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Bengals: AFC North might have the best quarterbacks in the conference

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TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 09: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers celebrates after a fourth quarter rushing touchdown by Clyde Edwards-Helaire #22 (not pictured) against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 09: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers celebrates after a fourth quarter rushing touchdown by Clyde Edwards-Helaire #22 (not pictured) against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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With the high likelihood that the Cincinnati Bengals draft Joe Burrow, quarterback play in the AFC North could be the best in the conference.

With the expectation that the Cincinnati Bengals will Draft LSU phenom Joe Burrow, the AFC North could boast maybe the best four quarterbacks in the AFC. If Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield can find the form from his rookie campaign, a division featuring Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, Mayfield in Cleveland, and Burrow in Cincinnati will be impressive and heavy on the Heisman awards.

It will also lift the North to some relative prominence. With Mayfield and the Browns slumping as bad as they did in 2019, and a 2-14 Cincinnati team that was just bad enough to lock up the first pick in the draft, 2020 could show a dramatic reversal of fortune.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore will enter the season as the class of the division. However, the wildcard in the North will be what happens with Cleveland and Cincinnati. Rejuvenation with the two Ohio teams in addition to some better play at the quarterback position stands to make for a tough run for the Ravens and Steelers.

Of both the Browns and the Bengals, a very fair argument can be made that the overwhelming excitement and optimism is in Cincinnati. Burrow, already a fan and media favorite, looks the part of the next franchise type of quarterback the team desperately needs. If the offensive line can get healthy, big things could be on deck in the Queen City.

While 2020 may be premature, the foursome of Roethlisberger, Jackson, Mayfield, and Burrow will be something to watch. With Jackson already laying claim to maybe the best in all of football, the division will have a noticeable swag to it for the coming years. If all four can move the needle with their respective teams, the AFC North could resemble the heyday of the once-vaunted NFC East.

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Burrow could be that final piece of the puzzle. Not just for the Bengals, but for a division needing a boost.

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