While the AFC North has long been regarded as one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, if not the toughest, it hasn’t always been seen as the best. Many do believe that it will be the most competitive in 2023, with at least one bona fide Super Bowl contender and arguably the strongest fourth-place team in the league—whoever it might end up being.
That’s largely driven by the anticipated play at the quarterback position, which features a quartet of former first-round draft picks, among them three Pro Bowlers, one of whom has already nearly won a Super Bowl and another who was voted league MVP.
The other is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett. And OLB Alex Highsmith is more than fine with that, as he explained to the Good Morning Football crew on Tuesday heading into their final preseason game on Thursday.
“It’s definitely a tough division that we’re in, but I love playing in this division”, he said. “Every matchup is physical, is fun, so every AFC North matchup is the best one that we play. We’ve got a lot of challenges in this division, a lot of good quarterbacks, but we have a really, really good quarterback as well”.
Pickett was the first quarterback taken in last year’s draft, 20th overall. While his rookie numbers were pedestrian, his game tape shows a good deal more promise. He has also looked considerably better in training camp and preseason work this offseason.
But he’s still got a lot to prove in order to be regarded in the same class as his divisional counterparts. Joe Burrow, in particular, is currently seen as one of the top quarterbacks in the game, perhaps second only to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
There is also Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, who gave the Ravens their first league MVP in 2019 and who has been proven to be a consistent winner. Injuries to Jackson have grounded their last two seasons, however.
Last and least is Deshaun Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler while with the Houston Texans who has hardly played in two years. He didn’t look like a top quarterback in the final six games of the 2022 season, his first in Cleveland, after returning from an 11-game suspension, but the expectation is that he returns to his old form this season. And Highsmith expects Pickett to be right in the mix with them all.
“I’m excited to see how Kenny makes a big jump this year. I just can’t wait for us as a whole this year to get the season started”, he said. “I think it’s just gonna be a fun year. Those division matchups are weighted differently. I always love playing those games because there’s a certain intensity that they come with”.
None of these teams live or die solely with their quarterback, granted. The Browns have one of the top running games in football, for example, as do the Ravens. Baltimore and Pittsburgh have long been regarded as defensive stalwarts. And the Bengals have one of the better all-around rosters in football. But sometimes you need the man under center to win you one. Pickett did that four times in 2022.
