Over the last few years, the AFC North has quietly turned the offensive tackle position into a serious strength within the division.
Of course, that had to happen with some of the star power at quarterback and some elite-level pass rushers in the NFL within the division itself, which features the last two Defensive Player of the Year award winners in T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.
The offensive tackle position might not be all that flashy, but it is incredibly important within the AFC North, especially when dealing with not only pass rushers like Watt and Garrett but also the likes of Alex Highsmith, Trey Hendrickson, Kyle Van Noy, and more.
So, how does the important position group like OT shake out in the division? Let’s find out.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
For the third straight year, the Cincinnati Bengals reign supreme in the AFC North OTs rankings. Last offseason, the Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. to a big contract in free agency, giving them a true bookend left tackle.
This offseason, the Bengals were busy again in free agency. After losing former tackle Jonah Williams to the Arizona Cardinals, the Bengals signed Trent Brown to a one-year deal, giving Cincinnati serious beef at the tackle positions.
Orlando Brown Jr. is listed at 6-foot-8, 345 pounds, while Trent Brown is listed at 6-foot-8, 355 pounds. Serious beef at the tackle positions.
Cincinnati added to it in the draft, landing the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Amarius Mims out of Georgia at No. 18 overall. Mims might not be ready to play right away at right tackle, which would put Trent Brown in the starting lineup, but the top three at tackle for the Bengals are really strong.
So, too, is depth. Names like Devin Cochran, D’Ante Smith, and Eric Miller will all be battling for the fourth OT spot on the roster. Smith has just 56 career snaps at tackle in the NFL, with 50 coming in 2021, while Cochran has yet to see the field in a meaningful NFL game.
However, the talent from a depth perspective is very intriguing, giving Cincinnati a deep room overall.
2. Cleveland Browns
I really debated putting the Browns over the Bengals in this year’s rankings because of the Browns’ top three on paper: Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, and Dawand Jones. However, Conklin’s injury history and Wills Jr.’s struggles last season are concerns.
Still, that top three is very solid on paper, and Jones might be the best of the bunch.
Stepping into the lineup last season in place of Conklin, Jones was rather solid. He played 712 snaps for the Browns and allowed 21 pressures and three sacks. He was called for just two penalties in the process.
Conklin played just 22 snaps last season before being lost for the year. When he’s healthy, he’s very good, as shown by his 2022 season, in which he played 913 snaps and allowed just 13 total pressures. He’s a great fit for the Browns’ power rushing attack, but the injury concerns and his age are issues. It will be interesting to see if the Browns go back to Conklin at RT or start the Jones era for good.
At left tackle, Wills Jr. burst onto the scene early in his career but has had struggles in recent years. Wills had the lowest grade of his career last season with a 54.0 overall from PFF in just 569 snaps as he was lost for the season in Week 9 against Arizona.
Prior to the season-ending injury, he allowed 29 pressures and three sacks and was called for six penalties. He’s healthy now, though, and he should be able to improve after a poor 2023 season.
Depth is solid for Cleveland, too, with James Hudson III and Hakeem Adeniji in the fold. Adeniji comes over from the Bengals with plenty of experience, while Hudson has had an up-and-down career with the Browns. Experience is key, though, and the Browns have a ton of it for the fourth OT spot.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s hard not to love what the Steelers have done at the tackle spot the last two years, particularly in the NFL Draft. After landing Broderick Jones in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Steelers landed Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, presumably giving Pittsburgh two long-term bookends at the tackle positions.
What side the two play is up for debate, but the future looks bright.
Last season, Jones stepped into the lineup in Week 9 for Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle and started the rest of the season there. He was a shot in the arm at RT in the run game, but he had his issues in pass protection there. Jones allowed 29 pressures and four sacks on the season and then allowed five pressures and a sack in the Wild Card loss to Buffalo.
Expectations are that Jones will flip to left tackle this season, but early on in OTAs, he was still getting work at RT. Fautanu was a left tackle in college with no in-game experience at RT, but the Steelers are working him at right tackle early on to potentially speed up the transition.
Behind Jones and Fautanu, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. brings a great deal of experience to the table with 49 career starts at left tackle. The Steelers like him much more than the general public does. While he was the worst pass-blocking LT in football last season, per PFF, Moore is a strong run blocker and thrived late in the season as the Steelers pounded the rock.
It’s unlikely he can be a true swing tackle, though, for the Steelers, so if he is relegated to a depth role it will be curious to see how the Steelers handle him.
Depth is still a bit of a concern here behind the top three. Dylan Cook is a very intriguing piece, one that worked his way onto the 53-man roster in training camp and stuck all season with the Steelers. But he doesn’t have any game action. Spencer Anderson could be included here, but he’s listed as an OL and can play all five positions, so I will include him on the interior for now.
Names like Anderson Hardy, Devery Hamilton and Tyler Beach comprise the rest of the roster at the tackle position. Nothing to get too excited about.
4. Baltimore Ravens
It’s been quite a fall-off of the Ravens at the tackle position in recent years.
Ronnie Stanley has dealt with numerous injuries and hasn’t quite been himself at left tackle, though he was better last season than he had been in previous years. Morgan Moses was a solid bookend right tackle for the Ravens, but then they traded him to the New York Jets this offseason for draft capital, which was a curious move.
The Ravens invested that draft capital in the position again, landing Washington’s Roger Rosengarten in the second round. However, he doesn’t feel like a great fit in Baltimore because of his struggles as a run blocker. He is a great athlete, though, with a high ceiling, so it will be up to the Ravens to develop him.
For now, Daniel Faalele is projected as the starting right tackle. Faalele played 186 snaps last season, with 157 at right tackle, 22 at left tackle, and seven as an extra OT. He allowed 10 pressures and three sacks in those 186 snaps, which isn’t very encouraging. He has tremendous size at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, but he hasn’t put it all together yet in the NFL Entering Year 3.
Behind Stanley, Faalele, and Rosengarten, there is real concern.
The Ravens brought in Julian Pearl from Illinois as an undrafted free agent and took swings on two other UDFAs at the position in Tulsa’s Darrell Simpson and Maryland’s Corey Bullock, but that’s asking quite a bit from an UDFA to be a potential OT4 for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Of course, Patrick Mekari or Josh Jones, both of whom have tackle experience, could move outside for good, but right now they project as guards for the Ravens.
2023 AFC North OT rankings:
No. 1 – Cincinnati Bengals
No. 2 – Cleveland Browns
No. 3 – Baltimore Ravens
No. 4 – Pittsburgh Steelers
