TSJ’s 2018 AFC North Division Preview
Pittsburgh Steelers
Additions:
S Morgan Burnett
S Terrell Edmunds
Departures:
WR Martavis Bryant
S JJ Wilcox
S Mike Mitchell
As usual, the AFC North’s Steelers stood pat and did very little in free agency. In most years, they really do not need to, and who could blame them, since they make the playoffs almost every year? Not only that, but they have one of the most feared offensive trios in the AFC North and the NFL, with Ben Roethlisberger, Leveon Bell, and Antonio Brown. The Steelers are a good football team, and that will not change anytime soon, especially not in 2018.
The Steeler Offense:
Although the Steelers are a model of consistency in the AFC North, their 2017 season was not without its share of speed bumps. The Steelers season started with Leveon Bell missing all of training camp and preseason over a contract dispute. This season, a similar scenario appears likely to play out as neither Bell nor the Steelers have budged in contract talks, and the team slapped the franchise tag on Bell once again. In the wide receiver room, Antonio Brown did Antonio Brown like things and as long as he is healthy, that will not change. However, opposite Brown, Martavis Bryant returned to the Steelers in 2017 and immediately butted heads with coaches and teammates. From social media missteps to rumors of not being a good teammate, Bryant quickly became a cancer in the locker room and was shipped to Oakland on draft weekend.
Looking ahead to the 2018 Offense:
Bryant became expendable however, with the emergence of 5th round pick Juju Smith Schuster as the AFC North’s newest home run threat. The Steelers offense was spectacular in 2017 and should not miss a beat in 2018 despite changing offensive coordinators from Todd Haley to Randy Fitchner. Leveon Bell and Antonio Brown are nearly unstoppable, and now defenses are forced to cover Smith-Schuster and red zone threat TE Jesse James leaving a pick your poison situation. With Roethlisberger at the controls, the Steelers will remain in contention in the AFC North in 2018.
The Steeler Defense:
The Steelers defense may have been the reason they were a one and done playoff team in 2017. A 45-42 loss to the Jaguars in the divisional round sealed their fate. The offense did their part, but the defense failed to hold up their end of the bargain. In the offseason, most of the work the Steelers did involved upgrading their secondary. First round pick Terrell Edmunds and former Packer Morgan Burnett were brought in to shore up the back end to help the team that could not stop Blake Bortles at home. CB Artie Burns is coming into his own with the help of veteran Joe Haden as the Steelers aim to fix an ailing secondary.
Ryan Shazier:
In what was one of the biggest stories in the AFC North last season, Ryan Shazier’s injury rocked the football world. To a man, everyone hopes he gets well, but he will not play in 2018, which is a crushing blow to the Steelers LB core. The Steelers however always find a way to draft and develop guys to step in as needed, so although Ryan Shazier is not available, in true Steeler fashion, expect them to find a suitable replacement one way or another.
Prediction: The Steelers are still in charge here. 12-4 1st in the AFC North
Baltimore Ravens:
Additions:
WR Michael Crabtree
WR Willie Snead
QB Lamar Jackson
QB Robert Griffin III
WR John Brown
Departures:
WR Jeremy Maclin
WR Mike Wallace
RB Danny Woodhead
RB Terrence West
TE Benjamin Watson
TE Crocket Gillmore
Where did all the offense go?
Following the 2012 season, the Ravens won the Superbowl over the 49ers. Since then, they simply have not been the same. QB Joe Flacco has gone downhill in the years since, posting a QB rating higher then only Blake Bortles. Flacco certainly did not look like himself this season after missing training camp and preseason with a back injury.
Baltimore Running Game:
Danny Woodhead and Terrence West who made up 2 of the 3 players in the Ravens backfield. Alex Collins remains from last season, who broke on the scene after being cut by Seattle. Collins has a unique style as he uses Irish dancing as a training method to improve his footwork. This certainly translates to an AFC North back who is hard to bring down because his wheels never stop churning.
The Future of Baltimore Pass Catchers:
Gone are the days of Steve Smith and Anquan Bolden. These two are the last Raven receivers to play on a talented Raven offense. The Ravens signed Michael Crabtree to a 3 year deal in March after his release from the Raiders. He certainly is the biggest and most talented receiver to don the purple and black in a while. After kicking the tires on Dez Bryant, the Ravens wound up pairing Willie Snead with Crabtree as they try to recapture their pre Superbowl glory days. The Ravens offense has lacked firepower for years, and they hope the Flacco to Crabtree connection can rekindle some of that flame.
Lamar Jackson- The X- Factor:
Lamar Jackson is one of the most polarizing and interesting prospects from the 2018 NFl Draft. After being selected by the Ravens with the final pick in the first round, many speculate Joe Flacco’s days with the team are numbered. All eyes will be on the AFC North and Lamar Jackson, as the possibilities are endless. Could he line up at wide receiver or Running back? Will the Ravens use him as a wildcat QB or trick play guy? That is yet to be seen, but it is all very intriguing. Do not sleep on Lamar Jackson!
The Ravens Strongsuit:
The Ravens strength is still defense, as they boast some very talented players. Injuries derailed that as the season went along. CB Jimmy Smith was lost for the season among others. Led by veteran LB Terrell Suggs and S Eric Weddle, the Ravens still ranked 12th in total defense despite injuries. With the majority of the Ravens starting defenders returning such as LB CJ Mosley, CB Brandon Carr, CB Marlon Humphrey, and S Tony Jefferson do not expect them to drop in the rankings. Not to mention the emergence of young stars such as LB Tyus Bowser and Matthew Judon, the Ravens are set for years to come.
Prediction: Joe Flacco just isn’t the same. 7-9 2nd in AFC North
Cleveland Browns:
Additions:
WR Jarvis Landry
QB Tyrod Taylor
S Damarius Randall
RB Carlos Hyde
RB Nick Chubb
LB Mychel Kendricks
CB Denzel Ward
QB Baker Mayfield
QB Drew Stanton
OT Chris Hubbard
OT Austin Corbett
CB E.J. Gaines
CB T.J. Carrie
Departures:
LT Joe Thomas
QB Deshone Kizer
QB Cody Kessler
RB Isiah Crowell
CB Jamar Taylor
DT Danny Shelton
Nowhere to go but up:
The Browns finished a dreadful 0-16 last season. However, with another upheaval well underway, new GM John Dorsey promises better days ahead in Cleveland. In 2017, the Browns began the season without a QB on the roster who had ever won a game in the AFC North, let alone the NFL. Unfortunately, the team finished that way too. Rookie Deshone Kizer started at QB from game one and looked lost and confused early and often. He struggled to hold on to the ball, and seemed to forget what color jersey his team wore on a down in down out basis. The Browns had chances to win games last season, but when a crucial play needed to be made, Kizer and the offense fumbled the teams chances away…every single time. It certainly cannot get worse this time.
The Browns Offensive Upgrade:
The Browns traded a 3rd round pick for Tyrod Taylor to be their starter in 2018. Taylor is almost the complete opposite of Kizer. Kizer was a turnover machine, while only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have a better touchdown to interception ratio then Taylor. Taylor doesn’t put the ball in the other teams hands. That alone will make the Browns much better. At RB, gone is Isiah Crowell, who was a good talent, but often went down at first contact. Carlos Hyde signed a three year deal in March and the Browns spent a second round pick on Georgia RB Nick Chubb. Hyde and Chubb are both bruising RBs who will fight for every yard they pick up. Pair that with a weapon like Duke Johnson who just signed a contract extension, and suddenly Cleveland has the best backfield in the AFC North.
Replacing a Legend:
Future Hall of Fame Left Tackle Joe Thomas retired March 14th. Joe was a model of consistency and rarely allowed his QB to be touched, let alone sacked. The Browns cannot replace Joe Thomas, but they will have to find a new let tackle and right now, Shon Coleman will get the first crack at the job in training camp. Left tackle is the only position on the Browns roster that was not significantly upgraded.
The Best WR core in the AFC North?
The Browns WR core was horrendous in 2017. To fix that, GM John Dorsey traded with Miami for WR Jarvis Landry, who led the NFL in catches last season and has 400 catches in his first four seasons. Pair that with Josh Gordon who finally seems to be on the right path, and the Browns have some weapons that any QB would love to throw to. Not to mention TE David Njoku, a first round pick in 2017 who showed flashes of great athleticism his rookie year. As he continues to develop, he could be to the Browns what Rob Gronkowski is to the Patriots. Tyrod Taylor could have a field day throwing to these guys!
How about the Browns Defense?
The Browns defense was not a total disaster in 2017. The unit allowed the least amount of deep passes in the NFL, but was second worst in red zone defense. The frequent turnovers by the offense put the defense in challenging situations on a regular basis. The defense would often have to defend short fields and simply fatigued from being on the field so long.
A Faster Secondary:
The Browns lacked speed in the secondary, often getting burned on underneath routes. To upgrade that, the Browns selected CB Denzel Ward from Ohio State, who is a bit undersized, but plays bigger than he is. The team also acquired T.J. Carrie and E.J. Gaines who are not superstars, but quality upgrades. The Browns drafted Jabrill Peppers as a hybrid safety and LB, but often played him out of position because their simply was not a CB fast enough to cover the deep ball. With the increased speed, Gregg Williams can now play the way he wants to.
The Browns Front Seven:
Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah were drafted in the top 32 picks in back to back years for the Browns. They are both very talented prospects, but they only played three games together last year due to injury. This season, the rest of the AFC North is on notice. With Garrett’s speed and Ogbah’s ability to get his hand on the football at the line of scrimmage, the Browns have a menacing pass rush tandem for years to come.
New Faces on the Interior D-Line:
On the interior defensive line, Danny Shelton was traded to the Patriots after 3rd round pick Larry Ogunjobi was more productive in less time on the field. Now, Ogunjobi and undrafted free agent surprise Trevon Coley get the first crack at starting at defensive tackle. The Browns LBs were already pretty good, but with the addition of Mycheal Kendricks, the Browns have three studs at LB with Jamie Collins, Christian Kirksey, and Kendricks.
Prediction: The Browns are greatly improved, but not enough to contend yet. 5-11, 3rd in AFC North
Cincinnatti Bengals
Additions:
DT Chris Baker
LB Preston Brown
LT Cordy Glenn
C Billy Price
Departures:
RB Jeremy Hill
QB A.J. McCarron
DE Chris Smith
C Russel Bodine
Room for Improvement:
The Bengals for years have been the AFC North’s example of being stuck in mediocrity. The team resigned coach Marvin Lewis to a 2 year deal when many thought he would be gone. The offense struggled mightily finishing 26th in points scored, 27th in pass offense, 31st in rushing and dead last in total offensive yardage. The Bengals offensive line suffered two major blows in 2017 with the loss of Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler in free agency. The Bengals decision makers made the line a priority in the 2018 offseason as they traded for Bills LT Cordy Glenn and selected Ohio State Center Billy Price in the first round of the NFL draft.
The Underachieving Stars:
The AFC North’s Bengals offense is loaded with potential for 2018, but it is all unproven. RB Joe Mixon will be looked at to step up his game as Jeremy Hill is gone and Giovanni Bernard is likely not going to be around beyond 2018. Mixon played sparingly last year. WR John Ross, whom the Bengals spent the 9th overall pick on in the 2017 draft, played in one game, and on his only touch, he fumbled the ball. Finally, Tyler Eifert has struggled to stay on the field as he only played two games last season before succumbing to a back injury. All of these players need to make a huge impact for Cincinnati in 2018 for them to bring up their offensive rankings. It is always a good idea to throw to the incredible AJ Green, but one player does not a good offense make. Its time for the young cubs to step up.
Defending the Jungle:
Defensively, the Bengals made very few changes in personnel. They bring back the majority of their starters on that side of the ball with stud nose tackle Geno Atkins leading the way next to new signee Chris Baker. The Bengals brought in LB Preston Brown who led the NFL in sacks in the playoffs last year to pair with the nasty Vontaze Burfict making a formidable LB duo. The secondary is patrolled by Adam “Pacman” Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard, and George Iloka. The Bengals did change defensive coordinators from Paul Guenther to Teryl Austin, so it will be interesting to see how Austin changes the Bengals scheme and adapts to his new players who give him loads of options.
Prediction: As talented as the Bengals are, they often underachieve. 5-11, 4th in AFC North
