Year after year, the AFC North is one of the toughest, deepest divisions in the NFL, one that consistently earns praise as the best of the best from the national media.
That should be the case once again in 2023 as all four teams in the division — the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers — look rather strong on paper, making it a deep, talented division.
Despite the strength, at least on paper, of the division, CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr ranked the vaunted AFC North as the third-best division in the NFL Monday behind the NFC East and the AFC East.
“Imagine how good this division can be in 2023. The Cincinnati Bengals were in the AFC Championship Game and have one of the game’s best quarterbacks in Joe Burrow. Cincinnati has the core in place with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Mixon — and have added Orlando Brown to the mix to improve the offensive line. Myles Murphy makes the pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard even stronger. The Baltimore Ravens were able to re-sign Lamar Jackson, giving him his best group of wide receivers since he entered the NFL. Baltimore also signed Roquan Smith well before free agency started, knowing how strong the defense was with him on the field,” CBS Sports.com’s Kerr wrote regarding the AFC North. “Kenny Pickett should improve with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Year 2, as the franchise never has losing seasons and always competes for playoff berths with Mike Tomlin. The Cleveland Browns should be better with a full season of Deshaun Watson and an improved defense with the additions of Dalvin Tomlinson and Juan Thornhill. Cincinnati is the top team in this division, but the AFC North will be a grind — again. All four teams should compete for a playoff berth.”
It’s a very deep division overall, with the Bengals very clearly on top thanks to the successes they’ve had the last two seasons. Cincinnati has reached the AFC Championship Game two straight seasons and has a Super Bowl appearance under its belts. Led by quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals are loaded top to bottom on the offensive side of the football and quietly have a great defense at their disposal.
Cincinnati should be considered the division favorite.
Baltimore is on the rebound, too, with quarterback Lamar Jackson locked up long-term after a contentious offseason. After signing Jackson to a long-term deal, Baltimore added Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency and Zay Flowers in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, giving the Ravens serious firepower in the passing game for the first year of Todd Monken’s tenure as offensive coordinator.
Defensively, Baltimore locked up linebacker Roquan Smith long-term, solidifying the position moving forward. The future looks bright overall in Baltimore.
In Cleveland, the roster is rather strong top to bottom, especially after the Browns traded for pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to pair with Myles Garrett, along with also signing Ogbonnia Okoronkwo in free agency. Cleveland also traded for wide receiver Elijah Moore and added tight end Jordan Akins to a deep tight end room, while also adding veteran safety Juan Thornhill in free agency.
It will all come down to quarterback Deshaun Watson though. If he can get back to his level of play in Houston, the Browns will be serious contenders. If he plays like he did down the stretch last season in his return from suspension, Cleveland is in real trouble.
Pittsburgh is also on the up and up under GM Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin, retooling on the fly and looking like serious a contender moving forward — should second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett solidify himself as a true franchise quarterback.
Defensively, Pittsburgh remains loaded with T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Alex Highsmith leading the way, while on offensive the attack revolves around Pickett, Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. Pittsburgh added Allen Robinson II via trade and signed Patrick Peterson, Cole Holcomb, Keanu Neal and Elandon Roberts in free agency and hit a real home run in the draft, putting together a great class.
The Steelers might still be a year away from true contention, but on paper it’s a strong roster and are looking like a strong team moving forward.
On paper, it’s hard to fathom any division being “better” than the AFC North — on both sides of the football.
