Ranking every offensive position group in AFC North
With Lamar Jackson re-signing with the Baltimore Ravens, Elijah Moore joining the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers having a stellar draft, it’s time to analyze and rank offensive position groups in the AFC North.
Observing starters and rotational pieces, we will be looking at where the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Browns, and Steelers position groups rank with one another. The AFC North is historically one of the toughest and grittiest divisions in the entire NFL, let’s take a look at how these teams’ offensive units size up.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
Quarterback
- Bengals
- Ravens
- Browns
- Steelers
Joe Burrow takes the cake among all AFC North quarterbacks, throwing for 4,474 yards and 35 touchdowns in this past season, while totaling five playoff wins in two years. He has reached the Super Bowl and the AFC Championship in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons respectively. Burrow is one of the young faces of the league, and will be leading the Bengals for years to come.
Baltimore recently reached contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson, securing him a five-year, $260 million extension just hours before the draft. When healthy, Jackson is a scourge to defenses across the league, but season-ending injuries in back-to-back seasons have allowed the Bengals to take the division. If he can stay healthy for 2023, Jackson could return to his MVP form.
The Browns threw the kitchen to obtain 2020 league leader in passing yards, Deshaun Watson. After sitting out the 2021 season and being suspended eleven games in 2022, the Cleveland signal-caller was subpar at best.
Watson earned a measly 55.3 grade on Pro Football Focus, throwing five interceptions to only seven touchdowns. He slots in as the third guy on this list because of his potential, but if Lamar underperforms or battles injury, Watson could jump him if he can regain himself.
Kenny Pickett showed some promise in his rookie season after being drafted 20th overall by Pittsburgh last year. His playing style is comparable to vintage Andy Dalton as he is supported by his defense and run game, but can serve as a field general as well.
After Pittsburgh reinforced their offensive line with rookie Broderick Jones from Georgia, Pickett will have more time to pass and should continue to develop. He’s a solid quarterback and could be the second-best signal-caller in other divisions, but Pickett coming in at fourth speaks to the talent in the AFC North.