During August, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will break down every NFL division by position. This is a breakdown of the AFC North defenses and special teams. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each position, followed by “the rest,” following descending order.
2018 AFC North Breakdown by Position: The Defense and Special Teams
Defensive Line
The Best: Cincinnati Bengals
The Rest: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns
The Bengals have a top tier defensive line. Led by superstars Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, they can stop the run and rush the passer with the best. Atkins is a powerful force in the interior, and Dunlap pairs with Michael Johnson to form a formidable pass-rushing tandem. Cincinnati has a strong defense overall, and the line anchors it.
Pittsburgh led the NFL with 56 sacks in 2017, and their defensive front figures to be quite good once again. Veteran Cameron Heyward is as good as they come at defensive end, as he and Stephon Tuitt team up and wreak havoc on exterior offensive linemen. Javon Hargrave and Tyson Alualu will also get plenty of snaps. Alualu is versatile on the line, he moves very well and is also an adequate run stopper. The Steelers should be pretty dominant up front once again.
The Ravens are no longer the dominant force on the line that they once were, but they are a far cry from terrible. 15-year veteran Terrell Suggs is still a more than serviceable edge rusher, as he piled up 11 sacks in 2017. Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce both grade out as solid interior linemen. The Ravens boast a veteran group, and should once again be pretty decent in 2018.
Myles Garrett projects as a superstar edge rusher. He boasts a rare combination of power and finesse that very few defensive ends have. However, the interior of Cleveland’s defensive line remains a massive question. Will Larry Ogunjobi come into his own as a run-stuffing tackle? Who will provide depth behind him? If the answer is a combination of Trevon Coley and Chad Thomas, then the Browns may have a lack of maturity on the line. They’re a very young group with a lot of potential, but also a lot of bust potential.
Linebacker
The Best: Cincinnati Bengals
The Rest: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns
The Bengals signed former Buffalo Bill Preston Brown to a one-year deal in March. Brown will handle the middle linebacker position for Cincinnati. He logged the second most snaps of any NFL linebacker in 2017. This move likely kicks veteran Vincent Rey out to the strong side, where he’s best suited to play. Once the infamous Vontaze Burfict returns from a four-game suspension the Bengals should get very good production from their linebacker corps. Malik Jefferson and Nick Vigil will provide depth for the team.
The Steelers have a deep linebacking group. Bud Dupree is one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing linebackers. T.J. Watt is entering his second season and should continue to grow and elevate his game. Watt will also serve mostly as a pass rusher and will look to better his seven sacks from a season ago. Jon Bostic II, Vince Williams, Tyler Matakevich and Keion Adams will plug and play different roles in the linebacker room. It’s a solid group and will only get better as the young players mature.
The Ravens have a top-heavy linebacker corps. C.J. Mosley has been excellent throughout his career. He has missed only two games in four seasons and forced three fumbles in 2017. Matt Judon logged eight sacks in 2017, and Patrick Onwuasor had 90 combined tackles in his second season. However, Baltimore has little depth at the position. Albert McClellan and Tyus Bowser will most likely be the next two up should injury occur, and neither are ideal options as starting linebackers. Should they remain healthy, the Ravens could be quite good at linebacker, but a single injury could spell trouble.
The Browns play a 4-3, and they have a crowded linebacker room. Jamie Collins will need to improve if he hopes to stay in Cleveland past 2018. Joe Schobert was a Pro Bowl alternate as a rookie in 2017. He and the recently acquired Mychal Kendricks will share snaps at middle linebacker. Christian Kirksey is a thumper, but lacks coverage skills, limiting the downs he can play effectively. Rookie Genard Avery out of Memphis looks the part as an athletic freak and downhill linebacker. The main question is who will be the odd man out in this group, but there is potential for a versatile, hard-hitting linebacker corps.
Cornerback
The Best: Baltimore Ravens
The Rest: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr are one of the better cornerback duos in the NFL. The pair combined for seven interceptions in 2017 and Smith grades out as the NFL’s 12th best coverage corner, per Pro Football Focus. 2017 first-rounder Marlon Humphrey was arrested on robbery charges but they were dropped in March, so he should be a heavy contributor both as an option for depth and in the slot. The Ravens have a potentially dominant secondary.
The Bengals also carry one of the better young cornerback duos in the league. William Jackson and Darqueze Dennard have only been together one season, but both received solid grades from Pro Football Focus. Jackson was graded as the fourth best coverage corner in the league in 2017. Dre Kirkpatrick will play on the outside along with Jackson. Kirkpatrick has picked off 10 passes over his six NFL seasons. The Bengals have a very solid defense overall, and their corners are one of their biggest strengths.
The Browns made Ohio State standout Denzel Ward the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft. He’s an excellent athlete and a sticky cover despite standing only 5’10”. He will immediately start on the outside along with Terrance Mitchell, who the Browns signed to a three-year deal in the offseason. E.J. Gaines and T.J. Carrie fill out the corner position for Cleveland. If Ward turns out to be as good as advertised, this is a dangerous group.
The Steelers best secondary players are safeties. Cornerback could be somewhat of a liability for the team in 2018, though there is potential for the opposite. The once dominant Joe Haden is on the back end of an impressive career. His opposite Artie Burns was a first-rounder in 201, but has yet to live up to his full potential. Mike Hilton has flashed at times in the slot, but has yet to find consistent solid play. Pittsburgh may need to target a cornerback in the 2019 draft to shore up the group for the future.
Safety
The Best: Baltimore Ravens
The Rest: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals
Along with their excellent corners, the Ravens carry one of the NFL’s top safety duos in Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle. Weddle is the active leader among safeties in tackles. He has recorded 696 since 2010. He also leads all NFL safeties in interceptions over the last two years with 10. His counterpart, Jefferson is a bruiser. He is excellent in the run game, and posted 2.5 sacks in 2017. These two fit together like glue and show no signs of slowing down at all.
Pittsburgh signed former Packer Morgan Burnett to start opposite Sean Davis in 2018. Burnett has enjoyed a strong career and should be a competent starter for a couple more years before he begins to wear down. Davis picked off three passes in 2017 and has plenty of room to grow. The University of Maryland product is still only 24. The two should complement each other well, though the secondary in general is a bit of a question mark for Pittsburgh.
Cleveland traded 2017 second rounder DeShone Kizer to the Packers for Damarious Randall in March. Randall will move to his natural position at free safety in Cleveland and will start opposite a combination of Derrick Kindred and 2017 first rounder Jabrill Peppers. Peppers struggled in his rookie season, missing assignments and blowing coverages. However, he has reportedly had a strong training camp and is settling in as both a strong safety and box linebacker. All three aforementioned players will share the field at times for Cleveland, and the acquisition of Randall should shore up any huge concerns at the position.
The Bengals recently made one of the more shocking moves of the summer by cutting ties with safety George Iloka. Iloka started 76 games for Cincinnati over the last five seasons and was one of their better secondary players. The move opens up a starting spot for rookie Jessie Bates. The second rounder out of Wake Forest will start along with Shawn Williams. Williams has four interceptions over the last two years as a starter and has shown potential as a cover safety. The Iloka move could wind up hurting Cincinnati if Bates doesn’t pan out as they expect him to.
Special Teams
The Best: Baltimore Ravens
The Rest: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns
Justin Tucker and Sam Koch form an excellent kicking duo for Baltimore. Tucker converted 34 of 37 field goal attempts with a long of 57 yards in 2017. Koch led the NFL in punts downed inside the 20 yard line, with 40. Baltimore also had the league’s best kick return average last year with 27.5 yards. Tucker is a fantasy football mainstay, and the Ravens boast top tier special teams play.
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell had the sixth best field goal accuracy in the league in 2017. He converted 92.1 percent of his attempts. He was 4/4 from 50 plus yards and remains one of the best kickers in the league. Pittsburgh’s return game left a little to be desired in 2017 but Boswell and solid punting from Jordan Berry more than made up for it.
Bengals kicker Randy Bullock converted 18 of 20 field goal attempts in 2017 and shows no signs of slowing down. They also extended punter Kevin Huber by three years in March. Huber pinned opponents inside the 20 yard line 32 times in 2017, good for fifth in the NFL. These two make for an excellent kicking duo, which picks up slack for a poor return game.
The Browns have an exciting returner in Jabrill Peppers, but showed atrocious punt coverage and kicking accuracy in 2017. Zane Gonzalez made only 75 percent of his field goal attempts, good for fourth worst in the NFL. The Browns also allowed the third most return yards to their opponents, allowing opposing punt returners to average 10.7 yards per return. They also had a punt blocked for a touchdown in week 1 against Pittsburgh, and they made zero moves to change anything in special teams for 2018.
Coaching
The Best: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rest: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns
Mike Tomlin remains one of the best head coaches in the NFL. He has coached the Steelers to two Super Bowls with one win, and has an overall record of 116-60. He demands a lot from his players and has a good shot at another Super Bowl run in 2018.
John Harbaugh coached the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2013. He has an all-time playoff record of 10-5, and an overall record of 94-66. He’s been in Baltimore for 10 years, and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
It is remarkable that Marvin Lewis is still the head coach of the Bengals. He has been there for 15 years, and has still yet to win a playoff game. The Bengals are 0-7 in the playoffs under Lewis. He’s not a terrible coach, but his team has a tendency to fall apart when it matters most.
No matter how remarkable it may be for Marvin Lewis to still have a job in Cincinnati, it doesn’t compare to the Hue Jackson situation in Cleveland. Fresh off a 0-16 season, and only one win in the last two years, it is mind-boggling that the Browns haven’t made a change at head coach. If the Browns don’t improve greatly in 2018, Jackson will be sent packing.
Be sure to check out LWOPF’s breakdown of the top units in the AFC North on offense.
