Another year, another very strong crop of interior defensive linemen in the AFC North.
The depth across the board in the AFC North, not to mention some of the star power that has been added to the room, has made the interior defensive line in the rugged AFC North one of the most important and talented positions in the division overall.
Names like Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward, Cincinnati’s D.J. Reader, Baltimore’s Michael Pierce and Cleveland’s new addition in Dalvin Tomlinson certainly bring high-end talent and play to the table for their respective defenses. Depth is the key here, though.
After closing out the offensive side of the football in the AFC North earlier in the week, it’s time to flip to the defensive side of the football and see how the talent stacks up against each other within the division, starting with the interior defensive line.
1. CLEVELAND BROWNS
After ranking fourth in the series last summer, the Cleveland Browns make a monumental jump to the top of the standings with the interior defensive linemen thanks to the work that GM Andrew Berry put in this offseason, shoring up a major hole on the roster.
Cleveland signed Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency and then drafted Siaki Ika out of Baylor on Day 2 of the draft, landing a potential foundational defensive linemen to work with in Cleveland. The Browns took a flier on veteran Maurice Hurst II, who is proven as a valuable depth piece in the trenches. Cleveland also added Trysten Hill in free agency, taking a shot on a talented player who hasn’t quite put it all together yet.
Those four join the likes of Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai, along with Perrion Winfrey, giving Cleveland some intriguing pieces with which to work with on the interior of the defensive line.
Tomlinson is the headliner though. He’s a rock in the middle of a defense. Though he doesn’t offer a ton as a pass rusher (just five sacks the last two seasons combined) he’s a high-end run defender overall and consistently shows up in the trenches as an impact player. Cleveland landed him as the key piece between some terrific edge talent, and then followed that up by drafting Ika, who is built similarly to Tomlinson as a powerful run defender with some pass rush chops.
Hurst can be that change of pace interior defensive lineman, one who can come in and win with speed, as will Winfrey, should he be able to stay on the field with some character concerns off it. Elliott and Togiai are solid depth, and if Hill hits in Cleveland, look out.
Top to bottom, this group went from a real concern to a legitimate strength for the Browns.
2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Pittsburgh slides a spot in the rankings this season, though it’s through no fault of its own.
Cameron Heyward continues to play at an elite level and is coming off of his second straight 10+ sack season. He was named to the Pro Bowl as well, though he was snubbed in All-Pro voting. At 34 years old, it’s hard to fathom Heyward playing so well, but he continues to defy Father Time at a very demanding position.
The Steelers did a nice job retaining Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, signing him to a three-year, $28.75 million deal on the open market after spending the 2022 season with Pittsburgh. Though he battled injuries throughout the season and missed a lot of practice time, Ogunjobi showed up in the games and had a solid season overall. Fully healthy and comfortable in the Steelers system, Ogunjobi could be in a for a big year in 2023.
Pittsburgh tinkered with the roster in the trenches ahead of the draft, adding veterans Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko along the interior, though neither truly moves the needle at the position. They have plenty of experience though and could be good depth pieces for Pittsburgh.
Montravius Adams returns for another season, though he is coming off of a down 2022 season and is safely considered a bubble player ahead of training camp, as is Isaiahh Loudermilk. Loudermilk has all the tools and is the lone true 3-tech backup behind Heyward and Ogunjobi, but he had a rough 2022 season.
Rookie Keeanu Benton was added in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to help solidify the defensive line. He’ll handle nose tackle early on but could push Ogunjobi for snaps in sub package football. DeMarvin Leal is another young name to watch on the defensive line. He played all over for Pittsburgh in 2022 but still doesn’t seem to have a true position entering 2023. He can play defensive end, EDGE, interior defensive line in sub packages, whatever the Steelers need. Intriguing piece to have.
Names like Manny Jones, James Nyamwaya and Jonathan Marshall all enter training camp aiming to land a role either on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.
3. CINCINNATI BENGALS
DJ Reader might be one of the very best interior defensive linemen in football who doesn’t get talked about enough. Pairing him with fellow defensive tackle B.J. Hill gives the Bengals a rather stout, strong interior defensive linemen duo in the 4-3 defense that Lou Anorumo runs in the Queen City.
Reader is a freak of nature, possessing great power and some absurd explosiveness in short areas. Hill really took off once he landed in Cincinnati, tapping into his pass rush abilities to wreak havoc on the interior.
With those two leading the way on the depth chart, Cincinnati is in good shape. The issue is they don’t really have the depth that the Browns and Steelers do on the interior entering the 2023 season.
Josh Tupou returns for his sixth season with Cincinnati, providing a powerful option off the bench to serve as a run stopper, while Jay Tufele returns for his third season with the Bengals. Tupou and Tufele are sound depth pieces overall, but if Reader or Hill goes down with an injury for an extended stretch, the Bengals’ defense will really fall off from a run defense and pass rush perspective inside.
Young players in Zach Carter, Dominique Davis and undrafted rookies Devonnsha Maxwell and Tautala Pesefea Jr. aim to at least crack the practice squad in Cincinnati. Carter has great size and power and flashed at times last season, starting nine games for the Bengals, recording 23 tackles and half a sack.
Depth is needed overall though.
4. BALTIMORE RAVENS
The Ravens have lost two franchise stalwarts in back-to-back offseasons from the trenches, losing Brandon Williams ahead of the 2022 season and now Calais Campbell ahead of the 2023 season. That causes Baltimore to fall from No. 2 to No. 4 in my rankings.
Baltimore still has some really good and really intriguing pieces overall in the trenches with which to work with, but losing Campbell due to him being cut as a salary cap casualty and signing with the Atlanta Falcons is a significant blow for Baltimore’s defensive line.
The Ravens do have Michael Pierce returning for another season. Baltimore signed the veteran to a one-year deal last offseason after he previously left Baltimore for Minnesota. Pierce struggled to stay healthy in 2022, playing in just three games and 91 defensive snaps. He’ll be counted on to have a bigger role in 2023. When he’s healthy he’s a true force in the middle of a defense.
Along with Pierce, Baltimore will lean on Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington. The interior duo combined for 91 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, nine pass deflections and 5.5 sacks last season for the Ravens, showing that the future is bright for the two young interior options. Rookie Travis Jones had a decent first season as well, recording 24 tackles and a sack in limited action.
The trio will need to take a significant step forward in 2023 if Baltimore is to get back to controlling the line of scrimmage defensively. Depth is a major concern at the moment.
Baltimore did well to bring in veteran Angelo Blackson and his nine years of experience, but he doesn’t quite move the needle. Young players like Rayshad Nichols and undrafted free agents Trey Potts and Kaieem Caesar are going to battle it out for a depth spot. Brent Urban is the lone, true 3-4 defensive end on the roster, and he’s entering his 11th season at 33 years old.
This feels like a position group the Ravens will almost have to add to this summer, either via trade or picking up a veteran or two after final roster cuts.
2022 AFC NORTH IDL RANKINGS:
No. 1 – Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 2 – Baltimore Ravens
No. 3 – Cincinnati Bengals
No. 4 – Cleveland Browns
