The AFC North has been a division steeped in success in recent years. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals often house some of the most well-rounded rosters in the league, and even the historically struggling Clevland Browns have reason to smile after securing the services of Myles Garrett for another four years back in March.
A 12-5 record saw the Ravens top the standings for the second year running but a shake-up feels increasingly likely to be around the corner with the Cincinnati Bengals’ high-powered offense and Aaron Rodgers in his new colours of black and gold breathing down their necks.
Strengths: Quarterbacks
Three bonafide superstars (albeit Aaron Rodgers is 41) and the intriguing, ridiculously deep quarterback room of the Browns make the signal callers of this division a major talking point. The stellar play of Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow is a given, and many expect Rodgers to take a leap after his stint with the Jets because well, who doesn’t.
Cleveland’s unique situation with two highly touted rookies backing up a seasoned veteran in Joe Flacco will garner attention off the field if nothing else but having Flacco as the worst QB in any division means you’re looking at a seriously good crop.
Breakout candidate: Jaylen Warren
The former Oklahoma State running back is entering his fourth season in the NFL, all with the Steelers. He has been stuck behind Najee Harris for the RB1 spot but has still managed to put up decent numbers, rushing for 784 yards and four touchdowns back in 2023. With Harris now in LA, Warren has a chance to solidify himself as an above-average NFL starter.
Harris rushed for 1000 yards in each of his four seasons with the team whilst for the most part looking uninspiring on a team that was much the same. This fills me with hope that Warren can produce to a similar level and take some of the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers.
Rookie to watch: Mike Green
To put Shedeur Sanders here would be foolish, even though I’m sure everyone was thinking it. The media hype surrounding the 144th pick means all eyes are already on him, all while he is unlikely to see the field for most of the season. For this reason, I chose to go for the Ravens potential new pass rush superstar Mike Green.
The Marshall product was a projected high first round pick until off-field issues caused a fall to the Ravens at 59th overall. Green’s pure speed and twitch helped him to become a dominant force in college and he has that flair and grit that Baltimore always seem to make great use of.
This pick is reminiscent of a few the Eagles have made in recent years, taking a gamble on someone with bad press surrounding them and making the rest of the NFL regret their choices for years to come.
