AFC North | Offseason Biggest Winners and Losers

Pittsburgh Steelers - Baltimore Ravens - Cincinnati Bengals - Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

Winner: Najee Harris

Najee Harris has true three-down skills and he's proved he can handle a big workload as a lead back. Sure, he ran behind one of the best offensive lines in college football, but that doesn't take away from his talent. With the Steelers, he'll have to turn it up a notch and showcase his tackle-breaking skills behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Harris broke 20 more tackles than any other running back as a senior. He will look to join the likes of the Steelers' greats like Le'Veon Bell, Franco Harris, and Jerome Bettis.

Loser: JuJu Smith-Schuster

After signing a one-year prove-it deal, JuJu Smith-Schuster will be returning to a crowded Steel City wide receiver room. While the passing volume is high, the Steelers added Najee Harris and rookie second-round pick TE Pat Freiermuth to further make matters worse. Smith-Schuster will also have to once again compete for targets with Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington. Plus, he's catching balls from an aging quarterback who may be washed.

Baltimore Ravens

Winner: Rashod Bateman

There's no question that somewhere Lamar Jackson was smiling after hearing the Ravens select WR Rashod Bateman from Minnesota University. Bateman projects as the physical WR 1 that the Ravens have long coveted. Passing volume may be a concern as the Ravens only average 17 throws per game, but it reminds us of a similar situation in which a very talented AJ Brown was selected by the run-first Titans in 2019.

Loser: Hollywood Brown

Marquise Brown is better suited to be the Ravens No. 2 option but still offers big-play upside. Passing volume and target share will remain a concern now that he will have to fight his way to steal targets from Rashod Bateman, Sammy Watkins, and Mark Andrews.

Cincinnati Bengals

Winner: Joe Burrow

We'll have to take a wait-and-see approach to fully evaluate what the Bengals selected in the draft, but either way, it appears Joe Burrow is a winner here. We can list all of the reasons that the Bengals should've selected an offensive lineman at No 5., but it does no good. The deed has been done. We can only look at the pieces that they put around him and evaluate what the situation is going forward.

Ja’Marr Chase put on a highlight reel with Joe Burrow during their time at LSU, and Bengals fans are hoping this on-field chemistry continues at the NFL level. Cincy hopes Joe Mixon can finally stay healthy because when he is in the lineup he is an absolute monster. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are very good and should be viewed as solid value picks. Jonah Williams returns at starting LT, Riley Reiff will start at RT, and the Bengals tried to sure up offensive line concerns by drafting two guards and a center. We will have to see if the offensive linemen they selected will get the job done and keep Joe Burrow upright.

Loser: Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins had an impressive rookie campaign. With the departure of AJ Green, Higgins' ceiling was looking up. However, then the Bengals went and selected Ja'Marr Chase in the first round of the draft, leaving Higgins as the team's second option moving forward. While he still offers mid-round value, he could have been a WR 2/3 instead of a WR 3/4.

Cleveland Browns

Winner: Defensive Unit

It’s easy to have one of if not the best overall drafts when you have few holes to fill and you let value fall to you. Injuries to Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams dismantled the Browns secondary last season, but Cleveland addressed this by selecting Gregory Newsome in the first round. Now, Cleveland has formed one of the best trios of cornerbacks in the NFL. One of the Browns' few weaknesses on defense was at linebacker and Cleveland will surely have an upgrade in the unit with their selection of Butkus award-winning Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round. Owusu-Koramoah slipped from the first to the second round due to health concerns. The Browns also added DE Jadeveon Clowney to pair with Myles Garrett, along with SS John Johnson to make this one of the most ferocious defensive units in the NFL.

Loser: History

The Browns have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL from top to bottom. The only thing holding them back from winning the Super Bowl is years of futilely. Can this be the year Baker Mayfield lifts a Super Bowl trophy for Cleveland?