The last focus in the NFL division breakdown series is the AFC North. This division was a disappointment last year when the division only sent the 11-5 Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs. However, the 8-8 records of the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be more of a fluke than a downturn of talent in the division. The Cleveland Browns showed some promising talent, especially on defense, but ended up only 4-12.
Arguably, the Browns had the most noteworthy offseason after drafting Johnny Manziel and facing the possible year-long suspension of one of the league’s most electric players in wide receiver Josh Gordon. The Ravens were most noted for their offseason travails and suspension of running back Ray Rice for domestic violence charges. The Bengals arguably have the most overall talent in the division and will go as far as quarterback Andy Dalton will take them. The Steelers had the most pressure on them to improve an aging defense and an inconsistent offense. However, considering the offseason additions and the strong fashion the Steelers ended the 2013 season, they may be the most improved and most likely to challenge the Bengals for the division title.
Here is an offensive position-by-position breakdown of the AFC North, with the “best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.
AFC North Breakdown – Offense
Quarterback
The Best: PIT The Rest: BAL, CIN, CLE
This division could arguably have the best quarterbacks in the league. There is no doubt that, as a former Super Bowl MVP, Joe Flacco is a strong contender for the best quarterback in the division. However, Ben Roethlisberger could have easily been awarded MVP in the Steelers’ 2008 Super Bowl win and has quite a few strengths and accolades himself. Flacco has been impressive, but the last season proved that Flacco is only as good as his surrounding cast. Roethlisberger has been consistently good and seems to have matured in the past year to try to stay healthy and make the best play rather than the biggest play.
Dalton has had success with his strong receiving talent; however, until Dalton proves he can avoid the big and costly turnover in the big games, he is still just a quarterback with potential. The Browns made the biggest splash drafting Manziel, but Johnny Football is a rookie with questions on and off of the field. Brian Hoyer says all the right things and likely will be solid starter in the beginning of the season, if not the starter all year.
Running Back
The Best: CIN The Rest: PIT, BAL, CLE
This is a pretty tight race. Giovanni Bernard is likely the class of the division. Bernard proved valuable as a rookie and with a strong Bengals offense to accompany him, there is no reason to doubt that he will improve this year.
Le’Veon Bell turned out to be a solid addition to the running-starved Steelers offense. By the end of the season, Bell was utilized like an old school running back that you hand the ball to win a game. The Steelers also added the solid LeGarrette Blount to spell Bell and they drafted the fastest player in the draft in Dri Archer, who should bring some excitement to the Todd Haley offense. Ray Rice took a step back last year and the suspension this year does not help. Always an average runner, Rice did not exceed as a pass catcher either last year. Bernard Pierce will help, but overall the Ravens will need more than their running game to succeed in 2014. The Browns signed Ben Tate to help their running game along with drafting Terrance West. We’ll see how that new duo works out in Cleveland.
Wide Receiver
The Best: CIN The Rest: BAL, PIT, CLE
Bengals receivers are overall much better than anyone else in this division, even though fair arguments could be made for all of the other teams. A.J. Green is the best non-suspended receiver in the division by far and he is joined by solid players Marvin Jones, Brandon Tate, Mohamed Sanu, and Dane Sanzenbacher.
The Ravens receivers took a step back when they traded Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers last year. However, they have now added aging, but still solid, veteran Steve Smith. They still have Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, and Marlon Brown as well. The Steelers have Antonio Brown as their star receiver. The rest of the receivers are a mixed bag between newly added veteran Lance Moore, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and rookie Martavis Bryant. The Steelers need one or two of these players to step up to provide Roethlisberger another legitimate target next to Brown. The Browns receiving squad will go as far as Josh Gordon plays. Gordon led the league in receiving yards in 2013 despite being suspended two games and playing without a top-line quarterback. If his appeal of a possible year-long suspension is successful, the Browns could end up with the best receiving group since they have also added under-achieving, but talented Miles Austin to pair with the solid Nate Burleson. In addition, the Browns have upgraded their quarterback situation as well.
Tight End
The Best: CIN The Rest: CLE, BAL, PIT
While there are no elite tight ends in this division, the Bengals appear to have the best tandem in Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert. Gresham had been a solid starter before the Bengals drafted the prolific college player Tyler Eifert in the first round last year. Eifert reportedly will become more of a featured part of the pass-catching offense and will likely upgrade this position for the Bengals this year.
Jordan Cameron is a talented, but inconsistent player in the Browns offense. The addition of a solid quarterback may significantly help Cameron in 2014. The Ravens have the aging Owen Daniels and Dennis Pitta to form another possibly strong tight end tandem if Daniels can stay on the field. The Steelers elected to not draft a tight end in this year’s draft until the 7th round. Relying on the aging Heath Miller was a risk the Steelers had to take to upgrade other positions. However, it is clear that this may be the weakest position on the Steelers without much depth.
Offensive Line
The Best: CIN The Rest: CLE, PIT, BAL
The Bengals had the only really good offensive line in 2013 in this division. Anchored by left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals squad boasts strength on both sides of the line with Kevin Zeitler and Andre Smith holding down the right side.
The Browns have one of the best in the game at left tackle in Joe Thomas along with very solid center in Alex Mack. In addition, the Browns will now have Kyle Shanahan’s installation of his zone blocking scheme that has produced effective running games in the past. The Steelers have spent several high draft picks on their offensive line over the past few years, but have been set back by injuries. The line finished on a high note last year and behind the strong running of Bell, they are hoping for much improved play in 2014. The Ravens also suffered from injuries in 2013 and they are hoping to rebound with a strong year.
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