Every NFL team’s biggest weakness heading into 2020

Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson’s workload

Keeping Lamar Jackson healthy is Baltimore’s top priority during the regular season. The challenge is that preventing him from running the football stops the electric athlete from doing what he does best.

The key for the Ravens will be to strike a fine balance between letting Jackson make plays with his legs and preventing him from taking too many hits. It’s a problem other teams would gladly take on, but it’s still an issue for the Super Bowl contenders.

Cincinnati Bengals – The temptation to rush Joe Burrow

The Bengals have a lot of offensive talent. That means they’ll be tempted to put a lot on Burrow early in his NFL career. It’s important that Cincinnati remember that Burrow’s value to the franchise is primarily as a long-term asset.

That means he needs to be treated like a rookie. Bringing him along slowly is the right move for the Bengals in a season where they can’t be Super Bowl contenders. Throwing him in the deep end could stunt his long-term growth.

Cleveland Browns – Baker Mayfield

There’s no denying the reality that Mayfield took a major step backwards in 2019. Some of that regression was certainly due to the Browns’ inconsistent play up front.

The franchise deserves credit for giving Mayfield more protection with two new tackles in free agency, but they can’t be sure it’s going to turn him back into a potential superstar. The question of whether or not Mayfield is anything more than a slightly above average starter will plague the Browns until the regular season begins.

Pittsburgh Steelers – The lack of a dominant wide receiver

The Steelers would like you to believe JuJu Smith-Schuster is an All-Pro caliber player at wide receiver, but there’s little evidence to support that claim. His struggles without Antonio Brown on the other side of the field are well-documented.

He’ll get a big boost with the return of Ben Roethlisberger, but the Steelers offense needs him to be great to maximize their potential. Their front office should have doubts about whether or not Smith-Schuster is anything more than a good No. 2.