In the first two installments of this series, ranking the AFC North by first tight end rooms and then running back groups, Cincinnati finished second-to-last in both articles. However, this week, we'll take a look at each team's receiving corps, and we all know the Bengals aren't finishing third place in this ranking. In fact, we all know exactly where Cincy is going to rank in this list.
How does the rest of the division shake out, though? Through trade, free agency, and the draft, there has been a lot of movement among the AFC North's group of wideouts, and a couple of the teams are taking almost entirely new groups into the 2026 season. While it may not be enough to dethrone the Chase-Higgins tandem, it is enough to shift the rankings below those two.
With that being said, let's rank the AFC North teams by their wide receiver rooms.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
4. Baltimore Ravens - Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker
It was difficult deciding whether to put the Browns or Ravens in last place, but ultimately, Baltimore takes the 4th spot as I give the edge to Cleveland's rookies over Baltimore's, who actually aren't mentioned in the three listed above, but we will still get to.
Zay Flowers serves as the standout of the group, and he's a fine WR1. He's a back-to-back Pro Bowler and has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in both of those seasons. Flowers doesn't score a lot, but a big reason why is that Baltimore likes to turn to their run game once they get near the end zone, which tends to happen when you have Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, as the Ravens finished third in the league in rushing touchdowns.
He did have three fumbles last season, but considering he didn't fumble once in the regular season in his first two years, it feels like that's a fluke rather than a newly-acquired flaw in his game.
Behind Flowers, you have Rashod Bateman, who is heading into his 6th year in the NFL-- all with Baltimore. Coming off the best season of his career in 2024, where the Minnesota alum posted career highs in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (tripling his career total), Bateman followed it with the worst year of his career.
Despite starting 12 games, Rashod put up career lows in receiving yards (224), success rate (42.1%), receptions per game (1.5), and catch percentage (50%). This makes him a huge question mark. Will he bounce back in 2026, or will he just prove that 2024 was a fluke rather than a breakout season?
Then you have the 2024 fourth-round pick out of UNC, Devontez Walker, who hasn't seen the field much in his first two seasons. Last year, he only caught six passes (although three of them were for touchdowns), so, like Bateman, he too is a question mark.
Even if he's slotted at WR3 at the moment, there's a chance Walker loses that spot to one of the two rookie wideouts the Ravens selected in the 2026 draft: Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt. An interesting pair who were both less heralded than their teammate wide receivers who were also taken in the same draft, Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr., respectively, but still have plenty of potential. Sarratt even led the entire FBS in receiving touchdowns en route to Indiana's first National Championship.
It feels like either one of them could beat out Walker for a starting role, which Head Coach Jesse Minter all but confirmed with this quote mentioned in an article by Paul M. Banks of Ravens Wire: "I do think there will be major opportunities for at least one of them when you look at the number of guys that we have." Even considering that, it's difficult to justify putting Baltimore anywhere else but 4th, especially since Cleveland has the more intriguing pair of rookie wideouts.
3. Cleveland Browns - Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston
It's not exactly a hot take to say that the Browns have the worst WR1 in the division with Jeudy. After it finally looked like the Alabama alum was going to come alive and join the likes of Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Jameson Williams, Jeudy took a huge step back in 2025, nearly halving his production from the previous year. Granted, Cleveland's quarterback situation was less than ideal, but the same problems were plaguing the former first round pick.
Once again, he was near the top of the league (tied for second, actually) in drops with 10, and a drop rate of 9.4%, well above the league average that hovers around 6%.
Fortunately for Cleveland, they beefed up their wide receiver room through the draft, and chances are, Jeudy won't be their number 1 by the time the season starts. With their back-to-back selections in the 2026 NFL Draft (Nos. 24 and 39), the Browns went wide receiver, grabbing Texas A&M's KC Concepcion and Washington's Denzel Boston.
Leading up to the draft, Boston and Concepcion were considered by most to be in that 2nd tier, right under the top guys of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordan Tyson. Not the "top dogs", but 1st-round caliber prospects. So, the fact that the Browns snagged both of them-- one of which in the 2nd round-- should ideally beef up their receiving corps.
After spending his first two seasons with NC State, Concepcion transferred to Texas A&M and had his best season, putting up 919 yards and nine touchdowns and earning All-American honors. As for Boston, he was at Washington for his entire collegiate career, and in his last two seasons with the Huskies, Boston finished with 125 receptions for 1,715 yards and 20 touchdowns. Boston is also one of the taller receivers in the league, standing at 6'4".
Further down the depth chart, you have 4th-year Brown Cedric Tillman, who has always been in a more reduced role in Cleveland's offense, coming off the bench when they're short-handed. Then, you have 2025 UDFA Isaiah Bond. Bond was originally projected to go as high as the 2nd-round, but legal issues led to him falling out of the draft entirely. He had 18 receptions for 338 yards in 2025.
Like their running back room, Cleveland may not have one of the best wide receiver groups, but it's one of the most interesting, filled with young talent. Not enough to break into the top 2 in the division, but enough to inspire hope.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers - DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson
Outside of Cincinnati, Pittsburgh has the most proven wide receiver unit in the division through its top 2 alone. DK Metcalf, who the Steelers traded for during the 2025 offseason, didn't have an incredible first year in Pittsburgh, with just 59 receptions for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Metcalf could easily be the second-best receiver in the division and a top receiver in the league with his 6'4, 229lb frame. The problem is he seems to forget how much bigger and stronger he is than everyone else. Obviously, it is possible that he gets over that mental hurdle, but we're eight years into his career now, so I wouldn't bet on it. Nonetheless, he's still a solid WR1 and has hovered around 1,000 receiver yards in every year of his career.
However, what really earns Pittsburgh second place is the trade they made for Michael Pittman Jr. this past March. All it took was a sixth-round pick, and they even got a 7th-rounder back.
Pittman spent the first six years of his career in Indianapolis, putting together 485 receptions for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns during his tenure there. Now, he joins the Steelers and helps make up a dynamic 1-2 punch with Metcalf. Neither of them are necessarily elite nor all that explosive, but together they could make for a sneakily dangerous duo.
Behind that pair, you have another 2024 draft pick, third-rounder Roman Wilson. Wilson hardly played his rookie year (in fact, he played just 5 snaps the entire season), and saw a little more action in 2025, catching 12 passes for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It'll be interesting to see what he does with an expanded role-- if he gets it.
Drafted in the second round this year, Germie Bernard is definitely in the running for that WR3 spot. In his last year at Bama, Bernard put together a productive season in the stacked Crimson Tide offense, finishing with 64 receptions, 862 yards, and seven touchdowns. Bernard also has the versatility to play wherever Pittsburgh wants him, whether that be outside, in the slot, or even in the backfield. If he does earn a starting role, it could make this group all the more versatile.
Still, it's not enough to be the best.
1. Cincinnati Bengals - Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas
Is anyone surprised? At all?
We are just five years into Ja'Marr Chase's career, and his accolades are already stacking up. Offensive Rookie of the Year, a two-time 1st-Team All-Pro (named back-to-back in 2024 and 2025), a triple-crown winner, and has been in the Pro Bowl every single season of his career. He's one of the most dangerous and shifty wide receivers in the league, constantly a top leader in yards after catch, only coming second to Puka Nacua last year among wideouts.
Not only is he by far and away the best receiver in the AFC North, but he's arguably the best in the league as a whole.
He's not the only elite weapon the Bengals have either. It's hard to argue that anyone in the division is better than Tee Higgins, besides Chase. A jump ball maestro, Higgins, like Metcalf, has consistently hovered around 1,000 yards a season, more often than not finishing in the 800-900 range. Last year, after leading the team with 11 receiving touchdowns, the Clemson alum was named to his first Pro Bowl.
There aren't many 1-2 punches that are on the same level as Chase and Higgins, and definitely none in the division.
Now, their wide receiver room is a little top-heavy, which is fine when you have those two. Iosivas will likely be their WR3 for the third straight season. Even though he has trouble creating separation, isn't explosive or consistent, and developed a nasty dropping habit last year, Iosivas has still been incredible value for a 6th-round pick.
Ideally, there's some competition between him and fourth-round pick Colbie Young or Mitchell Tinsley during training camp. Young was the only true head-scratching pick among fans that the Bengals made in the 2026 Draft, as he was coming off a fractured leg and never had a real standout year in college, but there's a chance he thrives in Cincy's offense with the attention on the other two wideouts. Tinsley was a nice story, earning a spot on the team and making some great catches, but probably not someone you want starting.
Regardless, Chase and Higgins alone put Cincinnati's receiving group a step above the rest of the division and earn them their first #1 placement in these rankings.
Next week, we'll be looking at the other side of the ball, taking a look at the EDGE rooms of the division.
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