NFL free agency: AFC North Recap

A lot of moves in the division, where do things stack up?

Free agency has died down and the attention has now shifted towards the NFL Draft this upcoming April. The AFC North has seen plenty of movement within the division. Players leaving the division, joining the division, or switching sides and joining their divisional rivals. When it comes to free agency, you always find ways to improve the quality of your team. The Baltimore Ravens dealt with multiple players and coaches leaving the team after a successful season, the Cleveland Browns made specific personnel changes as well as tweaks to their coaching staff. After a season marred by injuries the Cincinnati Bengals looked for ways to improve their team and get back into Super Bowl contention and the Pittsburgh Steelers are using unorthodox ways to keep track in a tough division.

Here is the free agency recap in the AFC North.

Best Move: The Baltimore Ravens retaining DT Justin Madubuike

Despite the Ravens losing multiple starters and coaches on the defensive side of the ball, the one player that they couldn’t afford to lose was Madubuike. While playing in the last year of his rookie deal, Madubuike had a stellar season with Baltimore. Madubuike led the team with 13 sacks, which was a career-best and was one of the many reasons why Baltimore’s interior defensive line was as dominant as it was.

Considering the market Madubuike would have commanded if he walked in free agency, the Ravens franchise tagged him and the two sides were able to come to an agreement on a new contract. Stout against the run and a force along the interior, the Ravens re-signing Madubuike was a win-win for both sides.

Worst Move: The Cincinnati Bengals not trading or signing Tee Higgins to a long-term deal… yet

Things could change but the Bengals not trading/signing Tee Higgins could end up being a bad move for Cincinnati later down the line. Considering how the Bengals salary cap situation is (yes the team has space but the owner is financially cash-strapped) signing Higgins to a long-term deal was always going to be an unlikely possibility.

Quarterback Joe Burrow is making a ton of money with his recent extension, and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will likely command a huge payday (rightfully so). Where does that leave Higgins in this situation? The Bengals didn’t want to risk losing Tee Higgins for nothing if they let him walk in free agency, so the team decided to franchise tag him after failing to come to a deal long term.

How did the talented WR respond? By requesting a trade:

I would be surprised if Higgins plays on the franchise tag but the Bengals are in a lose-lose situation. You can’t pay Higgins and Chase both #1 receiver money, that limits what you can do financially.

The Bengals might as well look to trade Higgins and hope they get a decent return. Higgins is represented by agent David Mulugheta, and if you aren’t familiar with him his clients find a way to get paid. Ask Calvin Ridley.

Confusing Move: The Pittsburgh Steelers signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields

Someone tell me what Pittsburgh is doing in the quarterback situation. To say the Steelers quarterback room has been a disaster since Ben Roethlisberger retired is an understatement. Quarterback Kenny Pickett turned out to be not the guy (who would’ve thought) and the backups of Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky weren’t getting the job done either.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are upgrades over what the Steelers had but the two are question marks.

When it comes to Wilson, he’s not the same QB that he once was in Seattle. With the Denver Broncos, Wils has been somewhat of a below-average starter for the past two years. Despite the improvement statistically with the Broncos last season, his play on the field told a different story. His playmaking, ability to work out of structure has diminished as he gets older and he’s limited in what you want to do offensively.

Wilson can be a starter for most teams but you can only get so much out of someone as limited as he is.

The Steelers then decided to trade for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields for him to be the backup quarterback. Why?

Fields has been underwhelming throughout his career, despite the lack of stability when it comes to head coaches and an underwhelming offensive supporting cast. Chicago helped Fields in regards to building a better offensive supporting cast around him by trading for wide receiver D.J. Moore and finding the right pieces along the offensive line but Fields didn’t make the progress we all thought he would. He’s on the last year of his deal with his fifth-year option looming.

This tweet pretty much sums up how I feel about the QB situation in Pittsburgh:

Seems something that the old Cleveland Browns would do but I’ll stop.

Better or Worst Roster than 2023

Baltimore Ravens: Same (slightly worse)

Aside from signing running back Derrick Henry, the Ravens roster is pretty much the same but a little worst. They defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald who is the new coach of the Seattle Seahawks, multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball such as linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone are gone, as is DE Jadeveon Clowney. On the offensive line, offensive guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson are gone. Tackle Morgan Moses was traded to the New York Jets. The roster could look different pending the NFL draft but I wouldn’t be as concerned about the Ravens going forward

Cincinnati Bengals: Slightly better (with questions)

Like the Browns, the Bengals had their fair share of injuries last season but their roster last season wasn’t as good as people thought. Offensively, Tight end Mike Gesicki will be a plus addition to the Bengals offense and allows some creativity in the passing game and signing running back Zack Moss is a good compliment to Chase Brown. Signing offensive tackle Trent Brown after losing Jonah Williams is a slight upgrade but it’s closer to a lateral move if anything.

Defensively, the safety duo of Geno Stone and Vonn Bell is better than what the team had last year. However, losing defensive tackle D.J. Reader and the situation with Higgins has this roster with questions. Short-term signings but no long-term plan surrounding the key players on the team.

Cleveland Browns: Slightly Better (with questions)

The Browns made somewhat of a splash move, trading for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos. Is Jeudy a spectacular wide receiver? Not necessarily but he’s a solid #2 despite what the public opinion on him might have.

Continuity matters, and Cleveland did that by re-signing key players on the defensive side of the ball such as defensive end Za’Darius Smith and defensive tackles Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris. Losing both linebackers Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki hurt somewhat but Jordan Hicks is a solid replacement for Walker.

Expect Cleveland to potentially address that position in the draft but the roster is somewhat better with questions surrounding specific positions.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Same

The Steelers made some splash moves in free agency with signing linebacker Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens and safety DeShon Elliott to help in the secondary but outside of that, the roster is the same in my opinion. The wide receiver room is a little worse after the team traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers.

As far as the quarterback position goes, the Steelers have two uncertainties there with no clear direction. Wilson is not as good as he used to be and Fields being the backup seems like a year that will be wasted considering he has a fifth-year option that has yet to be picked up.

Hiring Arthur Smith to be their offensive coordinator is better than what Matt Canada was doing but he has two quarterbacks who struggle connecting with the middle of the field in terms of their passing. The roster is average with no sense of direction.

What moves in the AFC North stand out to you the most? Do you think any team got significantly better than last year?