Baltimore Ravens
2018 Record: 10-6 (1st in AFC North)
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (12th season)
Notable Additions: S Earl Thomas, RB Mark Ingram, WR Seth Roberts
Notable Departures: QB Joe Flacco, OLB Terrell Suggs, ILB C.J. Mosley
-The commitment to Lamar Jackson as the uncontested starting quarterback became official when longtime starter Joe Flacco was traded to the Broncos in early March. This wasn't exactly a shock as Jackson started the final 8 games of last season including their wild card loss to the Chargers, but it's definitely a bold move given Jackson's rawness as a passer (1,201 YDS, 6 TD's, 3 INT's, 58.3 CMP%, 84.5 QBR as a rookie) and the lack of another reliable veteran option on the roster (Robert Griffin III, who has only appeared in 7 games since 2015, is currently the top backup).
Typically when a franchise commits to a young quarterback, they try to establish a stable environment that plays to their strengths in an attempt to maximize their comfort level and subsequently their effectiveness. The Ravens didn't embrace this practice. Outside of bringing in high quality vet Mark Ingram to bolster their backfield depth and versatility, the moves new GM Eric DeCosta made in the offseason have put Jackson at a serious disadvantage as he enters his 1st full season as a starter.
Let's start with the on-field personnel. Of the Ravens top 6 receivers from a year ago, only Willie Snead, Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle-who primarily operates as a blocking tight end- will be returning this season. This means Jackson will be throwing to many as 5-6 new targets if you include Ingram and rookie running back Justice Hill. Trying to build a rapport with a bunch of new guys is bad enough, but the guys they brought in to replace John Brown, Michael Crabtree and Maxx Williams are all puzzling schematic fits for an unrefined passer with questionable arm strength. Ex-Raider Seth Roberts is a mediocre slot receiver who only excels in redzone situations and rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are downfield burners with limited route-running capabilities that struggle to create after the catch when there isn't nothing but green grass in front of them. An offense built around speed and physicality in the passing game can do plenty of damage when you have the right quarterback under center, but when the guy running the show has yet to prove they consistently hit targets downfield or in tight windows, you're likely to end up with a group that gets far more punts than splash plays and TD's.
As problematic as the massive receiver overhaul could prove to be, that choice pales in comparison to the damage that could stem from their offensive coordinator change. Jackson didn't thrive doing anything besides running last year and as the Chargers proved to comical effect in their blowout wild card win, the Ravens offense was incredibly easy to shut down when you played them for a 2nd time. While this may seem like a justification to fire Marty Mornhinweg, I think the lack of playcalling diversity they displayed in the latter stages of the season was less an indictment on him and more of a reflection on Jackson's limitations as a passer at this point. Handing over the reigns to Greg Roman, who was the QB coach last year, isn't likely going to magically turn Jackson into a confident, accurate passer at the professional level and quite frankly, forcing Jackson to learn a new offense for a 2nd straight season could stunt his development as a passer even further. Given Roman's time as the 49ers OC while Colin Kaepernick was under center, it's also entirely possible they run a very similar system as they did last year centered around Jackson's exceptional athleticism and scrambling ability, which clearly would fix none of the problems that they were hoping to solve with the coordinator change. NFL teams often find scapegoats when they underachieve or don't want to admit to a bigger problem within their organization and I strongly believe that the sudden firing of Mornhinweg is one of the more egregious cases of this silly, face-saving phenomenon in recent memory.
-Actively stacking the odds against Jackson wasn't the only failure of DeCosta's baffling offseason plan. Their 2nd ranked scoring defense from a year ago got absolutely ransacked in free agency. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Eric Weddle and 2 of their top 3 pass rushers (Za'Darius Smith, team legend and locker room leader Terrell Suggs) all walked out the door without any sort of resistance. Bringing in future hall of famer Earl Thomas to play center field along with the lack of change among their strong corner and defensive tackle groups should prevent this mass exodus from turning into a genuine personnel crisis, but enlisting the perpetually average Matthew Judon and the oft-injured Pernell McPhee to be your top pass-rushers, and someone as inexperienced as Kenny Young to be the field general that makes sure everyone lines up in the right spot is a very alarming proposition for a group that is typically defined by its heavy veteran presence at key positions. DC Don Martindale is going to have to work some serious magic if they want to retain the elite form they displayed for the bulk of 2018.
-The chances the Ravens have of overcoming this groundswell of change and making it back to the playoffs for a 2nd straight year lies squarely on the shoulders of John Harbaugh. His resume may not be as spotless as it once was, but the fact remains that they've only had 1 losing season since he arrived in 2008. He's maximized the output of nearly every team he's ever coached and it wouldn't be at all surprising if he was able to do it again with a roster that's a strange mix of seasoned and supremely talented at some key positions and young and very flawed at others.
-The commitment to Lamar Jackson as the uncontested starting quarterback became official when longtime starter Joe Flacco was traded to the Broncos in early March. This wasn't exactly a shock as Jackson started the final 8 games of last season including their wild card loss to the Chargers, but it's definitely a bold move given Jackson's rawness as a passer (1,201 YDS, 6 TD's, 3 INT's, 58.3 CMP%, 84.5 QBR as a rookie) and the lack of another reliable veteran option on the roster (Robert Griffin III, who has only appeared in 7 games since 2015, is currently the top backup).
Typically when a franchise commits to a young quarterback, they try to establish a stable environment that plays to their strengths in an attempt to maximize their comfort level and subsequently their effectiveness. The Ravens didn't embrace this practice. Outside of bringing in high quality vet Mark Ingram to bolster their backfield depth and versatility, the moves new GM Eric DeCosta made in the offseason have put Jackson at a serious disadvantage as he enters his 1st full season as a starter.
Let's start with the on-field personnel. Of the Ravens top 6 receivers from a year ago, only Willie Snead, Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle-who primarily operates as a blocking tight end- will be returning this season. This means Jackson will be throwing to many as 5-6 new targets if you include Ingram and rookie running back Justice Hill. Trying to build a rapport with a bunch of new guys is bad enough, but the guys they brought in to replace John Brown, Michael Crabtree and Maxx Williams are all puzzling schematic fits for an unrefined passer with questionable arm strength. Ex-Raider Seth Roberts is a mediocre slot receiver who only excels in redzone situations and rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are downfield burners with limited route-running capabilities that struggle to create after the catch when there isn't nothing but green grass in front of them. An offense built around speed and physicality in the passing game can do plenty of damage when you have the right quarterback under center, but when the guy running the show has yet to prove they consistently hit targets downfield or in tight windows, you're likely to end up with a group that gets far more punts than splash plays and TD's.
As problematic as the massive receiver overhaul could prove to be, that choice pales in comparison to the damage that could stem from their offensive coordinator change. Jackson didn't thrive doing anything besides running last year and as the Chargers proved to comical effect in their blowout wild card win, the Ravens offense was incredibly easy to shut down when you played them for a 2nd time. While this may seem like a justification to fire Marty Mornhinweg, I think the lack of playcalling diversity they displayed in the latter stages of the season was less an indictment on him and more of a reflection on Jackson's limitations as a passer at this point. Handing over the reigns to Greg Roman, who was the QB coach last year, isn't likely going to magically turn Jackson into a confident, accurate passer at the professional level and quite frankly, forcing Jackson to learn a new offense for a 2nd straight season could stunt his development as a passer even further. Given Roman's time as the 49ers OC while Colin Kaepernick was under center, it's also entirely possible they run a very similar system as they did last year centered around Jackson's exceptional athleticism and scrambling ability, which clearly would fix none of the problems that they were hoping to solve with the coordinator change. NFL teams often find scapegoats when they underachieve or don't want to admit to a bigger problem within their organization and I strongly believe that the sudden firing of Mornhinweg is one of the more egregious cases of this silly, face-saving phenomenon in recent memory.
-Actively stacking the odds against Jackson wasn't the only failure of DeCosta's baffling offseason plan. Their 2nd ranked scoring defense from a year ago got absolutely ransacked in free agency. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, safety Eric Weddle and 2 of their top 3 pass rushers (Za'Darius Smith, team legend and locker room leader Terrell Suggs) all walked out the door without any sort of resistance. Bringing in future hall of famer Earl Thomas to play center field along with the lack of change among their strong corner and defensive tackle groups should prevent this mass exodus from turning into a genuine personnel crisis, but enlisting the perpetually average Matthew Judon and the oft-injured Pernell McPhee to be your top pass-rushers, and someone as inexperienced as Kenny Young to be the field general that makes sure everyone lines up in the right spot is a very alarming proposition for a group that is typically defined by its heavy veteran presence at key positions. DC Don Martindale is going to have to work some serious magic if they want to retain the elite form they displayed for the bulk of 2018.
-The chances the Ravens have of overcoming this groundswell of change and making it back to the playoffs for a 2nd straight year lies squarely on the shoulders of John Harbaugh. His resume may not be as spotless as it once was, but the fact remains that they've only had 1 losing season since he arrived in 2008. He's maximized the output of nearly every team he's ever coached and it wouldn't be at all surprising if he was able to do it again with a roster that's a strange mix of seasoned and supremely talented at some key positions and young and very flawed at others.
Bottom Line:
They're too well coached and talented in certain crucial areas (running back, secondary, offensive/defensive line, special teams) to completely fall apart, but with defenses likely catching onto Jackson's run-happy tendencies at quarterback, a notable regression from their 10 win 2018 seems likely.
Cincinnati Bengals
2018 Record: 6-10 (4th in AFC North)
Head Coach: Zac Taylor (1st season)
Notable Additions: G John Miller, G John Jerry, DE Kerry Wynn
Notable Departures: ILB Vontaze Burfict, G Clint Boling (retired), TE Tyler Kroft
-Seeing Marvin Lewis get fired was like watching Wolverine die at the end of Logan. It served as an important reminder that no matter how long or hard they fight to stay alive, even the seemingly invincible have to meet their demise eventually. The only thing more surprising than Lewis finally getting axed was who the notoriously strange and cheap owner/GM Mike Brown chose to replace him.
Brown went against his practice of only hiring people he has familiarity with (returning special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons as well as former employees Hue Jackson, Vance Joseph and Bill Lazor all interviewed for the job) by enlisting former Rams QB coach Zac Taylor to be the 10th HC in franchise history. Taylor will likely get the luxury of time to try and build up a program that many coaches aren't afforded in the modern NFL, but it remains to be seen if that's a task he's cut out for or not. The 35-year old spent just 2 seasons with the Rams (1 as an assistant WR coach, 1 as a QB coach) and only experience as an NFL playcaller came during a 5 game stretch with the Dolphins in 2015 after Lazor was fired (the team went 2-3 and averaged just 17 PPG during that time).
While I'll reserve judgement until he calls some more games, it's hard to not get the impression that Taylor was hired simply because he worked with Sean McVay-who is being worshipped in every corner of the league at the moment after turning around the Rams so quickly. Taylor had absolutely no HC buzz behind him before Jared Goff went off last year, and it reeks of "a right place, right time" situation following a season where the Rams made it to the Super Bowl and there was no truly coveted candidates available like there had been in the past few years. It was time for Lewis to go after 16 mostly respectable, but ultimately futile seasons, they just might have brought in the wrong guy to replace him.
-Offensive line has been a massive crutch for this team ever since Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler left following the 2016 season. Bringing in former Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn did nothing to help matters last season as their offense puttered out (21st in rushing, 24th in passing) in large part due to their ineptitude and ultimately graded out as the 6th worst line in the league according to Pro Football Focus. 2019 looks like it's going to be yet another long season for Andy Dalton and friends.
2019 1st round pick Jonah Williams is projected to be out for the season after getting surgery to repair a torn labrum in June, a couple of traffic cones would likely do a better job in pass protection than right tackle Bobby Hart and their big solution to their guard woes of late appears to be the dynamic duo of John Jerry-who didn't play a snap in 2018 after an underwhelming 3 year stint with the Giants and John Miller-who somehow managed to coerce Brown into giving him a 3-year deal after 4 miserable seasons with the Bills. If anything other than disaster ensues from this ragtag group, Taylor should consider himself the luckiest SOB in the state of Ohio.
-It's no secret that things are pretty bleak for the Bengals. Dalton is a mediocre quarterback who will likely getting dumped for a young kid in the next year or two, their defense is well below average and they're stuck in a division with teams that have way more talent than them. So what keeps the Bengals out of the "worst team in the league" conversation? That would be their skill position players. Joe Mixon is a tough, hard runner that averaged just under 5 yards a carry behind the aforementioned horrific offensive line, Tyler Boyd enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 with 1,028 YDS and 7 TD's and even though his durability is starting to really come into question of late (he's expected to be out until at least late September after tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle on the 1st day of training camp) A.J. Green is a dynamic vertical threat whenever he's on the field. This pretty deep arsenal of playmakers they have should be enough to get them to 5 or 6 wins, regardless of how well Taylor or the offensive line performs.
Brown went against his practice of only hiring people he has familiarity with (returning special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons as well as former employees Hue Jackson, Vance Joseph and Bill Lazor all interviewed for the job) by enlisting former Rams QB coach Zac Taylor to be the 10th HC in franchise history. Taylor will likely get the luxury of time to try and build up a program that many coaches aren't afforded in the modern NFL, but it remains to be seen if that's a task he's cut out for or not. The 35-year old spent just 2 seasons with the Rams (1 as an assistant WR coach, 1 as a QB coach) and only experience as an NFL playcaller came during a 5 game stretch with the Dolphins in 2015 after Lazor was fired (the team went 2-3 and averaged just 17 PPG during that time).
While I'll reserve judgement until he calls some more games, it's hard to not get the impression that Taylor was hired simply because he worked with Sean McVay-who is being worshipped in every corner of the league at the moment after turning around the Rams so quickly. Taylor had absolutely no HC buzz behind him before Jared Goff went off last year, and it reeks of "a right place, right time" situation following a season where the Rams made it to the Super Bowl and there was no truly coveted candidates available like there had been in the past few years. It was time for Lewis to go after 16 mostly respectable, but ultimately futile seasons, they just might have brought in the wrong guy to replace him.
-Offensive line has been a massive crutch for this team ever since Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler left following the 2016 season. Bringing in former Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn did nothing to help matters last season as their offense puttered out (21st in rushing, 24th in passing) in large part due to their ineptitude and ultimately graded out as the 6th worst line in the league according to Pro Football Focus. 2019 looks like it's going to be yet another long season for Andy Dalton and friends.
2019 1st round pick Jonah Williams is projected to be out for the season after getting surgery to repair a torn labrum in June, a couple of traffic cones would likely do a better job in pass protection than right tackle Bobby Hart and their big solution to their guard woes of late appears to be the dynamic duo of John Jerry-who didn't play a snap in 2018 after an underwhelming 3 year stint with the Giants and John Miller-who somehow managed to coerce Brown into giving him a 3-year deal after 4 miserable seasons with the Bills. If anything other than disaster ensues from this ragtag group, Taylor should consider himself the luckiest SOB in the state of Ohio.
-It's no secret that things are pretty bleak for the Bengals. Dalton is a mediocre quarterback who will likely getting dumped for a young kid in the next year or two, their defense is well below average and they're stuck in a division with teams that have way more talent than them. So what keeps the Bengals out of the "worst team in the league" conversation? That would be their skill position players. Joe Mixon is a tough, hard runner that averaged just under 5 yards a carry behind the aforementioned horrific offensive line, Tyler Boyd enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 with 1,028 YDS and 7 TD's and even though his durability is starting to really come into question of late (he's expected to be out until at least late September after tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle on the 1st day of training camp) A.J. Green is a dynamic vertical threat whenever he's on the field. This pretty deep arsenal of playmakers they have should be enough to get them to 5 or 6 wins, regardless of how well Taylor or the offensive line performs.
Bottom Line:
A new coach and roster that's seemingly on the cusp of getting blown up for a rebuild is not a good mix to compete in a division that's as tough as the AFC North.
A new coach and roster that's seemingly on the cusp of getting blown up for a rebuild is not a good mix to compete in a division that's as tough as the AFC North.
Cleveland Browns
2018 Record: 7-8-1 (3rd in AFC North)
Head Coach: Freddie Kitchens (1st season)
Notable Additions: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Oliver Vernon, RB Kareem Hunt
Notable Departures: G Kevin Zeitler, S Jabrill Peppers, OLB Jamie Collins
-Something weird is happening in Cleveland. We're just 2 years removed from a historically awful 0-16 campaign and the Browns are now being viewed as a feared contending team as the 2019 season approaches. Truly amazing stuff. So how did we arrive this juncture? Well after Hue Jackson got fired following a 33-18 loss to the Steelers in Week 8, the Browns went onto to close out the year on a 5-3 run. During that time, Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward emerged as potential cornerstone pieces with their impressive play alongside 2017 #1 overall pick Myles Garrett-who earned his 1st career All-Pro honor last season after amassing 13.5 sacks.
This hype that the young players built up after their strong finish in 2018 escalated to a whole new level when the Browns blockbuster-filled offseason kicked off with a trade to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants. OBJ's electric, refined skill set has made him one of the most lethal receiving weapons in the league since he arrived on the scene in 2014 and pairing a dynamic playmaker like him that can be deployed in multiple spots on the offense alongside a fantastic short-to-intermediate yardage receiver in Jarvis Landry gives Mayfield the rare luxury of being able to attack defenses in any way imaginable.
Headlining the rest of the Browns sizable haul is edge rusher Oliver Vernon, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and running back Kareem Hunt. Vernon is about as good as anyone in the league at applying pressure on quarterbacks, Richardson is an adept run stuffer whose services are much needed on a D that ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed last season and while he's suspended for the 1st 10 games stemming from the domestic violence incident that led to his release from the Chiefs last fall, Hunt is a premier dual-threat back with some of the most frightening breakaway speed in the league that could prove to be an X-factor during the stretch run. Adding all of these pieces to units that were already full of promising young talent gives the Browns a sky high ceiling for at least the next 3-5 years as long as everybody lives up to their potential and/or continues to grow as players.
So this buzzy, talented group has to be viewed as the clear frontrunner to win the division and possibly work their way into the Super Bowl mix right? As far as I'm concerned, absolutely not. To be completely honest, I think this Browns squad is setting themselves up for a letdown of epic proportions. I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't bowled over initially when they added all these players. Their roster is silly good now and as a big OBJ fan, the prospect of him playing with a QB that was still alive was very exciting.
However, as the offseason has progressed, I've become more and more down on them as a team. The way these guys-particularly Mayfield and Beckham- have conducted themselves all offseason is just embarrassing. They're getting snippy with the media, arguing with fans on Twitter and publicly buying into the insane hype that's been built around them when they've literally accomplished nothing meaningful thus far. Like guys, you went 2 games over .500 against mediocre competition once your all time dink coach got fired halfway through the season. It was a nice turnaround, but it was hardly a sign that you were on the cusp of bringing a Lombardi back to Cuyahoga County. At least the Jaguars waited until they went to an AFC Championship to ratchet their shit talk up to an unjustifiable level.
The inexperience of their head coach can also not be overlooked when evaluating this team. Like his roster, Freddie Kitchens has prematurely been made out to be a football wizard because he did a good job running the offense on an INTERIM BASIS last season. Those 8 games after Jackson was fired were the only times he ever called plays at any level. Now, he's being asked to handle the daunting task of leading the god damn team (Friendly reminder: Gregg Williams, not Kitchens was the interim HC last season). The Browns were playing with house money last season and fared pretty well, but what happens now that there's pressure on them to succeed and opponents gunning for their heads? Does he have what it takes to adjust on the fly? Can he handle a locker room full of big personalities if/when true adversity hits? How about come up with new wrinkles to the offense if people start successfully scheming against Mayfield now that he's spent a year in the league and they have plenty of tape on him? Kitchens' ability or inability to handle these obstacles could very well determine if the Browns make their long-awaited breakthrough or continue to make the fine people of Cleveland suffer with another soul-crushing disappointment of a season.
-John Dorsey's slew of roster moves at least somewhat improved a lot of their biggest issues (pass rushing outside of Myles Garrett, rush defense, lack of a top receiver) from a year ago. Naturally to improve at all these spots, they had to make some sacrifices somewhere. Unfortunately, the area where they regressed was the offensive line.
On paper, it might not seem that drastic as they're set to return 4 of their 5 starters from a year ago. However, the starter they lost was stud guard Kevin Zeitler. Without Zeitler, their run blocking is inevitably going to take a stepback, the weakness of their tackles (Greg Robinson, Chris Hubbard) is more likely to be exposed and Austin Corbett, who struggled mightily on a limited basis as a rookie in 2018, is being thrust into the starting lineup. Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter are good enough to prevent this group from turning into a complete liability, but it is a little baffling to see a team with so much invested in their young skill position players roll the dice on 3/5 of their offensive line.
-With the signing of Demetrius Harris, David Njoku's job security needs to be called into question. You could look at the move as simply a case of Dorsey bringing in another guy he liked from his Kansas City days as a fallback option or a desire to deploy some more 2 TE looks, but it could also be a sign to Njoku that he needs to step his game up heading into year 3. Njoku's sophomore campaign had just as many as highs as it did lows as with him continuing to struggle with drops (6 on 88 targets) and consistency (held to under 40 yards in 8 games) among all the acrobatic catches and splash plays.
Buried behind star Travis Kelce during his time with the Chiefs , Harris could be hungry to prove himself as a top tight end that was only held back by lack of opportunities. The potential has always been there for Njoku, he just needs to display it on a more regular basis in order to keep the threat of Harris poaching his job from becoming something more than a blogger's largely baseless speculation.
This hype that the young players built up after their strong finish in 2018 escalated to a whole new level when the Browns blockbuster-filled offseason kicked off with a trade to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants. OBJ's electric, refined skill set has made him one of the most lethal receiving weapons in the league since he arrived on the scene in 2014 and pairing a dynamic playmaker like him that can be deployed in multiple spots on the offense alongside a fantastic short-to-intermediate yardage receiver in Jarvis Landry gives Mayfield the rare luxury of being able to attack defenses in any way imaginable.
Headlining the rest of the Browns sizable haul is edge rusher Oliver Vernon, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and running back Kareem Hunt. Vernon is about as good as anyone in the league at applying pressure on quarterbacks, Richardson is an adept run stuffer whose services are much needed on a D that ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed last season and while he's suspended for the 1st 10 games stemming from the domestic violence incident that led to his release from the Chiefs last fall, Hunt is a premier dual-threat back with some of the most frightening breakaway speed in the league that could prove to be an X-factor during the stretch run. Adding all of these pieces to units that were already full of promising young talent gives the Browns a sky high ceiling for at least the next 3-5 years as long as everybody lives up to their potential and/or continues to grow as players.
So this buzzy, talented group has to be viewed as the clear frontrunner to win the division and possibly work their way into the Super Bowl mix right? As far as I'm concerned, absolutely not. To be completely honest, I think this Browns squad is setting themselves up for a letdown of epic proportions. I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't bowled over initially when they added all these players. Their roster is silly good now and as a big OBJ fan, the prospect of him playing with a QB that was still alive was very exciting.
However, as the offseason has progressed, I've become more and more down on them as a team. The way these guys-particularly Mayfield and Beckham- have conducted themselves all offseason is just embarrassing. They're getting snippy with the media, arguing with fans on Twitter and publicly buying into the insane hype that's been built around them when they've literally accomplished nothing meaningful thus far. Like guys, you went 2 games over .500 against mediocre competition once your all time dink coach got fired halfway through the season. It was a nice turnaround, but it was hardly a sign that you were on the cusp of bringing a Lombardi back to Cuyahoga County. At least the Jaguars waited until they went to an AFC Championship to ratchet their shit talk up to an unjustifiable level.
The inexperience of their head coach can also not be overlooked when evaluating this team. Like his roster, Freddie Kitchens has prematurely been made out to be a football wizard because he did a good job running the offense on an INTERIM BASIS last season. Those 8 games after Jackson was fired were the only times he ever called plays at any level. Now, he's being asked to handle the daunting task of leading the god damn team (Friendly reminder: Gregg Williams, not Kitchens was the interim HC last season). The Browns were playing with house money last season and fared pretty well, but what happens now that there's pressure on them to succeed and opponents gunning for their heads? Does he have what it takes to adjust on the fly? Can he handle a locker room full of big personalities if/when true adversity hits? How about come up with new wrinkles to the offense if people start successfully scheming against Mayfield now that he's spent a year in the league and they have plenty of tape on him? Kitchens' ability or inability to handle these obstacles could very well determine if the Browns make their long-awaited breakthrough or continue to make the fine people of Cleveland suffer with another soul-crushing disappointment of a season.
-John Dorsey's slew of roster moves at least somewhat improved a lot of their biggest issues (pass rushing outside of Myles Garrett, rush defense, lack of a top receiver) from a year ago. Naturally to improve at all these spots, they had to make some sacrifices somewhere. Unfortunately, the area where they regressed was the offensive line.
On paper, it might not seem that drastic as they're set to return 4 of their 5 starters from a year ago. However, the starter they lost was stud guard Kevin Zeitler. Without Zeitler, their run blocking is inevitably going to take a stepback, the weakness of their tackles (Greg Robinson, Chris Hubbard) is more likely to be exposed and Austin Corbett, who struggled mightily on a limited basis as a rookie in 2018, is being thrust into the starting lineup. Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter are good enough to prevent this group from turning into a complete liability, but it is a little baffling to see a team with so much invested in their young skill position players roll the dice on 3/5 of their offensive line.
-With the signing of Demetrius Harris, David Njoku's job security needs to be called into question. You could look at the move as simply a case of Dorsey bringing in another guy he liked from his Kansas City days as a fallback option or a desire to deploy some more 2 TE looks, but it could also be a sign to Njoku that he needs to step his game up heading into year 3. Njoku's sophomore campaign had just as many as highs as it did lows as with him continuing to struggle with drops (6 on 88 targets) and consistency (held to under 40 yards in 8 games) among all the acrobatic catches and splash plays.
Buried behind star Travis Kelce during his time with the Chiefs , Harris could be hungry to prove himself as a top tight end that was only held back by lack of opportunities. The potential has always been there for Njoku, he just needs to display it on a more regular basis in order to keep the threat of Harris poaching his job from becoming something more than a blogger's largely baseless speculation.
Bottom Line:
Unreasonably high expectations, a whole lot of trash talk from talented players that have yet to accomplish anything of note in the league and a 1st year head coaching running the show is enough for me to believe that we're looking at the 2019 version of the Dream Team Eagles.
Unreasonably high expectations, a whole lot of trash talk from talented players that have yet to accomplish anything of note in the league and a 1st year head coaching running the show is enough for me to believe that we're looking at the 2019 version of the Dream Team Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers
2018 Record: 9-6-1 (2nd in AFC North)
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (13th season)
Notable Additions: CB Steven Nelson, ILB Mark Barron, WR Donte Moncrief
Notable Departures: WR Antonio Brown, RB Le'Veon Bell, T Marcus Gilbert
-The subtractions of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are being greatly exaggerated. As special as both of these guys, the Steelers have viable contingency plans in place to make up for that lost production. James Conner faired just fine (1,471 scrimmage YDS and 13 TD's in 13 games) in Bell's absence last year, the dynamic JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off of a 111 REC/1,426 YD/7 TD season, is more than ready to be a #1 wideout in this league and their offensive line is still a dominant bunch that should put them in a great position to thrive. Not to mention, the locker room should be in a much better place without those guys in it (particularly Brown).
To be fair, the depth did take a hit in the wake of Bell and Brown's departure. Most notably, their receiving options behind Schuster aren't necessarily the greatest. James Washington was a huge flop as a rookie, Donte Moncrief is borderline useless outside of jumpball situations in the redzone, Vance McDonald was practically invisible prior to his career-best campaign (50 REC, 610 YDS, 4 TD) last year and while rookie Dionate Johnson is a perfect match for a deep ball-reliant quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, his route-running and hands are going to need to improve before he can contribute in the pros. Despite those legit concerns, I'm still expecting this offense to be among the best in the league yet again in 2019.
-It's been a long way back for the Steelers defense since the Troy Polamalu/James Harrison/Ike Taylor/Casey Hampton/Brett Kiesel-era came to a close. They've flashed steady improvement since Keith Butler took over as DC in 2015 and have finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense in each year since. GM Kevin Colbert made defense his top priority this offseason and now it's looking like this group could finally make the leap from solid to flat-out great.
Colbert shocked a lot of people by going against his usual stick-and-pick, reward homegrown talent approach to teambuilding by inking ex-Chiefs corner Steven Nelson, an up-and-coming talent who has exceled in man coverage over the past 2 seasons, to a 3-year deal in free agency and trading up from #20 to #10 to land Michigan inside linebacker Devin Bush-a freakishly athletic potential centerpiece with unreal sideline-to-sideline speed who could finally the void left by Ryan Shazier's (likely) career-ending injury. As surprising as it was to see Colbert embrace a different philosophy, he did a nice job of addressing the most dire needs they had on this side of the ball without sacrificing a ton of valuable assets or cap space in the process. Putting Nelson and Bush alongside their reigning 6th-ranked rush defense and a solid pass rush led by rising star T.J. Watt, and you're looking at the possible blueprint for a top 5 defense.
-If the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again this season, it might be time to consider firing Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has done a pretty great job throughout his lengthy tenure in Pittsburgh, but a combination of losing focus late in games and locker room issues have prevented this team from reaching their potential a lot of late. Even though they play in a competitive division, the AFC isn't overly loaded with great teams at the moment and there's absolutely no excuse outside of a full-blown injury plague that will make them failing to secure a playoff spot for a 2nd consecutive season acceptable.
-The subtractions of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are being greatly exaggerated. As special as both of these guys, the Steelers have viable contingency plans in place to make up for that lost production. James Conner faired just fine (1,471 scrimmage YDS and 13 TD's in 13 games) in Bell's absence last year, the dynamic JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is coming off of a 111 REC/1,426 YD/7 TD season, is more than ready to be a #1 wideout in this league and their offensive line is still a dominant bunch that should put them in a great position to thrive. Not to mention, the locker room should be in a much better place without those guys in it (particularly Brown).
To be fair, the depth did take a hit in the wake of Bell and Brown's departure. Most notably, their receiving options behind Schuster aren't necessarily the greatest. James Washington was a huge flop as a rookie, Donte Moncrief is borderline useless outside of jumpball situations in the redzone, Vance McDonald was practically invisible prior to his career-best campaign (50 REC, 610 YDS, 4 TD) last year and while rookie Dionate Johnson is a perfect match for a deep ball-reliant quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, his route-running and hands are going to need to improve before he can contribute in the pros. Despite those legit concerns, I'm still expecting this offense to be among the best in the league yet again in 2019.
-It's been a long way back for the Steelers defense since the Troy Polamalu/James Harrison/Ike Taylor/Casey Hampton/Brett Kiesel-era came to a close. They've flashed steady improvement since Keith Butler took over as DC in 2015 and have finished in the top half of the league in scoring defense in each year since. GM Kevin Colbert made defense his top priority this offseason and now it's looking like this group could finally make the leap from solid to flat-out great.
Colbert shocked a lot of people by going against his usual stick-and-pick, reward homegrown talent approach to teambuilding by inking ex-Chiefs corner Steven Nelson, an up-and-coming talent who has exceled in man coverage over the past 2 seasons, to a 3-year deal in free agency and trading up from #20 to #10 to land Michigan inside linebacker Devin Bush-a freakishly athletic potential centerpiece with unreal sideline-to-sideline speed who could finally the void left by Ryan Shazier's (likely) career-ending injury. As surprising as it was to see Colbert embrace a different philosophy, he did a nice job of addressing the most dire needs they had on this side of the ball without sacrificing a ton of valuable assets or cap space in the process. Putting Nelson and Bush alongside their reigning 6th-ranked rush defense and a solid pass rush led by rising star T.J. Watt, and you're looking at the possible blueprint for a top 5 defense.
-If the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again this season, it might be time to consider firing Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has done a pretty great job throughout his lengthy tenure in Pittsburgh, but a combination of losing focus late in games and locker room issues have prevented this team from reaching their potential a lot of late. Even though they play in a competitive division, the AFC isn't overly loaded with great teams at the moment and there's absolutely no excuse outside of a full-blown injury plague that will make them failing to secure a playoff spot for a 2nd consecutive season acceptable.
Bottom Line:
The Steelers almost made the playoffs last year despite enduring a brutal 4 game losing streak during the stretch run. With the Le'Veon Bell/Antonio Brown saga officially over and some more defensive firepower on the roster, they should be back in the fold in 2019.
The Steelers almost made the playoffs last year despite enduring a brutal 4 game losing streak during the stretch run. With the Le'Veon Bell/Antonio Brown saga officially over and some more defensive firepower on the roster, they should be back in the fold in 2019.
Projected Standings:
1.Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
2.Cleveland Browns (7-9)
3.Baltimore Ravens (7-9)
4.Cincinnati Bengals (5-11)
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