The AFC North is Barely Recognizable!

This is shaping up to be the most interesting offseason in the AFC North in a very long time, and possibly ever. For many of the last 18 years, there has been a ton of stability, thanks largely to the Ravens and Steelers. Both teams had their coach, their identity was pretty well known, and neither spent big in free agency. That meant there wasn’t a whole lot to pay attention to in the offseason until the draft came around in spring. For the last several years, even the Bengals have been pretty stable. They would hold together their explosive offense and try to piece together a respectable defense. The Browns were the only team that was truly a mystery every offseason, often looking for a new coach, quarterback, etc.

This year, at least three of the four teams will have major changes.

Here is a breakdown of the uncertainty for each AFC North team and what will be interesting to watch.

Cincinnati Bengals

We start with the Bengals because they are likely to have the most continuity of the four division squads. I fully expect the Bengals to once again “run it back” with their key offensive players: Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown. I know there is some speculation about Burrow wanting out, but I’m not buying it, and I don’t expect the Bengals to oblige even if he does want out.

Rather, I expect them to be the definition of insanity and do the same things over and over again and expect different results, namely, trying to piece together an offensive line and a defense.

Cleveland Browns

We next move to the Cleveland Browns, whose offseason seems like many of years past. They are yet again looking for a new head coach. They are still searching for that franchise QB, while remaining under the thumb of the worst contract ever given in sports to Deshaun Watson.

At this point, I’m guessing their focus on coaching staff will be trying to find a coach that thinks he can get the most out of Shedeur Sanders. That is their only chance of competing next year. I am skeptical that he is the guy, but that is most likely the direction that they go.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens decided to break their mold of stability and move on from John Harbaugh. I agree with the decision because things had gotten stale and they kept coming up short when it mattered most. The fortunate thing for the Ravens is that they have their QB in Lamar Jackson. This makes their head coaching position (and offensive coordinator position, particularly if they go with a defensive-minded head coach) very attractive.

They will have tons of choices about which direction they will go. On offense, it will be interesting to see how the new coaching staff utilizes Jackson’s skillset and how they decide to build around him.

On defense, there are a lot more questions and all eyes will be watching how the new coaching staff chooses to build the defense. First, there are big decisions to be made about veterans Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith. Both are very highly paid defenders that haven’t played their best football recently, so fans are wondering whether the regime holds onto them or tries to build the defense with other guys using the salary cap savings they can get from moving on. Then of course there are questions about fortifying the defensive line, especially if Nnamdi Madubuike is unable to return, and building an effective pass rush. Then, there are young linebackers Teddye Buchanan, Trenton Simpson, and Jay Higgins. How will they fit in?

The Ravens could go a lot of different ways with their coaching choice: Offensive-minded, defensive-minded, or overall “CEO type” coach.

OTL: Offense, Defense, or CEO?

Regardless of which way things go, I expect there to be some big changes on both offense and defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Much like the Ravens, the Steelers have been pretty stable and predictable. Every year, especially since Ben Roethlisburger retired, you knew that the Steelers would have a good, but aging defense, and would try to piece together a respectable offense with questions at quarterback. Now, with Mike Tomlin gone, Steelers fans and rivals alike are watching to see who they bring in and what their philosophy will be. Will they continue to try to keep their aging defense together and move forward with a middle- to bottom-tier veteran QB, whether that’s Aaron Rodgers or someone else?  Or will they decide that the best course of action is a rebuild and try to get younger? With their draft position, finding a franchise QB in the draft is very unlikely, so I expect them to have a veteran “bridge” QB.

It was a very disappointing year in in the AFC North. A division that’s sent two teams to the playoffs plenty of times and is used to having three in contention nearly had a 9-8 “champion.” With so many expectations unmet, we’ve reached uncharted territory, and it will be fascinating to watch things unfold from here.

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