The quiet period in the NFL is over and teams are finally reporting to training camp. Time to actually start talking about football. Each team in the AFC North, the toughest division in the NFL, have question marks. Here are my thoughts.

Baltimore Ravens: On the surface, you could argue the Raven’s defense took the biggest hit, losing three coaches, (Mike McDonald, Dennard Wilson, Anthony Weaver) and three players, (Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen, Gino Stone). However, I think the biggest impact will be felt on offense, especially the offensive line. Fortunately for Baltimore, they kept their two best offensive linemen, Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum, but losing 60% of your starting offensive line is never good in the AFC North. The Ravens did sign running back Derrick Henry to help the running game and keep quarterback Lamar Jackson upright, but he’s on the downside of his career.

Cincinnati Bengals: Will quarterback Joe Burrow be ready for week one, it seems like that question has been asked the previous two seasons. Losing wide receiver Tyler Boyd and offensive lineman Jonah Williams might be big, but the biggest concern could be the running back room. Former starter Joe Mixon had declined over the last couple of years, so it makes sense for the Bengals to get younger, but proven depth maybe their undoing. Zack Moss is a nice, cheap addition to the roster, but he’s only had one productive season in his four years in the NFL. Chase Brown and Trayyeon Williams are the backups. Brown only had 60 touches last year and Williams has never a major role in the offense even though he’s been on the Cincinnati roster for five years. Sometimes younger and cheaper isn’t a good thing.

Cleveland Browns: Cleveland’s running back room could be a concern; however, Nick Chubb is trending towards playing in 2024.The eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room (and I’m not talking about the NFL legal team) is the health of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Cleveland did sign two veteran backup quarterbacks, Jamies Winston and Tyler Huntley, and still have fifth round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the roster. All three have won games in the NFL, but Browns are installing a new offense designed to play to the strengths of Watson. Cleveland won eleven games with five different quarterbacks last season, but asking a team to accomplish that in back-to-back seasons might be an uphill climb.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Major changes in the Steelers quarterback room will garner all the attention with the addition of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Like Baltimore, Pittsburg’s biggest concern is their offensive line. Second year left tackle Broderick Jones was decent last year but relying on two rookies (Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier) to start might be a problem. Both are highly regarded draft picks and if they live up to their expectations, Pittsburgh could be okay offensively. The problem lies with Wilson and Fields. Both quarterbacks hold on to the ball too long (first and second in the league) and because of that get sacked a lot (second and third in the league). If the rookies don’t progress, the Steelers will regress on offense.

Each team in the AFC North has the potential to make long playoff runs and training camp is where these journeys begin.