Breaking down the AFC North: Ravens aim to repeat; Steelers poised to challenge

David Wilson, Miami Herald on Aug 29, 2025

Published in Football

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The 2025 NFL season is set to get underway on Sept. 4 when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys.

The Miami Herald broke down each division and continues with the AFC North, looking at the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

— Coach: John Harbaugh (18th season with the Ravens; 172-104 in the regular season, 13-11 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 12-5 (first in the division), lost in the AFC divisional round to the Bills

— Key additions: WR DeAndre Hopkins, T Emery Jones Jr., LB Mike Green, CB Jaire Alexander, S Malaki Starks

— Key subtractions: G Patrick Mekari, DT Michael Pierce

— Looking ahead: As good as they’ve been with superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson leading the way, the Ravens are still awaiting a postseason breakthrough in the Jackson era. The superstar quarterback might just have his best supporting cast yet, with superstar running back Derrick Henry back for Year 2 in Baltimore, and probably the best group of tight ends in the league with stars Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who broke out in his third season in the NFL. Throw in perhaps the best secondary in the league — superstar safety Kyle Hamilton, and maybe the deepest group of cornerbacks in the league with Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander — and superstar linebacker Roquan Smith on defense and the Ravens, on paper, should be the Chiefs’ biggest challenger in the American Football Conference.

Cincinnati Bengals

— Coach: Zac Taylor (seventh season with the Bengals; 46-52-1 in the regular season, 5-2 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 9-8 (third in the division)

— Key additions: G Dylan Fairchild, C Seth McLaughlin, DE Shemar Stewart, LB Demetrius Knight

— Key subtractions: DE Sam Hubbard, CB Mike Hilton

— Looking ahead: A slow start doomed the Bengals last year and they’re betting that they’re more like the team from the second half of the season than the first. Cincinnati didn’t change much in the offseason — it didn’t lose much, but it didn’t really add anyone notable in free agency, either — and so the Bengals will need superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to put together another MVP-caliber season, and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to play like the best wideout tandem in the league. Nine wins should be the absolute floor with an offense like Cincinnati’s.

Cleveland Browns

— Coach: Kevin Stefanski (sixth season with the Browns; 40-44 in the regular season, 1-2 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 3-14 (fourth in the division)

— Key additions: QB Dillon Gabriel, QB Shedeur Sanders, TE Harold Fannin Jr., G Teven Jenkins, DT Mason Graham

— Key subtractions: QB Jameis Winston, RB Nick Chubb, WR Elijah Moore, T Jedrick Wills

— Looking ahead: The Deshaun Watson experience is over and — as bad as the quarterback was for the Browns — his departure leaves Cleveland with the messiest quarterback situation in the league, which is a shame because the Browns have talent elsewhere. Superstar defensive end Myles Garrett might be the best defensive player in the league and cornerback Denzel Ward is another legitimate superstar on defense. Cleveland’s season, however, will be defined by what happens under center: Quarterback Joe Flacco enters the season as the likely starter, but the Browns spent draft picks on quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, hoping one of the two rookies can emerge as the franchise quarterback after spectacular final seasons in college.

Pittsburgh Steelers

— Coach: Mike Tomlin (19th season with the Steelers; 183-107-2 in the regular season, 8-11 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 10-7 (second in the division), lost in the AFC wild-card round to the Ravens

— Key additions: QB Aaron Rodgers, WR DK Metcalf, TE Jonnu Smith, DT Derrick Harmon, CB Jalen Ramsey

— Key subtractions: QB Justin Fields, RB Najee Harris, WR George Pickens, T Dan Moore Jr., S Minkah Fitzpatrick

— Looking ahead: Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have been the picture of above-averageness in recent years, so it was admirable to see Pittsburgh try to shake things up in the offseason. The Steelers traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf, flipped star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins for star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, and made maybe the biggest gamble of the offseason by signing 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers after two disastrous seasons with the Jets. If Rodgers has something left in the tank to complement star linebacker T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh’s talented defense, the Steelers could be a contender in the American Football Conference; if Rodgers doesn’t, disaster may await and Tomlin might finally be at the end of the line after nearly two decades in Pittsburgh.