AFC North burning questions for 2023 season Can Steelers take the next step Can Lamar Jackson stay healthy | Forum

Of the eight divisions, the AFC North may be the most compelling. It also has the most questions to answer with just over 100 days before the start of the 2023 regular season.Winners of the last two AFC North crowns, the are once again the favorite to finish ahead of Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh in the standings. But the Bengals' pursuit of a third straight division title won't be easy, as they have several personnel questions and the challenge of a first-place schedule.Cincinnati also has to contend with a division that should be one of the best. The -- who nearly upset Cincinnati in January's AFC wild card showdown -- breathed a sigh of relief after they finally came to terms on a longterm deal for . The , a 9-win team the last two years, are hoping to have a breakthrough season following a succe sful offseason. The , who finished last in the North for a second straight year in 2022, are hoping that can lead them back to he playoffs for the first time since 2020 and for only the third time since the franchise returned to the league back in 1999.With OTAs underway, we decided to take a look at each AFC North's burning question. Let's start with the team that has won more playoff games than any other over the past two seasons. Aside from a few positions, Cincinnati basically ran back its roster in 2022 that had won an AFC title the previous season. While most of the Bengals' starting lineup is still intact, they will have a revamped secondary after losing starting safeties and in free agency and electing not to re-sign starting cornerback .To be clear, the Bengals' secondary wasn't gangbusters last season. The unit ranked 23rd in the league in pa sing yards allowed during the regular season and got picked apart by during January's three-point lo s in the AFC Championship Game. The unit still had its moments, however, and losing a player of Bates' caliber won't be easy.The Bengals, anticipating Bates' departure, spent last year's first-round pick on former Michigan safety . They also used a fourth-round pick to select cornerback , who played admirably as a rookie when asked to replaced injured Martin Brodeur Women Jersey starter . The team signed former safety in free agency to fill Bell's shoes. CIN QB #9 CMP%68.3YDs4475TD35INT12YD/Att7.38 Cincinnati added more players to its secondary during this April's draft. They selected former Michigan corner (thus reuniting him with Hill) with the 60th pick and former Alabama safety with the 95th pick. Both players will provide much-needed depth in 2023 while helping make for the team's free agent lo ses.The Bengals' approach towards their secondary makes a lot of sense. Instead of re-signing Bates, Bell and Apple, the team opted to replace them with younger players while saving money that they will try to use to keep quarterback and wideouts and . It's an approach that will probably pay dividends down the road, but what about in 2023? and Scott rise to the challenge, or will the Bengals' secondary be what keeps Cincinnati from reaching a third straight AFC title game? Only time will tell.There were rumblings that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wanted to go from a run-first offense to an aerial attack during Watson's first full season in Cleveland. Based on their personnel moves, it appears that Haslam will get his wish. The Browns still have , a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the best running backs. But they parted ways with and , who combined rushed for over 900 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Chubb's new backups, and , have eight career carries between them.What they may lack in backfield depth, the Browns make up for it at receiver. Cleveland's receiving corps features former Pro Bowler , former second-round pick , veterans and , second year wideout and rookie third-round pick . The Browns also still have tight end , a former first-round pick who caught 94 pa ses and eight touchdowns over the past two years. CLE QB #4 CMP%58.2YDs1102TD7INT5YD/Att6.48 The succe s of the Browns' new-look offense will very much come down to Watson, who was mediocre at best during his six starts in 2022. Of last year's struggles, Watson said that it was at least partly due to his receivers learning how Andreas Borgman Kids Jersey to play with him. While several of Watson's wideouts will have experience with him this season, several of them haven't, so the challenge of building a rapport with at least a portion of his receiving corps still remains. It's been four years since Watson led Houston to a 24-0 lead over Kansas City in the divisional round before suffering an epic collapse. It's been three years since Watson's last Pro Bowl campaign that also happened to be the year where he led the in pa sing yards. That was also Watson's worst season as far as his record as a starter (4-12). We're rehashing this to emphasize the fact that it's been a while since Watson was a Pro Bowler-caliber quarterback and even longer since he was a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback for a playoff team.Can Watson return to that level? He's still just 27 years old, so he has youth going for him. But like Jackson (more on this later), teams that play Watson often have learned how to limit his effectivene s as a runner (Watson had his least effective rushing season in 2022). He also has to learn to trust his teammates more while depending le s on his athleticism to put points on the board.The Browns are desperate hoping that the answer is yes, that Watson will return to his Pro Bowl level while leading the Browns to the promised land. Watson, after all, is a rare talent who has a laser for a right arm and maneuverability that would make Fran Tarkenton jealous. And if he struggles along the way, he'll still have Chubb behind Scottie Upshall Men Jersey him and one of the better offensive lines in front of him. We know this much about Jackson and the Ravens: When Jackson plays, the Ravens usually win, as least in the regular season. Baltimore is 45-16 in the regular season with Jackson in the starting lineup. They were 15-9 with Jackson in the lineup the last two years.It's a different story, however, when Jackson is unable to play. The Ravens mi sed the playoffs in 2021 after going 1-4 without Jackson, who mi sed the season's final month with an injury. Baltimore started the 2022 season with an 8-4 record with Jackson but had to settle for a 10-7 record when Jackson mi sed the season's final give games with a knee injury. The Ravens, with under center, fought but ultimately fell to Cincinnati in the wild card round.In same ways, Jackson's immense talent is both a ble sing and a curse. His peerle s athletic ability has made him the greatest running quarterback in history (yes, better than Michael Vick). No one plays the quarterback position the way Jackson does. He's truly in a cla s by himself as far as his ability to impact a game. That's why the Ravens paid him the big bucks this summer. BAL QB #8 CMP%62.3YDs2242TD17INT7YD/Att6.88 Jackson's unique talent, however, has also contributed to his injuries. Sure, you could say that Jackson's injuries were freak incidents that happens when you play football. But you could also argue, with conviction, that those injuries were at least partly the result of cumulative wear and tear on Jackson's body as the result of taking too many shots when asked to run one too many times through the teeth of a defense. Make no mistake about it, the Ravens have tried to squeeze every last ounce out of Jackson's talent. And while the results have at times been good, it's also contributed to Jackson watching the end of Baltimore's last two seasons from home.The narrative that the Ravens had to use Jackson the way they've used him is rubbish. Jackson has a career pa sing percentage of 63.7%. He led the in touchdown pa ses during his MVP season. Sure, he may not have Patrick Mahomes-like accuracy on deep pa ses, but Jackson has the ability to stretch defenses out with his arm. It's also not like the Ravens did him many favors as far as his receiving corps in the past. That won't be the case this year, however, as the Ravens acquired three-time Pro Bowl wideout . and first-round pick .Like Cleveland, it appears that Baltimore has rebuilt their offense in order to have more succe s as far as pa sing is concerned Magnus Paajarvi Men Jersey . That doesn't mean, however, that the Ravens are going to abandon what has been arguably the best rushing attack when Jackson and starting running back are healthy. It should mean that Jackson will be asked to run le s, something that new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken . If the Ravens are more selective with Jackson's running, it should lead to a healthier Jackson and more wins for the franchise. It appears that this is the direction the Ravens are heading in, but we won't know for sure until the ball is kicked off in September.Mike Tomlin's "The Standard is the Standard" quote has become synonymous with Steelers football. Regardle s of the circumstance or situation, Tomlin wants his team to relentle sly pursue victory while upholding the Steelers' rich history of championship-caliber football.Tomlin's philosophy has been a big reason why the Steelers are one more 9-plus wins season away from making it 20 consecutive seasons without having a losing record. Of the previous 19 seasons, 16 of those have come under Tomlin, who holds the record for the most non-losing seasons to start a head coaching career. That streak will undoubtedly be highlight when Tomlin's Hall of Fame case is made years from now. As impre sive as the streak is, there's another streak in Pittsburgh that the Steelers would certainly like to see come to an end. It's been seven years since the Steelers won a playoff game, making them the AFC North team with the longest drought since a playoff win. Starting with the 2016 AFC Championship Game lo s to the , the Steelers have lost their last four playoff games. Pittsburgh mi sed the playoffs altogether in 2018, 2019, and 2022. PIT QB #8 CMP%63.0YDs2404TD7INT9YD/Att6.18 While the playoff drought is discouraging, the Steelers have largely been looked at as overachievers the last two seasons. Pittsburgh went 9-7-1 in 2021 with a subpar offensive line protecting 39-year-old and a new offensive coordinator that before Pittsburgh had never worked in the . Last year, the Steelers salvaged what was a lost season by going 7-2 down the stretch after a 2-6 start. The Steelers did so despite playing with a rookie quarterback and without reigning Defensive Player of the Year for seven games.Unlike the last two seasons, a 9-win campaign for the 2023 Steelers won't be looked at as an overachievement. Double-digit wins might be the floor for the '23 Steelers following an offseason that has received praise from just about every corner. In his first full offseason as GM, Omar Khan made several notable moves that Jake Allen Men Jersey included trading up three spots in the draft to select former Georgia left tackle . The Steelers later regained the fourth-round pick they gave to New England in order to trade up by moving back 13 picks in the third round in a deal with the .Despite trading back, the Steelers were still able to select their top-remaining player on the board, tight end and fellow former Bulldog Darnel Washington. Pittsburgh then used its fourth-round pick that was acquired in the trade with Carolina to select , the former Wisconsin outside linebacker and the younger brother of new Steelers lineman .That sequence of events during the draft in many ways symbolized the Steelers' offseason. . fell into their lap at the start of the second round of the draft. In free agency, the Steelers were able to sign several notable players that includes former starting guard and eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback .Along with their newcomers, the Steelers have some pretty good players coming back. They have arguably the best safety in , the league's best outside linebacker in Watt, a perennial Pro Bowl defensive lineman in Cam Heyward, and an offense that features former Pro Bowl wideouts and II, fellow receiver , tight end and former Pro Bowl running back .Pittsburgh's offense is led by , who went 7-5 last season after becoming the starter in Week 4. All signs would suggest that Pickett is poised for a big year. Instead of getting third-team reps, Pickett is getting first-team reps in practice after getting bits and pieces of first team work last offseason. He said this week that he has added 15 pounds of muscle onto his 6-foot-3 frame after barely taking any time off from his training following the '22 season. Along with having better offensive teammates, Pickett also has the luxury of having a dozen starts under his belt.Pickett isn't Burrow, who barring injury will be in the league's MVP conversation this season. Pickett is good enough, however, to help get the Steelers back to being among the AFC's upper echelon. And if things go their way like they did this offseason, it could be enough to make serious noise when the playoffs begin in January.