Summary of 2026 AFC North preview

Overview of 2026 AFC North preview

The Athletic’s AFC North preview focused on a division where every team has a clear identity question: Baltimore is trying to maximize one more run with its veteran stars, Cincinnati is betting on a schematic offensive evolution and a defensive overhaul, Pittsburgh is trying to squeeze value out of an aging roster and a new coaching setup, and Cleveland is leaning hard into youth while hoping the quarterback situation doesn’t wreck the whole thing. The episode framed the AFC North as one of the league’s most intriguing divisions because each team has both real upside and a very specific failure mode.

Biggest themes across the division

• Quarterback health and stability loom over everything

  • Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow remain the drivers of their teams’ ceilings.
  • Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh is viewed as the biggest short-term limit on the Steelers.
  • Cleveland’s entire season may be defined by how bad the quarterback play gets.

• Several teams are changing offensive identity

  • Baltimore and Cincinnati both want more under-center, play-action, run-game diversity.
  • Pittsburgh’s offense is expected to look different under Mike McCarthy.
  • Cleveland is more about building around young talent than fitting a finished offensive plan.

• Defense could swing the division

  • Baltimore’s defensive ceiling depends on health and veteran performance.
  • Cincinnati’s defense is the biggest source of skepticism.
  • Pittsburgh’s defense is the most exciting part of the roster.
  • Cleveland still has one of the most talent-rich young defenses in the league.

Baltimore Ravens

What they’re most excited about

• Lamar Jackson + Derrick Henry together

  • The group agreed that this remains one of the most fun and effective offensive pairings in football.
  • If Lamar is healthier, the Ravens can again be one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.

• Declan Doyle’s offensive approach

  • Expect more under-center snaps and more play action.
  • Lamar has historically been excellent under center and is well suited to attack the middle of the field and layered concepts.
  • The offense should look more like last year’s Bears ideas than a pure Sean Payton copy.

• Jesse Minter with real defensive talent

  • Baltimore may finally have the personnel to play more man coverage and tighter-match zone concepts.
  • The defense has the kind of corners and safeties that let Minter do more of what he wants stylistically.

What they’re watching early

• Nnamdi Matabike’s health and return timeline
  • His interior disruption was treated as a major factor in Baltimore’s defensive quality.
• Veterans holding up
  • Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, and Trey Hendrickson were identified as key “needle movers.”
• Special teams
  • Tyler Loop replacing the specialist role was singled out as a real early-season variable.
• Defensive back usage
  • The Ravens want Marlon Humphrey more firmly outside, Kyle Hamilton at nickel, and more stable safety usage.

What keeps them up at night

• Aging and fragile high-end pieces
  • Several of the defense’s best players come with age, injury, or performance questions.
• Pass-catcher quality
  • Mark Andrews’ decline, uncertainty around the young receivers, and lack of proven depth were all concerns.
• Offensive line questions
  • The line has changed, but center and overall cohesion remain uncertain.
• Can Lamar return to 2024 form?
  • They were worried that last year showed what a step back can look like if the quarterback isn’t fully himself.

What success looks like

• A division title and at minimum a divisional-round appearance.
• Ideally, Baltimore looks like an elite team again, with Jesse Minter’s defense and Lamar/Derrick Henry offense peaking at the right time.
• The group also stressed that this core may only have a two-year window left at this level.

Cincinnati Bengals

What they’re most excited about

• Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins together

  • The trio was described as one of the most electric offensive cores in football.
  • When all three are healthy, Cincinnati can score with anyone.

• A more complete offense

  • The Bengals may have their best overall offensive line/skill-position combination of the Burrow era.
  • Young linemen like Dylan Fairchild and Amarius Mims could elevate the floor even more.
  • Players like Chase Brown, Yoshi, Mitchell Tinsley, Eric All, and Colby Young were mentioned as useful supporting pieces.

What they’re watching early

• The offensive transition
  • The Bengals want more under-center snaps, motion, and diversified run concepts.
  • The hope is that under-center play-action and a more varied run game make the offense less predictable and unlock more explosive plays.
• Whether the new identity holds up in real games
  • They want to see if the team stays committed when the offense has some early hiccups.
• How much of the new offense is actually new
  • The show stressed that the success of the change depends on whether the Bengals fully buy in, not just sprinkle in a few under-center snaps.

What keeps them up at night

• The defense might still not be good enough
  • This was the biggest worry by far.
  • The additions, including Dexter Lawrence, may help, but the group was skeptical that Cincinnati fixed enough.
• Linebacker and edge uncertainty
  • They remained concerned about the group around Dexter Lawrence, especially with young linebackers still developing.
• A return to “outscore everyone” football
  • The nightmare scenario is that the defense is still mediocre and the Bengals are again forced to chase games with Burrow.

What success looks like

• Win the division
• Make the playoffs
• Win at least one playoff game
• More broadly, justify the attention the franchise gets by becoming a legitimately elite team again.

Pittsburgh Steelers

What they’re most excited about

• Patrick Graham with this defensive roster

  • The Steelers finally have a defensive coordinator who should be able to use the roster more creatively.
  • The group is excited to see a defense with more man coverage, more pressure variety, and less constraint.

• The offensive line

  • They were very bullish on Omar Khan’s commitment to building the line.
  • Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, and top pick Max Ahanashour give the unit real upside.
  • The line could become a real strength by season’s end.

• A deeper run game and receiver room

  • Jalen Warren and Rico Dowdle were viewed as a sneaky solid backfield pairing.
  • Michael Pittman and Jeremy Bernard add useful depth to a room that was thin last year.

What they’re watching early

• What the offense actually looks like

  • The most interesting question is how much Mike McCarthy’s offense borrows from Shanahan-style ideas through offensive coordinator Brian Angelico.
  • They expect more motion, under-center football, and heavier use of three-receiver sets.

• Joey Porter Jr.’s contract standoff

  • This was an immediate camp issue and a major concern for a defense that wants to play press-man.

• How quickly the young line develops

  • Fautanu, Frazier, and Ahanashour all matter for the long-term outlook.

What keeps them up at night

• Aaron Rodgers may simply not be good enough anymore

  • The group was blunt that Rodgers’ current style is not enough to make the Steelers a serious offensive team.
  • The fear is another season of being good enough to matter, but not good enough to contend.

• More playoff futility

  • The Steelers have repeatedly made the playoffs only to get blown out.
  • The nightmare is spending another full season on the same treadmill.

• Long-term purgatory

  • If the team wins 8–9 games again, it may delay a reset and leave them stuck in the same middle ground.

What success looks like

• Not necessarily a deep playoff run.
• More importantly, look like a team that can contend in 2027 and beyond once Rodgers is gone.
• The best-case version is a young, physical team with a real identity on both lines and a defense that’s hard to play against.

Cleveland Browns

What they’re most excited about

• The young defensive core

  • Carson Schwesinger was singled out as an elite linebacker talent.
  • Mason Graham, Malik Collins, Quincy Williams, Denzel Ward, and Tyson Campbell give the defense a lot of playmaking potential.
  • Mike Rutenberg is expected to bring more variety than the previous scheme.

• A wave of young offensive talent

  • Spencer Fano, Casey Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Harold Fannin, and others make the offense fascinating.
  • The Browns’ 2025 rookie class raised expectations, and this year’s class could keep that momentum going.

• Todd Monken’s personality

  • He was described as one of the most interesting coaches in football, someone who will say anything and keeps things entertaining.

What they’re watching early

• The microwave rebuild on the offensive line
  • The Browns are essentially rebuilding the entire line at once.
  • Spencer Fano’s development is especially important.
• How the pass-catcher roles shake out
  • The team has a lot of young skill talent, but it’s not yet clear how the roles will fit together.
• Emmanuel McNeil-Warren’s usage
  • They were curious whether he’ll be used in a big nickel or safety role.

What keeps them up at night

• Quarterback play could ruin everything

  • This was the main concern.
  • The fear is not just a bad season, but a season so ugly that it blurs what the young talent actually is.

• The young players might get dragged down by the QB situation

  • The worry is that Fano, Boston, Concepcion, Fannin, and others won’t get a fair chance to shine.

• 2027 outlook could suffer

  • If the quarterback situation is disastrous, it could leave Cleveland no clearer on what it has than it is now.

What success looks like

• The Browns come out of the season still excited about their young core.
• The defense remains at least respectable, ideally a top-15 unit.
• By year’s end, the team feels like it has a real foundation for a 2027 quarterback reset rather than starting over from scratch.

Final takeaway

The AFC North preview was ultimately about windows:

• Baltimore is trying to cash in on a veteran title window.
• Cincinnati is trying to turn elite talent into a more complete team.
• Pittsburgh is trying to build the next era without fully committing to a rebuild yet.
• Cleveland is hoping its young talent survives the quarterback mess and becomes the basis for something real.

It’s one of the league’s most polarized divisions: high-end talent everywhere, but also a lot of uncertainty about whether any of these teams can turn promise into the right kind of postseason success.