. Warren is the more dynamic player so expect new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to lean on Harris. The line will undergo some changes with two rookies, OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier, looking to find their way into the starting unit. They need the talent upgrade to go with second-year OT Broderick Jones to make the offense actually work.
The defense is going to be good, these are the Steelers we’re talking about after all, the defense is always good. Cam Heyward is apparently ageless on the line and Keanu Benton was very good as a rookie. They finally decided to solve their ILB issues by signing Patrick Queen and I think drafting Payton Wilson will help too. The pass rush is going to be elite as long as TJ Watt is still around but Alex Highsmith is a solid edge rusher too.
The secondary is where this team needs to get better. Joey Porter Jr. proved he’s a high-level CB but someone else needs to step up. They got Donte Jackson from Carolina in the Diontae Johnson trade, he’s fine but not great. They have two young CBs they are hoping find their way, Corey Trice Jr. and Darius Rush. Two guys with size but Trice is coming off a missed rookie year with a torn ACL and Rush has already been on multiple teams in his first two years. They signed Cam Sutton after the Lions dumped him after some legal problems, he’s facing a suspension but if he comes back this season, he’s a solid pickup on the field. This might be the year Mike Tomlin doesn’t break .500 and I only say that because they may still with Russell Wilson too long.
The Hott Read 