The fight for the AFC North could be a four-team race during the 2022 NFL season. The Cleveland Browns hope their additions on offense will be an upgrade and that their defense continues the development shown late in the season.
The Cincinnati Bengals are fresh off their Super Bowl appearance hoping an upgraded offensive line can help take Joe Burrow to the next level.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are turning the page on the Ben Roethlisberger era with either/both Mitchell Trubisky and/or Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback. While the Steelers may be expected to lose, the team stayed competitive with Duck Hodges at quarterback a few years ago.
Finally, the Baltimore Ravens hope to bounce back from a last-place finish in 2021 with a healthy Lamar Jackson. The story of the Ravens season was injuries as Jackson, most of their running backs and most of their secondary missed significant time.
Baltimore may have another significant injury to deal with as versatile defensive lineman Derek Wolfe announced he had his second hip surgery of the year on Monday:
Ravens DE Derek Wolfe announces he underwent a second hip surgery.
His $2M salary this year is fully guaranteed.
“We’re going to try to get a full recovery here and try to live a normal life,” Wolfe said on IG. pic.twitter.com/RgR822XMwM
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 13, 2022
As noted, Wolfe’s contract is guaranteed for this season with a cap hit of $3.8 million. His statement regarding “a normal life” seems to indicate his future on the football field could be in doubt.
The Ravens retained veteran Calais Campbell and brought over Michael Pierce from Minnesota this offseason to bolster the defensive line.
Wolfe last played in 2020, his lone healthy season with Baltimore. He signed a three-year, $12 million deal last offseason with $6.5 million guaranteed.