SCRIPT FLIPPED
A former doormat takes its place among the elite while a gold-standard franchise looks primed for a plunge
EVERYONE KNOWS that things change fast in the NFL, but in the AFC North, roles reversed with stunning speed, and the Bengals were the main agents of change. After three consecutive last-place finishes, Cincinnati came within five minutes of a Super Bowl championship in February. Their run was fueled first and foremost by Joe Burrow’s superstar sophomore season. He could be even better this year, because this spring the Bengals addressed their biggest weakness, a shaky offensive line, by adding three new starters in free agency: former Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins, former Bucs right guard Alex Cappa and former Patriots center Ted Karras.
But Cincinnati’s defense played an oft-overlooked role last year. Coordinator Lou Anarumo effectively mixed coverages as the defensive line got it done behind two 2021 free-agent signings: edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and run stopper D. J. Reader. As long as the defense continues to hold its own, Cincinnati will head back to the postseason.
The presumed top challenger to the Bengals is the Ravens, a team that dealt with an absurd rash of injuries in 2021. Among them: Lamar Jackson was inactive for five games with an ankle injury, franchise left tackle Ronnie Stanley (also ankle) missed all but the season opener, ball-hawking cornerback Marcus Peters and the entire running back depth chart were lost for the season in August, and All-pro CB Marlon Humphrey missed the final month of ’21.
Mike Macdonald, a longtime Baltimore assistant who spent last season at Michigan (under John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim), returns, now as defensive coordinator. Simply getting Humphrey and Peters back will make a big difference—as should the addition of former Saint Marcus Williams at safety. He should solidify a secondary that had a surprising number of coverage busts a year ago. Offensively, Jackson’s durability is a lingering question, but the bigger question is whether Baltimore’s passing offense will expand, especially after trading wideout Marquise Brown to the Cardinals in April. Baltimore needs Rashod Bateman, a 2021 first-round pick, to step up.
For the f irst time in nearly two decades, the Steelers will be breaking in a new quarterback, either free agent Mitchell Trubisky, signed from Buffalo, or first-round pick Kenny Pickett out of Pitt. Finding a successor for Ben Roethlisberger is the biggest question facing this team, but its run defense was stunningly leaky a year ago, a fact overshadowed by T. J. Watt’s Nfl-record- tying 22Π-sack performance. Coach Mike Tomlin, new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and new assistant head coach Brian Flores need to find a way to steady the front seven.
Of course, the division’s biggest offseason change came in Cleveland, where the Browns traded a trove of draft picks to the Texans for—and awarded the largest guaranteed contract in league history to— Deshaun Watson despite accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault against Watson from more than two dozen women in the massage therapy industry. With Watson facing likely suspension, veteran backup Jacoby Brissett will lead a run-heavy offense, something he did capably during his lone season starting in Indianapolis in 2019. If the defense’s young back seven solidifies behind Myles Garrett & Co. up front, this might not be the lost season many expect in Cleveland.