Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lively off-season, and it’s far from over. The word I’ve heard most when people describe it has been “aggressive.” It wasn’t like Pittsburgh was flush with cap space going into free agency, but Khan’s experience with the cap has helped him manage contracts well and add impact players on both sides of the ball.
The QB room has some new blood, with the additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and it’s tough to imagine the room is worse than it was for the first 80% of 2023 (before Mason Rudolph got his shot). Patrick Queen should provide some youth and playmaking ability to an already solid defense.
However, some say they didn’t even have the best additions in their division. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks picked the most impactful offseason signing in each divisional race and chose the Ravens grabbing Derrick Henry in the AFC North.
“The mere thought of Henry and Lamar Jackson executing various versions of power-read plays will keep defensive coordinators up at night.” Brooks wrote. “Forcing opponents to respect both Jackson’s speed and Henry’s power should also only make the Ravens’ play-action game — where Jackson already thrives, having posted the most total EPA (67.4) in the league on play-action in 2023, according to Next Gen Stats — even better. Yes, Baltimore finished first in the AFC North last season, but the division is no cakewalk. The presence of the former NFL rushing champ in the backfield should increase the Ravens’ chances of winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 2018-19.”
The Ravens have had one of the best rushing attacks in the league for years now, and that was with the likes of Gus Edwards and Justice Hill getting big-time carries for them. Those guys are decent players, but Derrick Henry is likely Hall of Famer with gas still in the tank. We could see historic rushing numbers from the Baltimore offense this season.
The Steelers were able to do a nice job at containing the Ravens rushing attack, holding them under 130 yards in their two matchups last year, both of which were Steelers wins. The Ravens were able to run for 130 yards in 12 of their other 15 regular season games, as the Steelers were one of a select few defenses to be able to impact that part of the game.
When the Ravens ran for 130 yards last season, they were 12-1 (including playoffs). When they weren’t able to, they were just 2-4. That has been and will continue to be the formula for Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh, and company, which now includes Derrick Henry. In a league where many teams use the pass to open up the run, the Ravens use the run to open up the play action.
Baltimore will likely be the early season favorite in the AFC North, and it’ll be up to the Steelers or anyone else in the division to slow their running game if they want any shot at the crown.
