With the regular season quickly approaching, here are the biggest question marks for the teams in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh Steelers
How much will Antonio Brown be missed? JuJu Smith-Schuster becomes the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver. Last season along with Brown, it seemed like they were never out of a game. One key catch would get them right back in it. JuJu has the makings of a star receiver in this league. He should thrive in this new role.
Does Ben Roethlisberger have any more tread on his tires? Again, you can never count the Steelers out of any game when Big Ben is under center. His whatever-it-takes mentality is one of the best in the NFL. He has proven time and time again that he’s a winner.
Will T.J. Watt continue to be a dominant? Last season, he seemed in on almost every tackle. Along with his supporting cast of Bud Dupree and first-round pick Devin Bush Jr., this linebacking core has the makings of being the best in the NFL. Add to that the insights being provided by Ryan Shazier, this defense will lessen the pressure on Big Ben and the offense.
Baltimore Ravens
Can Lamar Jackson improve? Joe Flacco is now in Denver so this is Jackson’s team. While his style of playing the position took some teams by surprise, having a bigger résumé to dissect could favor opposing defenses. But if he’s added some different things during the off-season, those same defenses could be in trouble.
What will they get out of Mark Ingram? After sharing the backfield in New Orleans with Alvin Kamara, Ingram is essentially the guy in Baltimore. Used mostly in those tough short-yardage situations in the past, he also busted out for huge runs as well. Hopefully, he wasn’t just a product of his previous offense and can do big things for the Ravens.
Can this secondary gel? Baltimore brought in safeties Earl Thomas and Brandon Carr. This secondary can be both feared and dominant, like Ravens defensive backfields of the past. With the improvement at wide receiver by at least one of the teams in this division, that was the right area to concentrate on.
Cleveland Browns
LSU take two? With the trade heard around the world for one of the best wide receivers in the league, Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns definitely made a splash. If you remember, Jarvis Landry and Beckham were a dangerous tandem for LSU. Normally if you bring in a big name and there is an already existing big name, there can be at the least growing pains. But these two coexisted before and could be the most cohesive duo the league has seen in some time.
What will Baker Mayfield do for an encore? At the very least the rookie quarterback showed last season he has the drive and gritty determination it takes to play the position. Now with another explosive game-changer to throw to, he can make the leap to being one of the top tier players at his position.
How dominant can this defense be? The Browns brought in some added firepower on defense to help stud end, Myles Garrett. Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon will definitely keep offensive coordinators up at night prior to facing them. This front five may be the best young line in the league; being young, they could cause nightmares for years to come.
Cincinnati Bengals
Can Andy Dalton stay healthy? When on the field, Dalton has been a good signal-caller for this team. But he has missed substantial time over the last couple of seasons. Obviously, the team has the confidence in him, as they only drafted a quarterback in the fourth round as well as bringing in Jeff Driskel to assume the backup role.
What will the Bengals get out of A.J. Green? Expected to miss the first couple games due to tearing ligaments in his ankle, when Green is back at close to 100%, what will this team’s record be? If he misses the first seven games and the team goes 1-6, he is a game-changer no doubt. But especially in this division and the AFC as a whole, every win is crucial and every loss is detrimental.
What can we expect from first year head coach Zac Taylor? Will he be able to get anything different out of virtually the same team that longtime Bengals coach Marvin Lewis couldn’t win with? Hopefully, for his sake, the team stays healthy.
I think the DawgPound in Cleveland will have much more to cheer about than they have in a long time. Maybe a division title, and a January game or two.
