Category: Around the North

Around the North: Ravens re-sign their star defensive tackle to four-year deal

The Browns rival will continue to have one of the defensive tackle on their roster.

With free agency kicking off in a few days one superstar defensive player has re-signed with his current team. The Cleveland Browns’ AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens have re-signed defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to a massive four-year deal.

Madubuike will now be the second-highest-paid defensive tackle with a contract worth up to $98 million with the Ravens. This isn’t good news for the Browns knowing they will continue to see the stud defensive tackle two times a year for the next four years.

This could also mean that the price tag for Browns’ target Christian Wilkins will be even bigger than we originally thought. With Wilkins on the same level of talent as Madubuike, you can bet $25 million per year will be where it starts and that likely means he is out of the range Andrew Berry will want to spend.

That’s one less big name on the open market but still a ton of talent for the Browns to build on a great 2023 season.

Around the North: Bengals franchise tag Tee Higgins just like we thought

As expected the rival Bengals have tagged Tee Higgins

As expected the Cincinnati Bengals are not letting talented wide receiver Tee Higgins walk for nothing this offseason. It was a nice dream that the Cleveland Browns could steal the former Clemson Tiger but there is no chance the Bengals will trade him to their rival after franchise tagging him.

The question now will be if Cincinnati tries to sign him to a long-term deal or if they trade him elsewhere. If the team doesn’t feel they can get him to agree to the long-term deal they could get some major draft capital if they look to trade him.

With the Ja’Marr Chase extension looming over their heads it doesn’t feel like Higgins will be in town long-term unless Cincinnati can find a way to manage the cap the way the Browns do, though they might be able to. It will be one of the top storylines for the division rival with the NFL combine kicking off this week.

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Around the North: Steelers are reportedly torn between Pickett and Rudolph

A report suggests there is a disagreement internally as to who should start in 2024

Quarterback is the most important position in football and if you don’t have one you got to do whatever it takes to find one. According to a report from ProFootballTalk, the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers believes they have one, but disagree on whether it is Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph.

“The Steelers have apparent “internal division” as to whether Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph should be the starting QB for 2024. Either way, they reportedly aren’t interested in acquiring a veteran starter at the position.”

It hasn’t been a good time for the Browns rivals in Pittsburgh since future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger retired as the team continues to search for a new franchise quarterback. Who knows how reliable this report is but if it’s true they aren’t looking to add a starter-level player which is great news for Cleveland Browns fans.

NFL free agency draws closer as rosters for next year will start to take shape with what could be a very busy year for the AFC North after all four teams finished 2023 with a winning record.

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Around the North: Steelers expected to pursue QB Ryan Tannehill

The Steelers are expected to try and reunite a former quarterback and offensive coordinator duo.

In other news around the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to bring in solid competition for former first rounder Kenny Pickett after an abysmal sophomore season. Reportedly, the Steelers have their eye on former Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Mason Rudolph looked like the best quarterback in Pittsburgh last year, and now there are rumors that he would like a fresh start away from the Steelers next season as well. If the Steelers were to make a move for Tannehill, it could be presumed he would be favored as the starting quarterback entering the 2024 season.

This comes after the Steelers hired the recently fired head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator. Tannehill and Smith, of course, worked together for his best seasons in the NFL with the Titans. That time has come and gone, however, and Tannehill is now three years older and less mobile.

Not settled with Pickett, the Steelers seem to be looking elsewhere.

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Around the North: Pittsburgh Steelers hire Arthur Smith as new OC

The Steelers have their new offensive coordinator

A couple of days after the Cleveland Browns hired Ken Dorsey as their new offensive coordinator the Pittsburgh Steelers hired a new offensive coordinator. After a couple of seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Arthur Smith was let go and is now on his way to Pittsburgh to replace Matt Canada who was fired this season.

Smith had a great run calling the offense for the Tennessee Titans earning him a head coaching job in Atlanta before flaming out this year. This hiring likely signifies the Steelers wanting to return to their tradition as a run-first smash-mouth football team.

When Smith was at his best with the Titans, he was running the offense through Derrick Henry and using the play-action passing game off the run game. It isn’t a bad hire for the personnel they have in place already as the Steelers look to build off a playoff berth in 2023.

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Around the North: Bengals promote Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator role

The Bengals have promoted their quarterback coach after Callahan joins Titans

The in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals have promoted one of their own after former offensive coordinator Brain Callahan left the team to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. The team acted quickly in promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator as it was clear the team didn’t want to risk losing the 37-year-old coach.

Pitcher first joined the Bengals in 2016 as an offensive assistant before being promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and then quarterbacks coach a year later in 2020. It is always a good sign when an assistant stays on despite a head coaching change when Zac Taylor replaced Marvin Lewis who hired Pitcher.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has flourished under Pitcher who the quarterback has spoken highly of in the past. Taylor made sure that Pitcher didn’t leave town as the Browns will continue to face the duo of Pitcher and Burrow for years to come in the AFC North.

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Around the North: Ravens are off to the AFC Championship game after win vs. Texans

The AFC North foe is off to the AFC Championship game

After a dynamic second half from the soon-to-be league MVP Lamar Jackson, the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens are off to the AFC Championship game after ending the season of the Houston Texans.

It was not a pretty first half for either team, entering the locker room at halftime deadlocked at 10. However, the second half was all Jackson and Baltimore as the 2019 MVP proved why he is likely going to win the award again this season. He ended the game with four total touchdowns and 250 total yards. The Ravens won by a score of 34-10.

The Ravens will now take on either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Can the Ravens get the job done and head to their first Super Bowl since 2012?

While they are AFC North foes and rivals, one has to respect the season the Ravens have put together this season as they look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

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Around the North: Mike Tomlin could quietly walk away from Steelers

The Steelers may be looking for a head coach as the future of Mike Tomlin is reportedly undecided.

Could the Pittsburgh Steelers be looking for a new head coach at the end of the season? It is not out of the realm of possibility for Mike Tomlin to step down at the end of the year despite leading his team back to the playoffs.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has stated that “people out there in the league think after this season he could walk away…”

Tomlin has never had a losing season as the head coach of the Steelers and would be wildly coveted if he decided to step away from Pittsburgh. Similar to Bill Cowher, the head coach before Tomlin who walked away on his own accord, there is a chance for him to control his own destiny.

Is this the end of the line for Tomlin as the head coach in Pittsburgh? In the NFL? Or is he just making a play for a new deal with the Steelers after another improbable winning season that resulted in a trip to the playoffs?

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Around the North: Steelers reportedly still believe in Kenny Pickett long-term

The team still believes in the former first round pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the final Sunday of the regular season hanging onto playoff hopes with 10 wins on the year. During the team’s playoff push they stuck with quarterback Mason Rudolph over their former first round pick Kenny Pickett once he was healthy.

Rudolph has played well and managed the offense to put them in a position for the playoffs. But reports are coming out of Pittsburgh that the team still believes Pickett is the future after this season. It will be interesting to see how the offseason plays out as Rudolph is set to be a free agent.

Will Pittsburgh bring Rudolph back to have a competition with Pickett or will the team decline competition for their former first rounder? Browns fans know all about quarterback battles and question marks heading into the offseason. For now the Browns prepare for a playoff matchup next week with their own offseason questions at the position looming.

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Around the North: Steelers given a 31 percent chance to make the playoffs

Could a third AFC North team sneak into the playoffs?

The Cleveland Browns have none of the worries that the Pittsburgh Steelers have as the NFL season tolls into Week 18.

Having locked up their playoff spot against the New York Jets on Thursday night of Week 17, the Browns are planning to rest the majority of their starters as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in what will look like a preseason game.

The Steelers, however, still hang in the wildcard balance and have been given a 31 percent chance to make the playoffs (according to ESPN’s Football Power Index). They will need a win today as they take on the Baltimore Ravens, then some help around the league from the Miami Dolphins or Tennessee Titans.

Luckily for the Steelers, the Ravens are planning to rest up as well, starting Tyler Huntley at quarterback. However, even with a win, the Steelers will need either the Buffalo Bills to lose to the Miami Dolphins, or the Jacksonville Jaguars to get beat by the Tennessee Titans.

As they hit the field on Saturday afternoon, the odds are not in Pittsburgh’s favor.

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