In 2024, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs.
If the Cincinnati Bengals hadn’t started 0–3, including a brutal Week 1 loss at home to the New England Patriots, there would have been three AFC North teams in the postseason. As for the Cleveland Browns, plenty would have needed to change.
Going into 2025, the Ravens still appear to be the class of the division. The Steelers could be a real challenge to Baltimore, though, provided a certain quarterback signs. In Cincinnati, can the Bengals figure out how to play defense? And in Cleveland, some things remain the same even as the nameplates change.
Let’s rank the four AFC North rosters and see where things stand as OTAs and the mandatory minicamp approach.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore was one of the most idle teams this offseason, and for good reason. The Ravens made another run at the Super Bowl last season, falling short in the divisional round to the Buffalo Bills. Still, Baltimore was the AFC’s third seed and won the AFC North for the second consecutive year, with quarterback Lamar Jackson earning first-team All-Pro honors for the second straight campaign. Then there’s fellow All-Pro Derrick Henry, who rushed for more than 1,900 yards in his first year as a Raven.
Over the past few months, general manager Eric DeCosta added a pair of meaningful defensive talents in the NFL draft, including safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green, while losing corner Brandon Stephens and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari in free agency. Otherwise, the Ravens are hoping to get over the postseason hump with Jackson finally.
The Ravens have the best all-around roster in the AFC North, and arguably in the AFC.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Assuming the Steelers find a way to sign quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they will have one of the more intriguing rosters in a conference full of them.
Pittsburgh hasn’t had a quality signal-caller since Ben Roethlisberger. Rodgers, 41, isn’t the four-time MVP talent he once was, but he’s still a superior option to what we’ve seen from Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Duck Hodges in recent campaigns. He’s also surrounded by a good offensive line, receiver DK Metcalf, running backs Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren, and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
The defense should be strong, led by edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and defensive lineman Cam Heyward. If there’s a concern, it’s at cornerback with Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay being heavily relied upon, while the depth is an unknown. Still, the Steelers should be a playoff team that can cause problems.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are going to score a lot of points. The concern is whether everyone of their opponents will as well.
Cincinnati saw a departure from its football team’s typical business practices as the Bengals extended receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to multi-year deals this offseason. Combined with reigning NFL passing leader Joe Burrow, running back Chase Brown and tight end Mike Gesicki, those two should form one of the league’s best units, even with a middling offensive line.
That said, the defense is a major concern. After ranking 25th last year, the Bengals fired longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Al Golden. The personnel didn’t get much of an overhaul, losing slot corner Mike Hilton and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, with the main addition being rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart.
If Cincinnati gets back to the playoffs, it will be because the defense does just enough and the offense is otherworldly.
4. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland has five quarterbacks on its roster, and none who could start in most cities. That’s where the Browns are heading into the next phase of the offseason, with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel all vying to move up the depth chart.
Even if Cleveland gets excellent play under center, the rest of the team has issues. The Browns allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL last year and didn’t upgrade the line. They also have Jerry Jeudy and question marks on the outside, although tight end David Njoku is one of the more dynamic players at his position.
Defensively, this is a good group led by coordinator Jim Schwartz, All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett and first-round pick Mason Graham, but is that enough to make Cleveland competitive? As usual, the answer is likely no, especially with the quarterback position being such a mess.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 NFL Season: Ranking Every AFC North Roster.