Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
This is the division of the quarterback. You have the MVP, two #1 overall picks, and a 2x Super Bowl winner calling out the signals for their respective franchises. The Ravens dominated the AFC North last year thanks to a record-setting rushing attack led by Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram, but were axed from the playoffs by the frisky Titans. Is there dominance repeatable? Can Big Ben’s return from a serious elbow injury spark a potential Super Bowl run by the Steelers? Can Baker Mayfield bounce back from a disappointing 2019 season to make the Browns competitive in December? Will Joe Burrow be the rising tide that lifts the boats in Cincinnati? Let’s look at the AFC North.
Rookies will be noted with *, and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Baltimore Ravens
Offense
QB: Lamar Jackson
RB1: Mark Ingram Jr.
RB2: JK Dobbins *
FB: Patrick Ricard
WR1: Marquise Brown
WR2: Miles Boykin
WR3: Willie Snead IV
TE1: Mark Andrews
TE2: Nick Boyle
LT: Ronnie Stanley
LG: Bradley Bozeman
C: Matt Skura
RG: Ben Powers
RT: Orlando Brown Jr.
Defense
DE: Calais Campbell
DT: Derek Wolfe
NT: Brandon Williams
DE: Jaylon Ferguson
OLB: Matthew Judon
MLB: Patrick Queen *
OLB: Malik Harrison *
CB: Marlon Humphrey
FS: Earl Thomas
SS: Chuck Clark
CB: Marcus Peters
NB: Tavon Young
Special Teams
K: Justin Tucker
P: Sam Koch
Wanna know why the Ravens went 14-2 last year? Look at all the bold-faced names above. This is one of the most talented teams in the NFL, and they might have gotten better with the addition of rookie Patrick Queen manning the middle of their defense. I love the JK Dobbins pick in the second round. It give their historic running game another body to churn out yards and use as a receiving option out of the backfield. I don’t see why the Ravens can’t be as dangerous in 2020, but now their biggest obstacle is Lamar Jackson getting his first playoff win.
Cincinnati Bengals
Offense
QB: Joe Burrow *
RB1: Joe Mixon
RB2: Giovani Bernard
WR1: AJ Green
WR2: Tee Higgins *
WR3: Tyler Boyd
TE1: CJ Uzomah
TE2: Drew Sample
LT: Jonah Williams
LG: Michael Jordan
C: Billy Price
RG: Xavier Su’a-Filo
RT: Bobby Hart
Defense
DE: Carlos Dunlap
DT: Geno Atkins
NT: DJ Reader
DE: Sam Hubbard
SLB: Jordan Evans
MLB: Jordan Wilson *
CB: Mackensie Alexander
FS: Vonn Bell
SS: Shawn Williams
CB: William Jackson III
NB: Trae Waynes
Special Teams
K: Randy Bullock
P: Kevin Huber
After a disastrous 2-14 season, the Bengals had no choice but to take the Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow to become the next franchise quarterback. This organization has been thirsty for a difference-making, swag-dripping quarterback for eons now, and I don’t see this as a Mitchell Trubisky or David Carr type of rookie season for Burrow. If AJ Green comes back healthy, he’s still a dominant receiver, as well as rookie Tee Higgins and solid slot receiver Tyler Boyd getting open with Green drawing the coverage. The biggest concern is still their offensive line, but they do get their first round pick Jonah Williams back this season after missing his entire rookie season with an injury. If he can be a pillar at left tackle, then the Bengals’ offense can be fun.
Cleveland Browns
Offense
QB: Baker Mayfield
RB1: Nick Chubb
RB2: Kareem Hunt
FB: Andy Janovich
WR1: Odell Beckham Jr.
WR2: Jarvis Landry
WR3: Donovan Peoples-Jones *
TE1: David Njoku
TE2: Austin Hooper
LT: Jedrick Wills Jr. *
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: JC Tretter
RG: Wyatt Teller
RT: Jack Conklin
Defense
DE: Myles Garrett
DT: Larry Ogunjobi
DT: Sheldon Richardson
DE: Olivier Vernon
OLB: Jacob Phillips *
MLB: Sione Takitaki
OLB: Mack Wilson
CB: Denzel Ward
FS: Grant Delpit *
SS: Karl Joseph
CB: Greedy Williams
Special Teams
K: Austin Seibert
P: Jamie Gillan
Let’s go Browns. Come on now. The hype was there in 2019, but the results weren’t. After throwing 21 interceptions in a tough second year, Baker Mayfield MUST have a bounce back season, and the pieces are still there. They still have OBJ, Jarvis Landry, and Nick Chubb, and now they add Austin Hooper to compliment David Njoku at tight end, and take Donovan Peoples-Jones in the sixth round to add size to their receiver core. Most importantly, they addressed the offensive line by signing Jack Conklin to play right tackle and draft Jedrick Wills to play on the left side. No excuses for the Browns if they stink again.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Offense
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB1: James Conner
RB2: Benny Snell
FB: Derek Watt
WR1: JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR2: Chase Claypool *
WR3: James Washington
TE1: Eric Ebron
TE2: Vance McDonald
LT: Alejandro Villanueva
LG: Stefen Wisniewski
C: Maurkice Pouncey
RG: David DeCastro
RT: Matt Feiler
Defense
DT: Cameron Heyward
NT: Chris Wormley
DE: Stephon Tuitt
OLB: TJ Watt
ILB: Devin Bush
ILB: Vince Williams
OLB: Bud Dupree
CB: Joe Haden
FS: Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS: Terrell Edmunds
CB: Steven Nelson
NB: Mike Hilton
Special Teams
K: Chris Boswell
P: Jordan Berry
The Steelers have a talented enough defense that can help when win a Super Bowl. Their problem last year was that they had the worst offense in the league. That wasn’t a surprise when they lost Big Ben in the second game of the season, but the Steelers were the only team in the NFL that did not score 28+ points or have 400+ yards in a game. If Ben comes back healthy, and coupled with the addition of former Notre Dame stud Chase Claypool to compliment JuJu Smith-Schuster, don’t count the Steelers out in the AFC.
Single Coverage 