Ranking The Rooms: AFC North Off-Ball LBs

Typically, when you think of the AFC North, you think of old-school, violent football with some big-name linebackers leading the way.

Names like Ray Lewis, James Farrior, Larry Foote, Andra Davis, and Takeo Spikes come to mind, at least for me.

In today’s AFC North, the star power resides with the quarterbacks, running backs, and pass rushers, but the off-ball linebacker group is making a strong push back into the forefront of the division from a depth and talent perspective.

That is especially true ahead of the 2024 season when the AFC North seems to be returning to its rugged, physical ways.

Let’s dive into the AFC North Off-Ball LB rankings ahead of the 2024 season.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

After ranking No. 4 on the list last summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a monumental leap to the top ahead of the 2024 season. Entering the offseason, GM Omar Khan stated that the Steelers had to address the inside linebacker room in a major way.

Consider it a job well done for Khan and Co. The Steelers made a huge splash in free agency, signing Patrick Queen. Then, the Steelers landed arguably the best linebacker in the draft, Payton Wilson, in the third round, taking advantage of him falling down draft boards due to medical concerns.

Queen was the big fish in free agency at the position, and the Steelers pounced, landing the second-team All-Pro on a three-year, $41 million deal, stealing him away from the Baltimore Ravens, weakening the rival in the process. Queen had an outstanding year in 2023 as a true three-down, run-and-hit linebacker who can do everything asked of him. 

He’ll slide in next to Elandon Roberts in the Steelers’ linebacker room. Roberts had a strong 2023 season, holding down the fort as injuries mounted at the position. Roberts led the Steelers in tackles and really fit in well into Pittsburgh’s defense, providing that physical presence.

Wilson is the new-age linebacker who can fly around all over the field, has great range, can play in coverage, and can blitz. If he’s healthy, look out. Speaking of health, if Cole Holcomb is able to return this season and provide anything, that strengthens the Steelers’ linebacker room all the more. He’s coming off of a serious knee injury but was off to a good start before getting hurt in Week 9.

Mark Robinson is the special teams piece in the group. He’s an old-school, physical linebacker with new-age athleticism. He just hasn’t been able to put it all together defensively when given opportunities, which led to the Steelers adding more to the room to surpass him.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

With Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt holding down the off-ball linebacker spots for the Bengals, Cincinnati is in a good spot.

Quietly, Wilson has been one of the top three-down linebackers in football due to his coverage abilities and ball skills. He’s a sound tackler, too, and makes plays all over the field for the Bengals. Pratt has played his best football alongside Wilson, coinciding with Wilson coming to the Bengals a few seasons ago.

Depth is rather strong with the Bengals, too. Akeem Davis-Gaither returns for another season and is a dependable special teams piece for the Bengals. He had 12 tackles in 98 snaps defensively last season. Joe Bachie is back as well, giving the Bengals another dependable special teams piece, as is second-year player Shaka Heyward, who spent the entire 2023 season on the Bengals’ practice squad.

Cincinnati also added additional pieces via the draft process, landing Wisconsin’s Maema Njongmeta and Indiana’s Aaron Casey as undrafted free agents. Both bring a great deal of experience to the table in their quest to make the roster.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Losing Patrick Queen was a major blow to the Ravens, and especially to the off-ball linebacker room. After ranking No. 1 last season in the AFC North, the Ravens fall to No. 3 here.

Yes, Roquan Smith is still a first-team All-Pro and arguably the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL, but this is about the depth behind him. It’s very concerning. Smith is a great player, but he can’t do it alone. Queen was a perfect running mate for him, and now he’s gone.

The Ravens will be leaning on second-year pro Trenton Simpson, a new-age, fast, athletic linebacker. Simpson looked good in the Week 18 finale against the Steelers, but he’s largely unproven, having played just 46 total snaps last season. He might be quite the addition for the Ravens. He’s a guy I really liked coming out of Clemson, but that’s a big ask of him stepping in for Queen right away.

Baltimore also has the likes of veteran Chris Board, who was signed in free agency this offseason, as well as Malik Harrison, Josh Ross, and undrafted rookie free agents Deion Jennings and Yvandy Rigby battling for spots. Board is the key special teams piece that the Ravens made a point to bring back, while Harrison and Ross are downhill thumpers that could profile well next to Smith in limited roles.

Make no mistake about it, though: losing Queen — and inside the AFC North division to boot — really hurt the Ravens. 

4. Cleveland Browns

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is one of the most electrifying linebackers in football, with his combination of speed, athleticism, and physicality which he brings to the table. But outside of Owusu-Koramoah, the Browns are hurting at inside linebacker, period.

Owusu-Koramoah graded out at 75.3 overall in 2023 from Pro Football Focus. He was also one of the top pass-rushing off-ball linebackers, generating 16 pressures and four sacks in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s defense.

Outside of Owusu-Koramoah, though, the Browns have some issues. Cleveland did sign Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush as veteran depth, but neither truly moves the needle. Hicks was a dependable player in Minnesota last season in 813 snaps, but he’s a bit limited at this point in his career, entering his age-32 season.

Bush is a flyer worth taking a chance on, but it’s important to understand his limitations. He’s not even a lock to make the roster.

Behind the top three, the Browns have the likes of Tony Fields II, Mohamed Diabate, Charlie Thomas III, Winston Reid, Caleb Johnson, and rookie Nathaniel Watson to throw at the position. Watson is the most intriguing of the bunch and could be the steal for the Browns.

He was the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and is a tackling machine. He could pair well as that dependable run stopper next to Owusu-Koramoah long-term if the Browns develop him properly. Fields and Diabate are solid special teams pieces with some defensive coverage abilities.

They have a lot of names at the position but very little proven depth behind Owusu-Koramoah, Hicks, and Bush. That’s a major concern.