For the most part, NFL teams have done the bulk of their roster additions by this part of the offseason. Free agency and the NFL Draft were the two biggest opportunities to add pieces, but teams can and will look for ways to add to their roster between now and the start of the season.
Last year, the Steelers added ILB Kwon Alexander at the end of July and he ended up being a significant contributor until he suffered a season-ending injury in the middle of the season. Back in 2017, the Steelers traded for TE Vance McDonald toward the end of training camp. Additions can even come during the season, like when the Steelers traded a first-round pick for S Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019 after Week 2.
Especially once the pads come on at training camp, teams will start to see which positions need help. The free agent market has some options but is largely tapped at this point. The two best options are trading for players, or waiting until roster cutdowns in late August to scoop up veteran players who didn’t make the 53-man roster cut.
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards released a list of each AFC team’s biggest needs entering training camp this morning. Below are the biggest needs and some analysis for each AFC North team.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Wide Receiver
This is the least surprising position of need for the Steelers, but Edwards is buying the idea that they need a better wide receiver option opposite George Pickens on the outside.
“With [Diontae] Johnson gone, Pittsburgh has little outside of George Pickens,” Edwards wrote. “The hope is that Calvin Austin III takes on a bigger role and rookie Roman Wilson’s acclimation to the NFL is fast and smooth.”
Austin is entering his third season and received a bunch of positive reports throughout spring practices. Wilson is a rookie and received less favorable reviews at OTAs and minicamp. Not mentioned by Edwards is veteran Van Jefferson. He hasn’t done much lately, but he did put up a 50-reception, 802-yard season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
At this point, the only way to acquire a difference maker at the position is via trade, but is it really a good idea to acquire someone like Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, or any other receiver who would be costly both in trade compensation and the subsequent contract they would require? With the future of the quarterback position up in the air, that doesn’t seem like a sound investment strategy.
Baltimore Ravens – Offensive Guard
The Ravens’ offensive line lost a lot of pieces this offseason. They traded OT Morgan Moses and lost OGs Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson in free agency. For a team that likes to run the ball, that could spell trouble for an otherwise competitive roster.
“Baltimore is currently in a position to start two players along the offensive line who played a combined 191 offensive snaps in the NFL last season,” Edwards wrote. “Andrew Vorhees, a seventh-round pick from the prior year, is penciled in as the starting left guard.”
Options in free agency are light, so they might be best suited to wait until roster cutdowns to add some veteran depth to the unit. There are too many good defensive linemen and edge rushers in the AFC North to get by with a shoddy offensive line.
Cincinnati Bengals – Running Back
The Bengals let longtime RB Joe Mixon walk in free agency and replaced him with Zack Moss. He has never been a featured back for a full season but rushed for 794 yards and five touchdowns last season for the Indianapolis Colts.
“Following the trade of running back Joe Mixon, the Bengals signed Zack Moss from Indianapolis,” Edwards said. “They need him to have a big season as the go-to option or second-year runner Chase Brown will be forced into action.”
Brown has just 44 NFL rushing attempts. There are a few options on the free agent market, including Dalvin Cook, Matt Breida, and Jerick McKinnon. I don’t know how wise it is to move away from prioritizing the run game in a division like the AFC North. It seems likely they will add a veteran option there, but they may be forced to find out just how fungible the RB position is in 2024.
Cleveland Browns – Linebacker
The Browns lost five inside linebackers in free agency this year, including Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Jr. They attempted to replace them with Devin Bush Jr. and Jordan Hicks to pair with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
“The Browns do not have any needs that would submarine the team’s efforts,” Edwards wrote. “Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has All-Pro potential, but the rest of that unit is up for grabs. Veterans Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush are competing with youngsters Nathaniel Watson, Tony Fields and Mohamoud Diabate.”
Steelers fans know better than most what relying on Bush as a starting inside linebacker looks like. In the physical AFC North, his style of play won’t fly. Perhaps Kwon Alexander, who has been working his way back from injury, could end up signing with the Browns late in the process like he did with the Steelers a year ago.
