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The AFC North has long been one of the hardest divisions to get through. This year some teams are on the right direction to further toughen this division. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens have been the strong teams in the last decade.
Those teams are followed by the playoff bust the Cinncinati Bengals. The bottom feeder in this division has been the Cleveland Browns, the joke of the NFL. This time though the Browns have made some personnel changes that could make the Browns a more competitive team.
#1 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Le'Veon Bell era might be in its last season, but if he leaves after this year, he will make it his best year in the Black and Yellow. Offensive players like Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger are back to join Bell in the bonafide trifecta. Young offensive weapons JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Vance MacDonald, and Jesse James, join the trio in a full-fledged offensive masterpiece.
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Strengths
Mike Tomlin has been the head coach of this team for years and has the had the trio offensive weapons for a few years now. Ben Rothlesberger is not getting younger, his value to the team is getting less year by year. When Roethlisberger is healthy, he is a decent quarterback and has had decent numbers over past few years. The real strength for the Steelers and Roethlisberger is weapons like Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.
Brown has consistently had the best numbers as a receiver in the NFL over the past few years. Most pundits will rank him number one as the best wide receiver in football. Brown helps many fans when he is the consensus number one fantasy wide receiver as well year after year.
Bell is the same as Brown but as a running back. Bell is a force at running the ball and pass catching making him a dual threat in NFL stats and as a fantasy back. Bell is often pegged as the best running back in football and for fantasy football as well. The Steelers have the best running back and receiver in the NFL, but they have more weapons than just those two.
Juju Smith-Schuster, Vance Macdonald, and Jesse James help to bolster the receiving corps. James Conner will help the team with giving Bell a rest at times. All three players suggested are capable players that could start on other teams. The offensive line is active and will provide the quarterback, and the running backs plenty of time to make plays.
Kicker Chris Boswell is as consistent as they come. When you can rely on your kicker for points almost call it automatic is always a strength. In the defensive area, the rise of TJ Watt last year was pleasant.
After the terrible injury to captain Ryan Shazier, the linebackers have had to step it up, and they have. The trio of TJ watt, Vince Williams, and Bud Dupree should have a solid campaign and lead the Steelers defence in tackles.
Weakness
Roethlisberger isn't getting younger; they drafted Mason Rudolph whom many people were very high on including myself. The two other quarterbacks would be a problem if Rothlisberger got injured again.
Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs to me don't have what it take to be an NFL quarterback and why I think Rudolph should be the number two. While we talk about the receiving strength, the wide receiver group itself is weak.
Relying on rookie James Washington, Justin Hunter, and Darrius Heyward-Bey as a third wide receiver shows the thin group the Steelers have at wide receiver itself.
The defence is not what the Steelers of old used to be. There are no thumpers on this defence; they can struggle against potent offences. They are an average overall group at best. Mike Tomlin and crew will have to work with these players to achieve their career bests this year.
Players to Watch: Terrell Edmunds (S), TJ Watt (LB), James Washington (WR), and James Conner (RB)
#2 Baltimore Ravens
The long-ago era of Ray Lewis is gone, the defence that turned heads sideways. They still do have one of the best defensive players in football in CJ Mosely. The defence again is loaded with studs that are ready to do damage, and the question lies in the offence.
Is Joe Flacco ready to be rejuvenated to win? Is the offensive weapons there for Flacco to take the Ravens to the next level.
Strengths
The strength of this Ravens team is the defence. Led by linebacker CJ Mosely and outside edge rushers Za'Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs. This trio will cause havoc for its offensive opponents. Helping this trio will be the front, led by Michael Pierce and company. This front six should be able to handle most offensive lines and running backs.
The front six allows their team to have a chance to win every week. The Ravens secondary stacks up with some of the best in the league. Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson solidify the safety position.
The cornerbacks led by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey, and Tavon Young; it might make the quarterbacks rethink their strategy to throw against this secondary. Then finally you have the best kicker in football, or some will say the best fantasy football kicker in the NFL.
Justin Tucker is what we call a consistent kicker, who is automatic from every distance. Having Tucker is an asset that some teams hope to have in their kicker. When you have the best place kicker in football, it does help to have one of the best punters alongside him. Sam Koch has been with this team for 13 years.
He has played in every game in those 13 years. One of the best stats for Koch this past year was that he had 40 punts inside the 20 which is a career high for him.
Weakness
The offence is where the weakness lies for the Ravens. Joe Flacco has been average at best for the Ravens, his stats will concur with that. He should be pumped this year, as draft pick Lamar Jackson is right behind him in the shadows waiting for his opportunity.
Flacco does have one thing on his side of his average play is that he has weak offensive players around him. Their starting running back is Alex Collins, whom last year had a surprisingly good year.
This year Collins will be facing similar expectations. Collins hasn't shown consistency yet to rely on him being the number one running back for the Ravens. The thing for the Ravens is neither Javorius Allen and Kenneth Dixon have shown anything for them to take over Collins.
The receiving core at a whole which starts with the tight end position and the wide receiver bunch all this leaves a lot to be desired. When you look at these two positions, and you hear names like Michael Crabtree, Wille Sneed, and John Brown are there high expectations on them.
I wouldn't believe this is a highly talented receiving corps. Young promising receivers like Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore haven't lived up to anything. The tight end position has the likes of Maxx Williams, Mark Andrews, and potential starter Hayden Hurst.
Yes, those names don't sound that hype either. So can they blame Flacco again if he doesn't have a good year? Maybe?
Players To Watch: Orlando Brown (RT), John Brown (WR), Hayden Hurst (TE), and Joe Flacco (QB)
#3 Cinncinati Bengals
Record-breaking 15 years for a coach in Marvin Lewis, who will be best known for making it to the playoffs and never making past the first round. Most cats have nine lives, but Marvin Lewis has 15. Could this be the year the Bengals don't do something significant and Lewis will finally be relieved of his duties as head coach?
Strengths
The strength starts up front with Gino Atkins and Carlos Dunlap and then triggers down the defence. The Bengals like to build through drafts and have always looked to the draft to make their team. This year they got two significant clogs not via the draft, but from one group the Buffalo Bills.
Cordy Glenn came over in a trade to solidify the Bengals offensive line along with 1st round pick this year Billy Price. The addition of middle linebacker Preston Brown in free agency has strengthened the already good linebacker group.
Vincent Rey and Carl Lawson will lock in with Brown until Ventoze Burfict comes back from his four-game suspension and help strengthen this core even more. Joe Mixon and Giovanni Bernard will lumber the load as the running back duo.
The most significant move was having Tyler Eifert back 100% health as he is a difference maker in the offence. The combination of AJ Green and Andy Dalton has been great over the years. Both the wide receiver and the quarterback are upper echelon in their positions and will help the Bengals win.
Weakness
After AJ Green, the Bengals will be relying on their former draft picks Tyler Boyd and John Ross. For the past couple of years, they haven't given anyone to talk about them as threats. With the departure of Brendan LaFell, it will finally answer the question if any of these two receivers can answer the bell for the Bengals.
After Andy Dalton, they only have Jeff Driskel and Matt Barkley at quarterback, like other teams, the Bengals don't have anyone at quarterback after their starter that can make a difference.
On the defence, the secondary is where the questions arise. Dre Kirkpatrick, Shawn Williams, and George IIoka don't have the pedigree that some secondaries have in the league let alone in this division.
Players to Watch: John Ross (WR), Tyler Boyd (WR), Tyler Eifert (TE), and Vincent Rey (LB)
#4 Cleveland Browns
General Manager John Dorsey believes in the changes the Cleveland Browns have made. Modifications made in coaching and player personnel, Dorsey thinks this will be a different Browns team from before.
Can the fans finally hope that their time is coming? The time for Browns to be competitive? To start, they think they found their future quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Have we heard this song before?
Strengths
Hue Jackson is a formidable coach that has a lot of functional aspects as a head coach. The hiring of his two coordinators who have done very well on other teams is enormous.
Scandalous defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been a defensive churning machine. He has in the past guided his teams to be one of the best defences in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley has been the OC in Pittsburgh for the past six seasons and now comes to division rival the Browns, and will help the offence get some traction right away.
The quarterback area starts with the 1st overall pick this year Baker Mayfield. The Browns do not have to rush in Mayfield to be the field general just yet. The Browns went out and got a veteran quarterback in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, and got Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor is a good enough quarterback to take a team to the playoffs as he did last year with the Bills. Having this veteran quarterback who has been there taking the pressure off the Browns young quarterback will only help.
Now if Baker Mayfield shines and outduels Taylor for the job, that is another story. The trio of running backs for the Browns is formidable, for a team who was one of the top rushing leaders as a team in the NFL last year.
The trio led by free agent pickup Carlos Hyde, draft pick Nick Chubb, and previous year pass-catching running back beast Duke Johnson makes the job more comfortable for the quarterbacks as they can look at very few downs with long yeards.
The return of Josh Gordon and another free agent pickup in Jarvis Landry makes up a stout duo who will be seeking the quarterbacks to throw some balls at them. Adding to that is rookie Antonio Calloway, Rashard Higgins and Jeff Janis helping along the way.
Tight end David Njoku was a surprise for the Browns and should continue to approve and be used a lot on Todd Haley's offence.
On defence, the Browns have some dynamite playmakers in Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah upfront manning those offensive line monsters. Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins make for a potent duo at linebacker.
Weakness
The Browns have a veteran and a rookie quarterback. That might be a weakness as well. Tyrod Taylor doesn't make mistakes, which means he doesn't throw a lot. When you have receivers like Gordon and Landry, you must give them a chance to make plays.
Taylor's drawback has always been the hesitation to throw the ball if that happens and the offence struggles it could be Mayfield time.
Having Baker Mayfield start right away might not be great either. Mayfield can be cocky and a fire pistol. Its the complete opposite of Taylor, it could lead to more turnovers if Mayfield at the helm. Mayfield needs to learn and study to be the best quarterback that has potential shows.
The offensive line is all back from last year that alone should make you question why the Browns are so confident in their front line when they went 0-16. With all the money and draft picks they had, why didn't they use that on an offensive line that was inefficient. The secondary group is very underwhelming for the Browns.
Selecting Denzel Ward with the 4th overall pick made many people scratching their heads, but we will see if he is the real deal. Jabrill Peppers showed some promise and free agent pickup EJ Gaines was decent in Buffalo to help himself to a raise in Cleveland.
Players to Watch: Nick Chubb (RB), Tyrod Taylor (QB), Baker Mayfield (QB), and Antonio Calloway (WR)
