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Baltimore Ravens
Best addition: Signing RB Derrick Henry to a 2 year, $16 million deal
The Ravens will always have a great rushing attack. It's just what they do, but adding a former two time rushing leader and Offensive Player of The Year makes that ground game even more dynamic. Baltimore has dealt with a lot of injuries at the RB position in recent years so Henry’s durability will be a breath of fresh air for Ravens fans. Adding King Henry to Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers will lead to a lot of sleepless nights for Defensive Coordinators this season.
Most Underrated Addition: Selecting OT Roger Rosengarten in the 2nd round
Baltimore lost three starting lineman this off-season and outside of Rosengarten they didn’t really address the need head on. Rosengarten can play both tackle positions and was even moved to right tackle to protect Michael Penix Jr.’s blindside and didn’t give up a single snap in his 1,158 pass protection snaps at Washington. The Ravens offense relies heavily on the plays that Lamar Jackson can make with his legs and Rosengarten’s mobility and willingness to get dirty in the trenches will help Lamar do what he does best.
Still Need: Veteran depth on the Offensive Line
Like I mentioned above, the Ravens didn’t really do much to fix the glaring need on their O-Line and are set to start two players who have yet to play a snap in the NFL. With some solid free agents still available I expect the Ravens to bring in some vets to give themselves options in case those young guys aren’t ready yet.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Best Addition: The Signings of Russell Wilson and Patrick Queen
I really tried to stay away from the big splashes but when you upgrade your starting QB for less than what Nathan Peterman is making you have to bring it up. Russ had a solid year with Denver last year and the team was actually in the playoff field at the time of his benching. Russell Wilson will bring a sense of leadership to that Pittsburgh offense that's been much needed since Big Ben left and with Najee, Freiermuth, Pickens and Jaylen Warren there's no shortage of playmakers to get the ball to. When a team signs a big name in free agency it always makes fans happy, but when that player was a staple of a division rival it makes it much sweeter. Patrick Queen comes over from Baltimore to beef up the middle of a Mike Tomlin defense that had to sign a new linebacker every week last year because of injury. Adding Queen with TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick gives them a bonafide star to each level of the defense.
Most Underrated Addition: Signing Van Jefferson
Van Jefferson comes into a receiver room with George Pickens and third round pick Roman WIlson. Jefferson has the potential to carve out a nice WR2 role in a system he is familiar with. Russ likes to spread the ball around and Jefferson gives him a big target with good hands. We're still waiting for him to replicate anything near his 2021 numbers with the Rams, hopefully this is a career revival season for the 27 year old.
Still Need: Help in the Secondary
The Steelers lost Patrick Peterson and even with him there they needed help in the secondary. Joey Porter Jr showed signs of a starting caliber corner in his 500 cover snaps last year. Trading for Donte Jackson certainly helps but he has yet to show us that he can be a true cover corner. Picking up some playmakers in the backend should be at the top of Omar Khan's mind.
Cleveland Browns
Best Addition: Trading for WR Jerry Jeudy
It feels like forever ago but the Browns kicked off their offseason by acquiring a young talented player in Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy has shown flashes of what we thought he could be coming out of Alabama but being around the dumpster fire that is the Denver Broncos organization didn’t help his development. Playing alongside a veteran like Amari Cooper should help Jeudy mature as well as be able to operate without extra attention on him. I still think Jeudy can be a very good receiver in the NFL and maybe a change of scenery is all he needed.
Most Underrated: Re-signing Za’Darius Smith
The Browns defense was amazing last year which was a big reason why they were a playoff team despite playing 5 different quarterbacks. Smith didn’t have a ton of sacks (5.5) but, via ESPN Stats and Info, he had a pass rush win rate of 22.1 which ranked 17th in the league and had Pass-Rush Productivity (A formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer via PFF) score of 8.9 which was 12th in the NFL. Anytime you can take pressure off of Myles Garrett on the opposite side is a positive, and Za’Darius Smith can still put up some impressive pass rush numbers in 2024.
Still Need: Deshaun Watson to not suck
It's been 3 years since we’ve seen Watson play at a high level and even though he was playing better when he got hurt the Browns will need more from him this season. Watson has great weapons alongside him and with a great defense and a good head coach there’s going to be a ton of expectations on him to succeed. If 39 year old statue Joe Flacco could take this Browns team to the playoffs a healthy and decent Watson should as well.
Cincinnati Bengals
Best Addition: Signing Zach Moss
It’s not flashy or sexy but Zach Moss had a very good year with Indianapolis filling in for Jonathan Taylor and was still very effective as the number 2 when Taylor returned to the lineup. With Mixon now in Houston, Moss shares a backfield with 2023 draft pick Chase Brown and has a pretty clear path to 250 touches this season. In an offense that relies heavily on the passing game Zach Moss should be able to take advantage of some light boxes and offer a nice change of pace to what should be an elite offense in 2024.
Most Underrated Addition: Drafting Kris Jenkins in the 2nd round
Jenkins was an elite run stopper for the Wolverines during their National Championship run. With DJ Reader leaving in free agency the Bengals decided to add Sheldon Rankins and Jenkins to beef up their D-Line and give them a nice little 1-2 punch in the middle. Jenkins might not be the most prolific pass rusher but he has some technique in the tool belt. He now finds himself in a division that has great runners like Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and Najee Harris, Cincinnati is gearing up to try and stop the ground game, adding Jenkins is a great start.
Still Need: Cornerback help
After Awuzie left in free agency the Bengals top 2 corners are 2022 draft pick Cam Taylor-Britt and 2023 Draft Pick DJ Turner. The Bengals were very bad against the pass last year and at least made an effort at Safety with Vonn Bell and Geno Stone but they will need to make at least one more splash at corner with guys like Adoree Jackson, Stephon Gillmore, or Xavien Howard.
- Vincenzo Sciaqua // Upside Play
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