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 offenses. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each position, followed by “the rest,” in descending order.
2018 AFC North Breakdown by Position: The Offense
Quarterback
The Best: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rest: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals
Ben Roethlisberger has been the best AFC North quarterback for most of his NFL career. He’s a two-time Super Bowl Champion, and his Steelers are a perennial AFC playoff team. He has been named to the Pro Bowl six times, including a current run of four in a row. His best years are behind him, as he turned 36 earlier this year, but he’s still the best quarterback in his division by far. Roethlisberger should lead the Steelers to the playoffs again this season, and they are annual contenders to win the Super Bowl.
The Ravens have an intriguing quarterback room. Veteran Joe Flacco has faced criticism over the years for being nothing more than an average quarterback. However, all reports out of Baltimore’s training camp are saying that Flacco has had the best summer of his career, and his performance in the team’s preseason games has echoed that sentiment. Through two games, he’s 12/16 for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps the Ravens drafting his successor has lit a fire under Flacco. Baltimore selected Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson at 32 in the 2018 draft. The team obviously has big plans for the former Heisman winner, and perhaps he has pushed Joe Flacco to be the best he can be thus far.
The Cleveland Browns have yet again selected their “quarterback of the future.” They made Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, and he has shown out thus far in the preseason. He has shown an advanced ability to manipulate the pocket and has made some beautiful throws both from the pocket and on the move.
The Browns want to ease him in, however, and Tyrod Taylor will be the starter at least at the beginning of the season. They acquired Taylor from the Buffalo Bills for a third-round pick in March. Taylor is a veteran quarterback, one who doesn’t wow with huge throws, but doesn’t tend to make mistakes and can make a lot of plays with his legs. He’s a solid game manager and should start for at least half the season before Mayfield is ready to take the reigns.
Andy Dalton is one of the least exciting NFL quarterbacks. Year after year he performs well enough for the Bengals to win a few games, even get into playoff contention and then disappoints when it matters most. He’s still never won a playoff game, though Bengals fans can also thank Vontaze Burfict for that. We’ve seen Dalton at his best, and it’s decent but nothing special.
The rest of Cincinnati’s quarterback room is similarly uninspiring. Journeyman Matt Barkley will serve as Dalton’s primary backup. His most recent starts came with the Chicago Bears in 2016, when he managed to throw 14 interceptions to just six touchdowns over six games. Behind Ben Roethlisberger, The AFC North is subpar at quarterback, though a couple of rookies have a chance to reignite the competition for best
quarterback in the near future.
Running Back
The Best: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rest: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals
Contract holdout and all, Le’Veon Bell is the best running back in the NFL. He can run inside and outside, catch passes out of the backfield and even line up outside as a receiver. He’s a dynamic playmaker out of the backfield, and a lock, if healthy, for at least 1500 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Behind him, the Steelers have second-year man James Conner out of Pitt. Connor flashed some talent as a rookie in minimal work. As far as backups go, Conner is more than serviceable and will spell Bell at times in 2018.
Alex Collins burst onto the scene in 2017. The second year running back rushed for almost 1000 yards and also caught 23 balls out of the backfield. Collins was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 draft by the Seattle Seahawks but was cut after one season in
Seattle. He’s explosive and has the potential for a 1200 yard season in 2018. Behind Collins, Javorius Allen is an excellent receiving back and a presumably healthy Kenneth Dixon will back up Collins on early downs.
Cleveland signed veteran running back Carlos Hyde to a three-year deal this offseason. They also extended pass-catching savant Duke Johnson another three years. Then, they went out and drafted Georgia’s Nick Chubb in the second round of the draft. Chubb has the potential to be a bowling ball as a runner once his pass protection improves. Hyde is a good early down back, a zone runner with enough speed to get to the outside against slower linebackers. Johnson won’t get many carries, but will play all over the field and should catch around 60 passes. This is a group to be cautiously excited about.
The Bengals will rely heavily on a second-year leap from Joe Mixon. The Oklahoma product did turn it on towards the end of 2017 after a slow start to his rookie campaign. Over his last four games, Mixon gained 256 yards on just over five yards-per-carry. Veteran scatback Giovani Bernard will get a lot of work on passing downs, and rookie Mark Walton will serve as the committee backup, should he stay healthy. Mixon is an exciting prospect but will need to be more consistent to carry this group.
Wide Receiver
The Best: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rest: Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens
Antonio Brown leads an otherwise young receiver group into 2018 for the Steelers. Juju Smith-Schuster is entering his second season and will look to build on an impressive rookie year. He caught 58 balls for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017, and he will most likely improve on those numbers in 2018 with a larger target share. Rookie receiver James Washington will look to fill the Martavis Bryant role of downfield threat. The Oklahoma State alum has already made some impressive contested catches through two preseason games. He will have plenty of opportunities to translate his success to the regular season, as Bryant was traded to the Oakland Raiders in April. However, this group undoubtedly relies upon the success of superstar Antonio Brown. He’s the best route runner in the league and a surefire future Hall of Famer. The 30-year-old will look for his sixth straight season with more than 1200 receiving yards.
Cleveland tentatively has one of the best groups of receivers in the NFL. If Josh Gordon clears the NFL’s substance abuse policy and resumes practice, this group is going to give opposing defensive backs nightmares. Gordon is 6’3″ and runs and jumps with the best of them. The Browns also added Jarvis Landry via trade with the Miami Dolphins, and he has already become an outspoken leader on the team. He will get snaps in the slot and outside opposite Gordon. Second-year man Rashard Higgins will look to make a leap and fill out the group, along with Florida rookie Antonio Callaway. It is also still worth monitoring free agent Dez Bryant in relation to the Browns. He met with the team last week and no deal was reached, but the possibility is still on the table.
A.J. Green is one of the best receivers in the NFL and has a good rapport with Andy Dalton. He has reached 1,000 yards in all but one of his seven seasons. In 2016 he played only 10 games and still managed 964 yards. He has all the tools for the position and can line up all over the field. However, it remains to be seen if anyone will step up behind him in Cincinnati.
2017 first round pick John Ross started only one game for the Bengals due to a shoulder injury. He lost a fumble on his only touch, a 12 yard carry on a sweep. Early reports have him as the starter opposite Green, but it’s up in the air whether or not he’ll succeed in that spot. Tyler Boyd is entering his third season in the NFL and will look to be a contributor as well. He had a solid rookie season, but played in only 10 games last year and wasn’t all that impressive in those 10 games, logging just 22 catches. This group would be the worst in the league if not for Green, but he alone makes them at least serviceable.
The Ravens have a ragtag group of veteran receivers. Michael Crabtree is entering his tenth season after signing a three-year deal with Baltimore in March. He stands to lead the team in targets and has apparently already gotten comfortable with Joe Flacco throwing him the ball. Speedster John Brown battled injuries the last two years with the Arizona Cardinals but if fully healthy, could be a valuable downfield threat for Baltimore. The rest of the receiving corps is largely unknown, with guys like Breshad Perriman and Willie Snead competing for snaps. This could be a dismal group in 2018.
Tight End
The Best: Cincinnati Bengals
The Rest: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
If healthy, the Bengals have a deep tight end room. Tyler Eifert has proven to be a matchup nightmare when he can stay on the field. In 2015, Eifert was one of the league’s top tight ends, posting 13 touchdowns. Since then, he has appeared in only 10 games over two seasons due to injury. If he can stay on the field in 2018, there’s no reason he can’t return to his role as a red zone force. Behind Effect, Cincinnati has serviceable depth. Tyler Kroft is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He set career highs across the board in 2017, posting 404 yards and catching seven touchdown passes. C.J. Uzomah will also provide valuable depth for a Bengals tight end group that may have to pick up some slack due to a mostly ragtag group of receivers.
The Ravens have a young, exciting tight end group. They picked two tight ends in the 2018 draft. Baltimore took South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst at pick 25, and he should contribute as a pass-catcher right away. They also picked up Mark Andrews out of Oklahoma in the third round. His impact will be gradual, but he has massive potential as an NFL tight end. The rookies will look to make an impact next to Maxx Williams. Williams has not yet lived up to his potential but could break out in his fourth season.
David Njoku is one of the most physically imposing pass-catchers in the NFL. He stands 6’4″ and weighs over 240 pounds. He’s a talented route runner, and has the ability to make plays after the catch. Njoku is a prime candidate for a second-year breakout, after scoring four touchdowns in 2017. Behind him, veteran Darren Fells will serve as a mentor for the younger Njoku, as well as Seth Devalve. Devalve is another talented route runner who is a more than solid backup tight end. The Browns have immense potential for an offensive explosion in 2018 if they can get consistent quarterback play.
The Steelers traded for Vance McDonald from the San Francisco 49ers before the 2017 season. He served mostly as a complement to Jesse James in the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh’s tight end group hasn’t changed since the end of the 2017 season. James and McDonald will run most of the routes, and Xavier Grimble should serve as a reserve and blocker. This is by no means a bad group, but the AFC North has quality tight ends to go around, and Pittsburgh’s has the least exciting potential.
Offensive Line
The Best: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rest: Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh has one of the league’s best front five to go along with a phenomenal group of offensive weapons. Veteran guard Ramon Foster suffered a leg injury in training camp, but expects to be back on the field before the regular season. Maurkice Pouncey, Alejandro Villanueva, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert round out an impressive group for the Steelers. The right side of the line is especially strong. Pro Football Focus awarded both Gilbert and DeCastro top 15 grades at their positions in 2017.
Training camp has brought questions about Cleveland’s offensive line. Former pro-bowl guard Joel Bitonio began practicing at left tackle out of nowhere just days before the Browns first preseason game. However, there is no questioning the potential this line has. Cleveland made Austin Corbett the first pick of the second round in the draft. He’ll play guard alongside Bitonio on the left side. Both players are alumni of the University of Nevada. J.C. Tretter, Kevin Zeitler and Chris Hubbard fill out an impressive group for the Browns up front.
34-year-old Marshal Yanda remains the heart and soul of Baltimore’s offensive line. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer, but questions about his health and age have surfaced the last two years. He played only two games in 2017, and will need to be healthy for this line to succeed. Ronnie Stanley will hold down the blind side, and the third year man out of Notre Dame hopes to build on an already impressive NFL career. The rest of the starters leave a lot to wish for. Baltimore will need to heavily address the offensive line in the 2019 draft.
The Bengals graded out as the 28th best offensive line in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. They drafted Billy Price in the first round in 2018. The Ohio State product should be an excellent center in the NFL, but Cincinnati doesn’t have much around him on the line. Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling have been decent on the left side, but they’re not enough to turn around the state of the front five. The Bengals won’t be much better up front this year than they were in 2017.
Be sure to check out LWOPF’s breakdown of the top units in the AFC North on defense and special teams.
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