NFL Offseason Grades: AFC North

[Applause] welcome back to the most professional sports channel on YouTube Welcome Back to swivel chair sports I'm your host Zach TR work BR coost today Aaron go and say hion hi if you like your content be sure to like And subscribe leave a comment let us know what you think and thank you for watching but other than that let's go ahead and get into it so in this video we'll be continuing our NFL offseason grading series if you haven't seen our other offseason grading videos make sure to check those out right after this one so far we've given out grades to the teams of the NFC West AFC West NFC North but in this video we'll be taking a look at the AFC North consisting of the Bengals Browns Ravens and Steelers starting off first with the Cincinnati Bengals the Bengals last season separate through the injury of Joe burrow a little over halfway through the season but Jake Browning stepped in almost helped lead the Bengals to the playoffs falling just short as they finished as the only AFC North team to miss out on the postseason last year uh heading into this off season there were questions surrounding th Higgins and whether or not he would be in Cincinnati come the start of 2024 they did lose a few key pieces including veteran defensive lineman DJ reer who signed with the Detroit Lions this off season to pair alongside Aiden Hutchinson while offensive tackle Jonah Williams went down to Arizona to protect kylo Murray and uh Joe Mixon was traded to the Houston Texans in order to clear up some cap space for any extensions in the foreseeable future uh as far as additions go the Bengals did bring in Zach Moss who looked great early last season filling in for an absent Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis before Taylor returned and took back over uh the lead back duties for the Colts as well as signing Gino Stone away from the Rival Baltimore Ravens to hopefully strengthen that secondary while also hurting a division rival in the process uh they also brought in Trent Brown offensive tackle from New England to go opposite of left tackle Orlando Brown and replace some of the production lost by watching uh Jonah Williams walk out the door then moving into the draft uh in the first round taking amarius Mims 18th overall to further improve an offensive line that desperately needs to do a better job protecting Joe burrow with him getting injured just every single year of his career after that they took a fair amount of Defense scooping up a couple defensive linemen to help replace DJ reer in uh Chris Jenkins out of Michigan in the second round and McKinley Jackson out of Texas A&M in the third round along with wide receiver out of Alabama Germaine Burton who they also took in the third round as a potential insurance for uh T Higgins down the line but as well as a replacement for Tyler boy this upcoming season so Aaron with all that being said what's your opinion of the Cincinnati Bengals off [Music] season um well on the offensive side of the ball they they've got all the skill position players they need I mean you said they lost Joe Mixon but they bring in Zach Moss right um who could arguably you know be the same if not a little bit better uh for them in their offense so they just needed to kind of shore up that offensive line and they definitely look to do that I really like that um am Marius Mims pick one of the best uh Raw Talent offensive linemen coming out in this draft yeah and he's got some time to develop behind Orlando and Trent Brown so I think uh that was a a good good selection by them getting guy a guy with maybe a higher ceiling but it's not quite ready to start right away and then I love The Replacements at the D tackle position with Chris Jenkins and mckenley Jackson I think those are both great selections considering you watch DJ reader leave this off season so I think as far as replacing the talent they lost they did a pretty good job of that and then as you said Zack Moss for Joe Mixon so given you know their ability to replace most of those positions they lost this off season I think they did about as good as you could have hoped for for them granted it's probably not in the in the a a range but I'd give them a solid B uh for their performance this off season yeah I mean not a whole lot of super flashy moves um but they didn't really need to they they had found their core group of players that they that they were bringing back so filled in some some polls that they that they had yeah I I think probably D+ yeah I think given you know really the big question for them is just keeping Joe buru healthy if they can keep Joe burrow healthy they're a contender so um like I said replace Tyler Boyd to a degree and then replace DJ reer to a degree as well I think I think they did they did pretty well all right moving on to the Cleveland Browns the Browns last season enjoyed quite the odd year last year Nick chub went down with a gruesome leg injury early in the season and then deshun Watson was in and out of the lineup throughout the year like he has been throughout his St in Cleveland eventually after DeShaun Watson was knocked out for the year uh Cleveland was forced to look towards an old division rival and Joe flacko to come in and save the day leading the Browns who was largely carried by their incredible defense All Season to the playoffs Against All Odds uh they did end up getting dismantled at the hands of the young Hungary Houston Texans but all things considered pretty decent year for the for Cleveland the Browns went into this off season looking to improve a lackluster offense that has been mired in injuries the last few seasons but did suffer through a few notable losses as well watching both linebackers Anthony Walker and cion takii walk out the door as Walker signed with the Miami Dolphins and takitaki went up to New England along with the Browns also letting Joe flacko leave and hope that sha Watson can remain healthy and still has enough left in the tank as far as additions go the Browns were able to swing a trade to bring in another Target for Deshaun Watson to throw to and Jerry Judy from the Broncos who looks to turn his career around after somewhat of a disappointing start in Denver the Browns also brought in linebackers Jordan Hicks from Minnesota and Devin bush from Seattle to replace if not improve upon that production lost in watching Anthony Walker and Taki Taki walk out the door they also signed the Eater of W's himself jamus Winston to back up and more likely than not fill in for deshun Watson who has yet to play a full season since arriving in Cleveland as far as the draft goes the Browns did not have their first round pick thanks to the desun Watson trade so they didn't make their first selection until pick 54 where they selected defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr out of Ohio State to hopefully draw some attention away from Miles Garett and zarius Smith on passing downs but with only five picks after that they weren't able to add much in terms of immediate impact players taking Michigan guard Zack ziner in the third round who's coming off a nasty leg injury that he suffered in Michigan's final regular season game that end up keeping him out of pre-draft workouts as well as also drafting wide receiver Jamari thrash out of Louisville in the fifth round who could be a sneaky pick for them given uh if he's given the opportunities to grow at the NFL level but Aaron what do you uh what do you think of the Browns and what they've been able to accomplish this offseason given their you know cap and draft limitations everyone on all your scrolling through your phone and then we start preparing for these videos and off the top of my head I'm like man Cleveland didn't really do a whole lot but then you remember they brought in Jerry Judy with the trade with Denver soari Cooper is no longer alone out there on the outside right they're going to be getting Nick chub back uh that's obviously big so they I think they did a little bit more than some people realize uh especially me and then some other things they they focused shocker uh AFC North team focuses heavily on defense during the draft in free agency so I I think they probably could have went somewhere else but I mean this this is textbook AFC North uh going D tackles linebackers DBS um so I'm not surprised they they I do like some of their picks you said Michael Hall um I really like that pick but I mean it's it's just kind of part for the course for AFC North yeah yeah and their defense was already pretty stacked I mean like I mentioned there it's basically the whole reason they even made the playoffs last year along with Joe flacko having a little bit of a career Resurgence there at the the second half of the season but um yeah as far as like improving the offensive side I do think some of these moves may go a little uh under the radar the Jamari thrash pick I think he could develop into something speci special behind uh Cooper and now Judy um with him being the third target in that offense maybe even fourth um I I think he could grow into into a pretty solid NFL talent and then Zack zenter assuming that he can get healthy he's a really solid guard up there in the front so um you got to assume they were hoping to you know try to maybe protect deshun Watson down the line you know avoid some of these injuries that he's been having to go through his first two years in Cleveland but yeah all things considered they didn't have you know a whole lot of cap flexibility this off season and then obviously no draft picks really so I think they did okay all things considered I'd probably give them a C+ borderline B minus but I think I'm going to go C+ just because yeah I think they could have improved the offense maybe a little bit more than they did what do you think I would have loved to see uh another wide receiver somewhere along the board whether it's free agency or draft but they did bring in theem Hines who was a real Dynamic player with with Indy um didn't really do a whole lot with Buffalo thanks to some injuries I believe um so it'll be interesting to see uh how he looks this year and if he can kind of shake off the rust and have a real impact for that team uh but with that being said yeah I'd probably lean B minus yeah and and as if Nick chub can come back this year which I don't know if he'll be ready by you know the start of the season but if Nick chub can come back this year that could be you know the difference in that offense you know that I'm looking for um I kind of forgot to factor that in because he did Miss such a large portion of the season last year but yeah right right on the line of B minus for me um it'll be interesting to see how that Nick chub injury you know progresses so okay moving on into the Baltimore Ravens the Ravens enjoyed an amazing season last year clinching the one seed in the AFC and making it all the way to the AFC Championship game where they ran into the defending Champion Kansas City Chiefs and were unable to get over that hump looking to build off a Lamar Jackson MVP run the Ravens made one of the biggest splashes of the 2024 off season but before we get into that let's look at the pieces they lost starting off with linebacker padrick Queen who signed over with the hated rival Pittsburgh Steelers and looks to add to what is already a stacked Steeler defense the Ravens also lost safety Gino Stone to another division rival in the Cincinnati Bengals where Stone can bring an extra Edge to a needy Bengals secondary also on the defensive side of the football the Ravens watch Jon Clowny leave and sign with the Carolina Panthers and along with all those defensive losses Baltimore also watched three key linemen all walk out the door losing tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets as well as guard John Simpson who joins him in New York and possibly the most notable loss on the offensive line guard Kevin zeitler left and signed with the Detroit Alliance so suffice it to say the Ravens lost a lot of talent in the front of that offense that was responsible for helping protect MVP Lamar Jack as far as additions go for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason they of course signed arguably the biggest offensive name and free agency Derrik Henry to a multi-year deal to pair alongside Lamar Jackson and create quite possibly the most impressive and terrifying read option combination in NFL history they were also able to retain star defensive linemen just in Muk who we both thought may have been on his way out the door however when it came to replacing the offensive line talent that they watched walk out the door this year they didn't really address that in free agency and moving on to the uh the draft the Ravens used their first round pick to take cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson 30th overall who should pair beautifully across from Marlon Humphrey in the secondary as well as taking another Corner in TJ Tampa out of Iowa state in the fourth round who could develop into a solid starting NFL corner too Baltimore also took another weapon for Lamar to throw to and devontes Walker wide receiver out of North Carolina who could Thrive alongside Z flowers and Mark Andrews the Ravens did draft tackle Roger rosengarden out of Washington with their second round pick but other than him in seventh round Center Nick samk from Michigan State Baltimore still neglected to replace the Lost offensive line production so Aaron what are your thoughts on the Ravens splishy splashy offseason uh well they also lost pro bowler Tyler Huntley to of course yes I forgot yes notable Pro bow that really hurts he he played uh obviously a decent amount that year that Lamar had that knee issue so losing your your proven backup quarterback that that does hurt with with all jokes aside but yeah kind of Derk Henry being their their biggest flash name uh in free agency um that's good but there wasn't really a whole lot else yeah so that that sucks but I I I do kind of like the draft actually devontes Walker I did like that I don't I like that pick I don't think a lot of people really saw his true potential because the NCA is stupid and was slow on repealing their suspension of him last year so but obviously he went to a good place and then Roger rosengarden out of Washington I really like that pick I I think he'll develop into a really solid player there yeah I think TJ Tampa was a really good value pick already having a pretty good secondary with Marlin Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton so being able to add talents like TJ Tampa and Nate Wiggins alongside those two I think's really good so as far as their draft goes I think they knocked it out of the park like you said I really like what they did in the draft as far as that's concerned free agency I think could other than other than Devin lirry not a big fan of that pick I will say yeah well they can all be winners but I think I think uh I think their draft was really really good I think their free agency outside of like you said outside of Derrick Henry didn't really do a whole lot and they lost a whole lot of offensive line production that I think could end up coming back to bite them of course you got when you got Lamar Jackson a quarterback you could probably afford to have a little bit of an a weak offensive line CU he can evade a pressure better than most quarterbacks can and then Derrik Henry of course you know can run through just about anybody so I wish they would have done more for their offensive line and because of that I'm I'm probably gonna probably going to give him a B minus because the Derk Henry like Derrick Henry pickup was great but they lost a lot of offensive line talent I would just one season love to see Lamar Jackson with you know two All Pro receivers and a solid tight end and just see what he can do because I I don't think he's really gotten to do that um so once again I am disappointed that the Ravens seemingly are doing what the Packers did with Aaron Rogers and just you know here's a weapon here and there but not like fully loading up and believing that their guy can uh can take them all the way and uh kind of leaning on that defense which in that division Fair that's just that's what they do defense defense defense but yeah I'd probably be right around the C+ range yeah I the Derrik Henry pickup's the only thing putting me outside the Seas cuz like I said I I really wish they would have replaced some of that offensive line Talent those are those are three really good linemen that you're watching walk out the door and bringing in one guy who's a rookie and Roger Rosen Garten to replace those guys is you got to do more than that so finally moving on to our last team the Pittsburgh Steelers the Steelers last season snuck into the playoffs as a seven seed for I think the second time since the expanded playoff format uh riding the wave of a staunch defense that carried a Pittsburgh team whose offense could never get it going and this off season they were looking to change that starting off with the notable losses obviously parting ways with starting quarterback Kenny picket shipping him down to Philadelphia to back up Jaylen Herz and honestly just wanted to clean out that QB room all together because it was a nightmare letting go of Mason Rudolph and Mitch trabis as well to uh completely clear out that QB room and whatever curse has been hanging over them since Big Ben had Tommy John surgery hoping that would finally be eradicated the Steelers also decided it was time to move on for veteran receiver Deontay Johnson sending him down to Carolina where he and rot away in obscurity just like Adam thel has as far as notable additions go well you know how I said the Steelers were looking to eradicate whatever curse they had over their QB room well they chose to bring in an entirely separate but quite possibly just as deadly curse and Russell Wilson who they thankfully will not be paying hundreds of millions of dollars to and that makes this a pretty decent move while things considered especially when you factor in trading for Justin Fields this off season having him sit behind Russ pressuring him to hopefully perform better than he did during his short stint in Denver but that's not all because just when you thought the Steelers were focusing on improving the offense this off season and leaving their already stacked defense alone they chose to add yet another pro bowler to the defense and linebacker Patrick Queen signing him away from rival Baltimore Ravens so while they made themselves better they also made their most hated rival worse win-win if you ask me now digging into the draft the Steelers had a pretty solid one to say the least taking tackle Troy fanu out of Washington who was considered one of the better offensive line talents in the draft this year he can improve an underperforming Pittsburgh o line alongside second round pick Center Zack Frasier out of West Virginia who many considered to be a top interior offensive lineman this year not far behind the likes of Jackson Paris Johnson and gram Barton and then taking Michigan receiver Roman Wilson in the third round to replace some the production they're losing uh by watching Deontay Johnson walk out the door hopefully he can be a true number two to George pickings as well as a linebacker Payton Wilson out of NC State in the third round as well who has largely considered to be one of if not the best linebacker Prospect this year and should be able to learn a lot by playing alongside a guy like Patrick Queen so what do you think about the Steelers offseason this year Aaron um well I think they definitely did the the right thing in trying to solve their quarterback problem Kenny picket just wasn't quite getting the job done and you couldn't just keep riding around with you know who who they already had there it it just wasn't working they tried that for several years so just fully moving on and going and getting Russell Wilson who you seemingly know who you're going to get now didn't necessarily have a bad season last year just his his play style doesn't really mesh with Shawn Peyton's offense I think so Shan pyton went and got his quarterback and um now are paying for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback thanks Denver uh as a chese fan I appreciate that and then also going and getting who could be a a really decent I think starting quarterback um if he you know continues to to develop a little bit just some Fields um from Chicago um who was looking to kind of offload uh him to make way for C Caleb Williams so good moves there for for the quarterback position bringing in Van Jefferson who had a decent few years there with u the Rams so kind of replacing Deontay Johnson there and then in the draft love the fanu pick love the The Frasier pick line has not been good these last few years so really dedicating to kind of your your weakest uh bo here I think that they're really showing that they're trying to improve this offseason yeah I think the Steelers definitely took a big step in the right direction like you said clearing out that quarterback room was uh I don't know about long overdue but I think last year before this past season you could even kind of feel like they probably were ready to move on from picket so um getting that opportunity last year you could feel it was like all right this is same old same old yeah yeah so getting the opportunity to move on from picket uh all jokes aside I do think the Russell Wilson situ situation is really really good for Pittsburgh because of the contract being you know basically nothing getting to bring in a Super Bowl winning quarterback Pro Bowl Talent like Russell Wilson to at the very very least Mentor a guy like Justin Fields who you may not be you know committed to long term at least seemingly not cuz I don't think they're willing to offer him an extension but probably rightfully so you know you haven't seen him in your system yet you haven't seen what he's capable of for you guys yet so I think it'll be interesting to see what their plans are at quarterback this next year Justin Fields could be the starting QB by the end of the season for all we know but all things considered I do think the Steelers really really did improve their roster so I think I'm going to give them a B+ because I really like their draft and then as far as free agency goes Patrick Queen adding him to that defense is terrifying um and then yeah just completely changing the QB room is is a huge plus as well so yeah I'm leaning towards a minus another player that I forgot to mention Roman Wilson wide receiver out of Michigan um really I think kind of underrated guy in this draft um I think he could really develop into into someone with some some special hands in the be a real Difference differen Maker there for Pittsburgh so I'd lean a minus yeah I was right on the line of saying a minus I think the only reason I don't is because like it's still a question mark whether or not you improved at QB we're pretty sure did but we we have to see it first so well anything other than what they had now they're at least they're trying that's fair yes they're at least trying they're not going to just you know hand the ball off and hope to win 20 to 12 so but yeah I think this division is going to be a competitive division just like it always is um Ravens some could argue took a little bit of a step back Bengals are going to be right there again Ravens are still going to be right there of course I mean you got Derek so um you could easily say they took a step forward Browns I think if deshun Watson can stay healthy and play at least somewhat up to his potential then you know they're going to be feisty and then you got the Steelers who if Russell Wilson can turn back the clock they're going to be right there in the mix as well so unless you got anything else there I think that'll do it for this episode of the most unprofessional Sports channel on YouTube swivel chair sports up been your host Zach cber ble here with the ghost today Aaron go and say Byer bye all right please make sure to go check out our other offseason grading videos if you haven't already make sure to like And subscribe if you made it this far but other than that have a good day and deuces [Applause]

Channel: Swivel Chair Sports

Views: 602

Keywords: NFL, Offseason, NFL Offseason, NFL Offseason Grades, AFC North Offseason, AFC North, AFC North Offseason Grades, Grading NFL Offseasons, NFL Free Agency, NFL Draft, steelers news, ravens news, nfl news, browns news, bengals news, football news, offseason news, NFL Training Camp, Training Camp, Rookie Mini Camp, NFL Rookie Mini Camp, NFL Offseason Grading, Grading NFL Offseason, Offseason Grades, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinatti Bengals

Id: lU2I4i-w2Ls

Length: 25min 21sec (1521 seconds)

Published: Wed May 29 2024