The biggest question every AFC North team needs to answer this offseason

The AFC North has been known for fierce competition, parity and a division that usually is a dogfight. The last few years, it’s been one of the league's weakest divisions, however. The Baltimore Ravens had another down year, the Pittsburgh Steelers were never a threat to make the Super Bowl and the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns were just plain bad. 

Because of that, the AFC North has a lot of questions to answer, but we’ll simplify it to just one question each team needs to answer this offseason. Each team has a lot they need to address this offseason, but there’s one important thing each team needs to figure out to be competitive in 2026. 

Cincinnati Bengals

What are they going to do about their defense?

Joe Burrow threw out the idea that he could be losing his love for football. Between the losses and then playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in general, you can’t blame him for overthinking about his situation. That said, Burrow’s cause of frustration has more to do with the defense. Which is why Cincinnati has to get Burrow help on the other side of the ball. 

The offense is set – though one of the most expensive offenses – and the Bengals have cap space to work with. They need to overhaul this defense if they want to keep Burrow. As of now, he has no intentions of leaving, but this front office can’t neglect the defense this year. They learned last year why that was a bad mistake. 

Cleveland Browns

Is the front office ready to give Shedeur Sanders the keys to the offense?

Shedeur Sanders had an up-and-down rookie season that ironically landed him in the Pro Bowl. If there’s anything to take away from that, Sanders should be optimistic about 2026; enter Todd Monken who’s already Sanders’ biggest supporter, the Browns seemingly know who their starter for the 2026 season is. They’re right to think Sanders is the guy.

They have to go all in on Sanders though. Last season, they had a half-hearted effort in turning the offense over to him. The 2027 NFL Draft class is full of quarterbacks, this season is perfect chance for Sanders to see if he’s the future or just a bridge option. They can’t play around with him like they did last year.

Baltimore Ravens

Will Baltimore finally get Lamar Jackson some perimeter weapons?

Lamar Jackson has been one of the most explosive players since he was drafted in 2018 by Baltimore. This season, injuries and all, we learned that Jackson just can’t do it by himself. He had one receiver with more than 500 receiving yards and that gets lost in the fact that Derrick Henry rushed for over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Ravens can’t get complacent in building this offense. The Ravens are in the same boat as the Buffalo Bills in the sense that they need some receivers. 

Zay Flowers had 1,211 receiving yards, but there wasn’t any other weapon that stepped up in the passing game. The Ravens can’t neglect this offseason, especially if they want to get back to the postseason next year. It’s not too many seasons left for the Ravens to compete for a Super Bowl. Wasting another season just further tarnishes Jackson’s legacy. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Who will the Steelers turn to at quarterback?

This feels like deja vu. It was the most important question the Steelers didn’t answer until just before the season started when Aaron Rodgers finally pledged to the Steelers. There’s more clarity this year than not surrounding Rodgers and if he’ll return for one final season with the coach that turned him into a Super Bowl champion. 

I’m not sure this reunion is going to bring the Steelers to the top of the AFC North, but they have to figure this question out before anything. Then they can ask themselves if all this is worth it. Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons so turning to McCarthy feels desperate; going after Rodgers again is desperate. Maybe this year will be different?

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