With the NFL Draft over and NFL Training Camps a little over two months away, we have officially entered the quiet part of the NFL offseason. Small moves at this point will still be done, a few of the bigger names left in free agency will sign contracts but for the most part, it will be quiet. Teams now will look to put the finishing touches on their offseason before moving into training camp mode by mid-July.
For the AFC North, it’s been a busy offseason with each of the division’s four teams doing plenty over the last few months as they look to compete in an AFC that is led by the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills may not be too far behind Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Bet on the AFC North and more with Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts. Below, we’ll take a look at each team in the AFC North and how their offseasons have gone so far.
Baltimore Ravens
It was an interesting and eventful offseason for the Ravens, to say the least. A majority of their offseason has been spent around the future of Lamar Jackson. Was the former league MVP going to stay in Baltimore long-term or was he going to take his talents elsewhere? Well, now we know. Lamar Jackson will be a Baltimore Raven after signing a five-year, $260 million contract extension at the beginning of May. Keeping the former Heisman Trophy winner in Baltimore was by far their most important task of the offseason and Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and team president Sashi Brown succeeded in doing so.
Now, it was also an offseason about continuing to build around Jackson and putting together all the pieces that could help the Ravens contend for another Super Bowl. On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens brought in names such as wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and wide receiver Nelson Agholor while re-signing running back Justice Hill. Adding Beckham, Jr. and Agholor are much-welcomed additions in Baltimore as the Ravens have struggled to put together a quality wide receiver room around Jackson.
Defensively, they added Rock Ya-Sin to their cornerback room while also re-signing safety Geno Stone, cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Kevon Seymour as well as linebackers Del’Shawn Phillips and Kristian Welch.
It was also a strong draft for the Ravens, adding Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers in the first round before addressing their needs on the defensive side of the ball and on the offensive line. After their first-round pick, their next three picks were used on the defense in Clemson LB Trenton Simpson (third round), Mississippi defensive end Tavius Robinson (fourth round), and Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (fifth round). In the sixth and seventh rounds, they added Oregon offensive tackle Malaesala Alumavae-Laulu and USC guard Andrew Vorhees.
Offseason Grade: B – Overall, it’s been a solid offseason for the Ravens. Keeping Lamar Jackson around long-term was the biggest priority for the franchise and they got that job done. They’ve added nice complementary pieces to the team as well this offseason but we’ll see if it’s enough to move the needle in the upper echelon of the AFC. The 2023 Ravens schedule has just been released.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals don’t have to worry about ponying up and paying Joe Burrow. Yet. That being said, this offseason was about building up the offensive line for Burrow who has taken a huge amount of punishment in his brief career. Those worries have been answered in the form of four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr and offensive guard Cody Ford. They also added tight end Irv Smith, Jr. to their already dangerous passing attack and a solid safety / great special teams performer in Nick Scott. They also re-signed wide receiver Trent Taylor, running back Trayveon Williams, safety Michael Thomas, and linebacker Germaine Pratt.
In the draft, the Bengals addressed much of their defensive needs adding Clemson DE Myles Murphy (first round), Michigan cornerback DJ Turner (second round), and Alabama safety Jordan Battle (third round) all in the first two days. On day three, they focused more on the offensive side of the ball in Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones (round four), Illinois running back Chase Brown (round five), and Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (round six), before adding Michigan punter Brad Robbins in the sixth round and Miami (FL) cornerback DJ Ivey in the seventh round.
Offseason Grades: B+ – It wasn’t an overly eventful offseason for the Bengals but they filled in their keyholes on the offensive line which could be enough to get the Bengals back to the Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns
Again, not an eventful offseason for the Browns but it was solid. They added several quality pieces through free agency in defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, safety Juan Thornhill, defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, tight end Jordan Akins, wide receiver Elijah Moore, wide receiver Marques Callaway, and defensive tackle Trysten Hill. None of these moves are flashy but should add considerable depth at a cheap price with Tomlinson, Okoronkwo, and Thornhill being likely starters as well. They also recently added safety Rodney McLeod to their roster.
The Browns didn’t have many draft picks at their disposal this year after the Deshaun Watson trade a year ago. That being said, they added some nice pieces in the third round in wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive tackle Siaki Ikia out of Baylor. In the fourth round, they added Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones and Missouri defensive Isaiah McGuire before finishing their draft with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson out of UCLA in the fifth round, Ohio State center Luke Wypler in the sixth round and Northwestern cornerback Cameron Mitchell in the seventh round.
Offseason Grades: B- : The Browns as mentioned above added quite a bit of high-quality pieces for a rather considerably cheap price. It’s hard seeing this move the Browns into legitimate contention but they may have enough to get into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are not always known for signing big names but they did a nice job this offseason at adding some veterans to their roster in cornerback Patrick Peterson, guard Isaac Semaulo, guard Nate Herbig, and linebackers Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts as well as safety Keanu Neal. They also traded for Los Angeles wide receiver Allen Robinson II.
In the draft, the Steelers had a very good draft, selecting offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round out of Georgia to protect their franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett. In the second round, they added the son of Steelers legend Joey Porter in Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr before adding Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton later in the second round. In the third round jumbo athlete and tight end, Darnell Washington was their selection before dipping back into the Wisconsin Badgers football program to select linebacker Nick Herbig in the fourth round. They’d round out their draft with Purdue cornerback Corey Trice, Jr. and Maryland guard Spencer Anderson both in the seventh round.
Offseason Grade: B+ : It was a good offseason for the Steelers, they addressed their secondary needs with Patrick Peterson and Keanu Neal in free agency before adding a high upside piece in Joey Porter Jr. The additions of offensive guards Isaac Seamaulo and Nate Herbig will be big for Kenny Pickett this upcoming season as will the addition of wide receiver Allen Robinson. Ultimately, the Steelers season will ride on the shoulders of Pickett and if he can take the next step.
