Maxx Crosby trade shows every AFC North team is more all-in than Bengals

Wouldn't it be awesome to know that the Cincinnati Bengals were all-in to win a Super Bowl? Just once?

They're not. Free agency and the draft haven't even arrived yet, and we already know the truth. The Bengals aren't making moves like a team that's gearing up for something epic. They're nickel-and-diming vets like Jalen Davis and Dalton Risner to one-year deals, and not coming close to maximizing their 2026 salary cap ceiling.

Joe Burrow must once again be wondering how this is possible. He's publicly stated a willingness to restructure his contract, but the Bengals won't do it.

Here's why we can conclude, before the new league year kicks off in earnest, that AFC North rivals Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers are more all-in on the coming season than Cincinnati.

Going through each AFC North team's all-in case & why Bengals bring up the rear

Ravens pull off epic Maxx Crosby trade despite tight cap & Lamar Jackson contract

This could change in a matter of hours, but after scoring Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders for two first-round picks, Baltimore sits at $12.1 million over the 2026 salary cap. The Ravens only have a projected $4.2 million-ish to work with in 2027. Lamar Jackson is due to be a $74.5 million cap hit this year, which must change soon to get under the league limit.

Joe Burrow's cap hit, as of now, is about $26.5 million less than Jackson's. The Bengals have $47.2 million in '26 cap space, and about $151.5 million to play with next year.

Do you see the disconnect here? That alone tells me Baltimore is far more serious about a Lombardi Trophy. And that's as they're transitioning to a new coaching staff led by Jesse Minter.

Browns came out swinging with solid trade & restructured radioactive QB Deshaun Watson

Look at what the Browns did to damage-control the ongoing disaster that is disgraced quarterback Deshaun Watson, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot:

Cleveland should have no aspirations to be competitive this season, yet the team has traded for Houston Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard. The Browns' entire o-line is hitting the open market, but here they go, wheeling and dealing for a player in Howard who can function at a high level really at any position other than center.

Obviously, the Watson restructure was as much about cap compliance as anything else. That Howard trade, though, should signal that Cleveland has an internal belief — however delusional it may be — that the team can be competitive this year. And with that Myles Garrett-led defense, the pieces are in place to at least have a puncher's chance.

All the Browns need in new head coach Todd Monken's offense is a game manager who can lean on the run game and not commit dumb turnovers. Whether it's Watson, Shedeur Sanders, or someone else, Monken is a proven offensive mind who got the very best out of Jackson as Baltimore's offensive coordinator.

A quick reminder of some of the 5-12 Browns' losses from 2025:

• Week 1: 17-16 vs. Bengals
• Week 5: 21-17 vs. Vikings in London (Taylor Gabriel at QB)
• Week 11: 23-16 vs. Ravens (Browns QBs had 81 passing yards, 39.7 rating)
• Week 16: 23-30 vs. Bills

Cleveland was only one game back of the Bengals in the standings. This team is a lot closer to respectability than people realize.

Incompetent and laughable as the Browns organization is, that defense is downright scary and only requires a slightly below-average complementary offense to be in the running for a Wild Card berth. Monken's arrival should be able to provide that.

Last year's draft was a goldmine for Cleveland, too, with multiple high-impact rookies. Duke Tobin can't relate. Browns GM Andrew Berry has two first-rounders this year. The supporting cast on offense has nowhere to go but up, even if the o-line retooling is a little problematic. Not having two rookie QBs starting is ideal, but maybe the Brownies get lucky and Ty Simpson is a stud.

In any event, it's wild that Cleveland seems more interested in competing in 2026 than the Bengals to this point. Sleep on the Browns at your own peril.

Mike McCarthy hire proves Steelers aren't backing down from 'the standard'

Unlike their typical, extraordinarily big-picture view of head coaching hires, the Steelers broke against the grain by hiring 62-year-old Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy as Mike Tomlin's successor.

Yup, that makes three different head coaches in the AFC North, while the Bengals stay pat with Zac Taylor. I don't mind that Taylor is still the coach. Burrow and the players support him, probably recognizing Cincinnati's organizational issues run far deeper and above the coaching staff.

But anyway, McCarthy is renowned as a quarterback guru and wins at a high clip wherever he goes. He isn't the coaching hire you make if you're in a rebuild.

To invoke a Tomlinism, "The standard is the standard."

Could you imagine hearing something like this about the Bengals? Not about the wide receiver position. They're set there. Just having a beat reporter (PennLive's Nick Farabaugh) putting out a message that signals this much of a proactive approach to address a clear roster weakness?

This alone tells me Pittsburgh is more all-in than the Bengals. We'll see if it comes to pass. I'm talking about the *mindset* more than the execution at this juncture.

The Steelers still have a strong, if aging and expensive defense. They have the flexibility to pay the top free agent QB, Malik Willis, or the built-in McCarthy relationship with Aaron Rodgers to keep their play at the most important position pretty strong. Whether it's Willis, Rodgers, or someone else, McCarthy has the goods to dial up a quality passing game.

It would've been understandable if Pittsburgh moved on from some of its veterans to start a proper rebuild. Could still get some decent trade value on some of them. But nope, all indications are the Steelers are primed to be big spenders on the open market.