Who Will Be King in the North?
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rear view mirror, and after having some time to digest it, it’s time for us to look forward. For the Steelers, that means rookie minicamp, which is taking place this weekend, followed by OTAs, which kicks off on May 21st. But, I wanna look even further ahead than that. Now that we have a good idea of what the AFC North teams will look like, I wanted to make some way-too-early projections on how the division will shake out this season. Who will be the kings in the North this year?
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens lost A LOT of key pieces this offseason. If you’re a reader of mine, you already know how hyped I am that we snatched LB Patrick Queen from them. Aside from that, they lost three offensive linemen, Jadeveon Clowney (who signed with the Panthers), and Ronald Darby (who signed with the Jaguars).
With that being said, they did very well in the draft landing awesome talent with guys like Nate Wiggins, the speedy cornerback from Clemson, and Roger Rosengarten, a solid offensive tackle from Washington. They had a fairly good third day of the draft as well, landing WR Tez Walker and CB TJ Tampa, whom a lot of yinz wanted the Steelers to take.
While their draft went well, there are still some holes in the offensive line that, in my opinion, need to be filled. Obviously, they still have Lamar Jackson, and their defense is always going to be among the best in the league. To me, their biggest issue moving forward is who do they have on their roster to fill the two guard spots left by the departure of John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler? Their ability to run the ball as effectively as they have over the last several years could be in jeopardy, which is significant to their identity. Despite the LamaRB jokes, I think he’s good enough throwing the ball, and their defense will be good enough to keep this team among the top teams in the AFC. Still, they’re not as good as they were in 2023. After looking at their 2024 opponents, I have them going 11-6.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are just a forgettable team, man. Obviously, I’m being a hater and nobody should take what I say on here seriously, but aren’t they? I mean once Burrow got hurt (mind you they were struggling before he got hurt, besides a nice win against the Niners), I just forgot they existed. With that being said, I shouldn’t have, because this is still a good team.
They had a hole at tackle, which they filled with Amarius Mims from Georgia, much to the dismay of many yinzers. I am not one of them. Mims is a project and will likely struggle getting used to the speed of the NFL. I can’t wait to see him get cooked by Alex Highsmith. Still, he has a high ceiling and will eventually be worth that first round pick. Outside of that, I think they reached in some areas. WR Jermaine Burton came off the board when there were some better options out there, for example. Their run defense got a little better with Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson (Jackson was another reach).
Their problems have nothing to do with their draft picks though, in my opinion. WR Tee Higgins and DE Trey Hendrickson have both requested to be traded from the team. They also let RB Joe Mixon walk. Their pass rush figures to be a fraction of what it was last year, and their offense is going to look a bit different. The biggest question for them is, will they be able to keep Joe Burrow upright and healthy? I don’t love their odds. I have them going 10-7, and a fringe playoff team.
Cleveland Browns
My mortal enemy: Brahns fans. Here’s the thing…my opinion of the product they are putting on the field this year has nothing to do with their fans, believe it or not. I just think they’re the worst team in this division.
For starters, I think they had the worst draft in the division. That is partially a self-inflicted wound stemming from the fact that they were without a first round pick, yet again, because of the DeShaun Watson trade. Their first pick, which came in the second round, was Michael Hall Jr., DT from Ohio State. They probably could’ve let him slide into the third round, but hindsight is always 20/20. They made good on their desire to add some youth to their offensive line, adding Zak Zinter from Michigan. Again, meh.
Like the Bengals, I don’t think their draft picks are going to make much of a difference in 2024. They failed to add a running back, so they’re really banking on Nick Chubb quickly getting himself back into form, off of his season-ending knee injury last year. They added Jerry Jeudy, severely overpaying him, in my opinion, giving him up to $58 Million over three years; again MEH. Everything’s just meh. This franchise is meh. And, I think their 2024 season will be meh. Their defense will again be one of the best in football, although they’ll have to figure their shit out in road games. Their success will be largely predicated on Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb. Until one of those guys shows you something worth writing home about, I don’t know why you’d feel confident in this team, unless you’re from Cleveland. I got them going 9-8 and missing the playoffs. Call me a hater all you want, but I’m actually giving them a split against the Steelers this year, so fuck off.
Pittsburgh Steelers
If you’re reading this, you probably know how I feel about how the Steelers did in the draft this year. If not, click here to find out.
They murdered the draft, and certainly got better than anyone else in the division in my opinion. This team has seen more change than the rest of the AFC North, that’s for damn sure. Like the Bengals and Browns, however, I think what this team does has a lot to do with the QB play. Obviously, we beefed up the offensive line, and hired Arthur Smith as OC, so our running game should be top five in the league in my opinion. And our success will be predicated on that. However, our QB play could be the difference between a first round exit in the playoffs, and a deep playoff run. With that being said, our QB room is undoubtedly better than it was in 2023. THAT team won 10 games. I think this team is going to win more and look much better doing it. Still, I have them going 11-6. Probably not the dramatic uptick in wins you guys were expecting, but I’m trying to be realistic here. There will be growing pains with so many new faces on the offensive line. We’re implementing a whole new system on offense. These things aren’t going to click right off the bat. I think it’ll take some time to figure out. I think the Ravens and Steelers will battle it out for first place. I gave the Steelers 11-6, splitting games against EVERY SINGLE AFC North team. I just don’t think we’re THAT much better than the Browns, Ravens, or Bengals. And, it’s the North. It’s the kitchen. The Steelers are DEFINITELY in play for the crown, though.
My AFC North Prediction:
Steelers (11-6)
Ravens (11-6) - whoever does better within the division will win it.
Bengals (10-7)
Browns (9-8)
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