Ravens
Lamar Jackson is different from anything we have really ever seen at QB in the NFL. For that reason he needs to be judged on a different scale. Did he Quarterback well last year? To some no. In my opinion though he did what he was needed to do. Will a scheme were using your QB as a running back work for two years straight? Who knows but I am excited to see what year two looks like. Jackson despite his haters had some flashes of brilliance throwing the ball last year. His pocket presence is truly underrated and his decision making might be the most under valued part of his game. Jackson is going to take the next step as a passer in 2019. It would not shock me at all if we view him as the 12th to 15th best QB in the league by the end of the year. And that may be doing it with just his legs. This roster is built to Lamar Jacksons strengths.
The WR and RB section for this preview is combined. That’s simply because the Ravens may have the most freakishly athletic roster on offense in the entire NFL. This team is built to run downhill at you. The addition of Mark Ingram in free agency proved it and the draft reinforced it. The Ravens have the deepest backfile in football period. Gus Edwards is going to have a much bigger role this year. Kenneth Dixon is a quality RB who would be starting on any other NFL roster not to mention drafting the incredibly fast Justice Hill. This is a terrible backfield for fantasy, stay away, but in real life, this team will always have fresh legs and always be running full speed down hill. Same with the wide outs. The number one guy right now looks to be Willie Snead. That tells you all you need to know. This core is built for speed. Marquise Brown was one of the fastest targets available in the draft. Followed closely by fellow rookie Miles Boykin. Chris Moore showed real promise last year and is due for a breakout year. Hayden Hurst is a great tight end, especially when paired with Mark Andrews. Simply put this offense is different than anything we have ever seen before. It’s built to expose it’s QB’s greatest strength, speed. This team is going to outrun everyone. I would not be shocked if they are one of the top offenses in the entire league next year.
The defense lost a lot this offseason. That said they added the best defensive player available in free agency in Earl Thomas. This team is built from the back. The secondary with Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Tony Jefferson paired with Thomas makes for one of the scariest units in the league. The front seven lost a lot but there is no one I trust to draft and develop defensive talent up front more than the Baltimore Ravens. Look for Willie Henry to break out on the defensive line aside underrated star Michael Pierce. Brandon Williams needs to return to his 2017 form but could also have a great season. Patrick Onwuasor and Matthew Judon will step up in the linebacking core. Look out for rookie Jaylon Ferguson as well the NCAA all time sack record holder. If Tyus Bowser and Kenny Young step up simply put this could be one of the best defenses in the entire conference.
I am so high on the Ravens. They are going to have bad stretches but this team needs to be considered almost a playoff lock for 2019 even in a tough division. That’s a bold take to make but I am making it.
Record prediction: 11-5
Steelers
Here we are. Big bens 16th season. He’s coming off a career year. For the first time throwing for 5,000 yards. Yet he failed to lead his team to the playoffs last year. Yes you can blame it on Antonio Brown basically quitting down the stretch but also acknowledge the fact Ben turned the ball over way to much last year. At points, as he’s done throughout his entire career, he made some really poor decisions. What Roethlisberger needs to do now as an aging QB is change his game. He can no longer be the run and gun QB. His arm strength hasn’t failed yet but the decline is coming. I think Ben is in for a great year. It’s a year that he needs to make a change though. His style needs to become more controlled. He needs to evolve if the Steelers are to return to the playoffs.
The wide receiver core improved this offseason. Addition by subtraction. I truly think that with a larger role Ju Ju Smith Schuster can thrive and we may see him as AB’s rival by the end of the year. The fact is they are on the same level. It is not a down grade going to Ju Ju it’s a reset this team needs. His personality is also an added plus for the first time there might be a good leader in the wide out core. James Washington will need to take a massive step forward for this offense to click. He showed flashes of brilliance last year but he needs to fix his drop problems. Donte Moncrief adds speed to this group and Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers might just be the best pair of slot receivers in the leauge. This group is still deep and should succeed in 2019.
James Conner is a great running back. Not Lev Bell. A great running back though. The Steelers backfield looks loaded, still. Benny Snell is an excellent addition that could spell Conner, Jaylen Samuel showed flashes last year as well. What worries me about the run and pass game is the offensive line. This team lost one of there best in Marcus Gilbert to the Cardinals. Pair that with losing master mind Mike Munchak to the Broncos and there are some cracks that could hurt this line. That said though it’s still one of the best in the league according to PFF and that’s really how I judge most of my line analysis.
The Steelers front seven might be one of the deepest groups in the league. Let me just rattle off some names. Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargraves, Stephon Tuitt. Heyward is coming off two of his best years ever. Tuitt needs to improve but has shown he can play at a pro bowl level. Hargraves is coming off a career high in sacks. Then you move to the linebacking core. TJ Watt, Bince Williams, Bud Dupree, and they add arguably the best MLB in the draft in Devin Bush. This front seven isn’t going to be run on and if Watt takes the next step as a pass rusher might be one of the most deadly in the entire league. The secondary is a bit concerning. Artie Burns has turned into a draft bust and the teams top two corners look to be an aging Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. Look for the team to make a trade if the secondary starts bad.
I like the Steelers roster a lot. That said they play in a tough division. It is going to be a tough fight to get into the playoffs. The secondary might really let them down.\
Record Prediction: 8-8
Bengals
Andy Dalton is Andy Dalton. If your unfamiliar let me explain. He is as good as the sum of the pieces around him. AKA you put Dalton with a great roster he’s a top ten QB, you put him with a bad roster he’s a bottom ten QB. Now with that out of the way let’s talk about how the Bengals have already lost the season. Jonah Williams and Clint Boling arguably there two best linemen went down with injury. Without an O line to protect him and yes the Bengals according to multiple sources including PFF without Williams and Boling are one of the worst in the league, will be disastrous. We have seen this happen before with the Bengals. They need to protect Dalton and when they don’t bad things tend to happen. I spin positive in these previews but not with this one. Here we go, time to explore the Bengals.
AJ Green is coming off a season riddled with Injuries. That said when he was healthy earlier last year he played some of his best games since 2016. I worry about his durability and ability to keep up elite production. I fear he is falling off, he may not be a top ten wide out anymore, I don’t think that’s a hot take to have. Tyler Boyd is very good. He proved last year though that he couldn’t carry an offense. There are also some analysts who believe with Green returning he’s due for a down year, I don’t buy that but I’m not as high on Boyd as some are. Outside of those two though the team is shallow. John Ross maybe but at this point I view him as a complete and total bust.
The backfield may hold some intrigue for this team. I find Joe Mixon is one of the most criminally underrated rushing threats in the entire league. He proved last year that he is a star and someone that can power an offense. Giovani Bernard is getting older but still has his moments of effectiveness. Trayveon Williams might emerge as a nice third option for this team.
The defensive line is the best unit on this entire team. Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Car Lawson are an intriguing threesome up front if Lawson can bounce back from an ACL injury. Outside of that though the defense is thin. I am sorry but I don’t buy Nick Vigil as a high quality linebacker. I will say the secondary isn’t awful. Dre Kirkpatrick is one of the more underrated iron ma corners in the game.
I don’t hate the Bengals. I promise I don’t. In fact I think if the offensive line was healthy this would have been an intriguing team. They’re not though, I just see the bottom falling out, I don’t necessarily buy the Zac Taylor experience either.
Record prediction: 2-14
Browns
The hype around the Browns stems from the success of one player. Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was incredibly in the stretch run last year. There’s no other way to put it. He made every single throw you would want an NFL QB to make. Showed poise under pressure, and excelled in new head coach Freddie Kitchens offense. I have a hard time seeing Mayfield slump in 2019. If anything I think he will get much much better. Freddie Kitchens and Todd Monken will make sure he succeeds in their systems. The one concern I have is the offensive line. Losing Kevin Zietler is a big deal in pass protection and the tackle position is a bit suspect.
It also doesn’t hurt that Mayfield has one of the best receiving cores in the entire league. Odell Beckham Jr. is due for an MVP type season. All you have to do is look at what he did with Eli Manning as his QB and marvel. With a legitimate signal caller the possibilities are endless for Beckham. Expect 2,000 yards, and 20+ touchdowns from the wide out. Behind Beckham is uber talented deep threat favorite Jarvis Landry. Landry was Mayfield’s best target down the stretch expect him to get a lot more love in 2019. Behind the two stars Mayfield will have on the outside are a group of high upside role players. Antonio Callaway was great down the stretch last year. Rashad Higgins was Bakers favorite slot target, and David Njoku is one of the most talented young tight ends in the league.
The Browns backfield is just as deep as the receiving core. Nick Chubb barely missed 1,000 yards rushing last season but showed he can be an effective NFL back. Duke Johnson despite trade rumors might just be the best all around running back on the Browns roster. That’s right I think his upside is higher than that of suspended running back Kareem Hunt who should return around week 10 to help give the Browns a jolt down the stretch run. There are a lot of mouths to feed in this backfield but it’s incredibly talented.
The Browns defensive line rivals Philly for the deepest group in the league. Myles Garett took strides forward last year and his development and now with help around him he might just be due for a DPOY type season. The help surrounding him comes from new additions Olivier Vernon, coming off another good year with the Giants, and Sheldon Richardson year in and year out one of the most impactful cheap free agent signings a team can make. Not to mention the incredibly talented run stuffer Larry Ogonjobi. The linebacking core is probably going to be underrated but I love it. I am a huge Joe Schobert guy I think he’s massively underrated and was one of the best parts of this defense last year. Christian Kirksey is one of the teams leading tacklers, the biggest question lands on Genard Avery and whether he’s safe as a starter. The Secondary adds talented Corner Greedy Williams to an already improved group lead by stud Denzel Ward. The one place I worry about the defense is at safety. I don’t necessarily buy Morgan Burnett but I like Damarious Randall a lot.
The biggest concern I have for this team is the O line. If Baker were to go down the amount of negative personalities on this roster could spiral out of control. They could also face early challenges learning to gel with each other. I buy into this team though, it’s a great team, and I think they are a lock to make the playoffs. I also have them winning the division.
Record prediction: 12-4