It’s hard to find a division across the NFL that saw as much change this offseason as the AFC North. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns all making head coaching changes, the future of the AFC North will look very different.
Last year, the Steelers won the division with a 10-7 record. To former Steeler James Harrison, the rest of the division hasn’t surpassed them yet.
“This is the most unreal, disrespectful thing I done seen,” Harrison said, referencing power rankings from USA Today, which have Pittsburgh at 19th overall, behind Cincinnati (ninth) and Baltimore (11th). “What has Cincinnati done? They still got defense issues. The linebackers, they did nothing to help the linebackers out… Lamar, you got them above us, too, at 11? What is he, 3-5? He 3-5 against us dude… And ya’ll got offensive issues, they lost Linderbaum”
The power rankings Harrison references have Cincinnati at ninth, at the top of the division. You have to consider the Bengals’ talent on offense, with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins possibly representing the best offensive trio in the league. And while they lost Trey Hendrickson, they did swing a big trade for Dexter Lawrence. If healthy, they should compete, but Harrison isn’t wrong to point out some defensive issues on that roster.
Landing Hendrickson and bringing in a new head coach, Jesse Minter, may spark a defensive revival for the Ravens. And a large part of their struggles last year were due to Lamar Jackson’s inability to stay healthy. However, that team did lose several key players to free agency, including Tyler Linderbaum, as Harrison references.
Ultimately, Harrison wants to recognize the moves the Steelers made to compete in the AFC North.
“They sleeping on us. They don’t even realize how much we done did. How much we improved on the offensive side of the ball, where we needed to improve, dude. The defense, we’re going to be better as a defense. We’re going to improve greatly,” Harrison said Monday on his Deebo and Joe podcast.
Pittsburgh certainly made some big offensive moves. Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard and Rico Dowdle are the three biggest new names likely to make an impact. Pittsburgh added some more depth on the offensive line as well, with Max Iheanachor in the first round and Gennings Dunker in the third. The offense is still led by Aaron Rodgers, which will disappoint some. But with Mike McCarthy running the show, there is more room for optimism than Pittsburgh has had in a while.
Harrison has been outspoken about his unhappiness with Mike Tomlin’s defense in recent years. It’s no surprise he’s higher on the unit with a fresh face in Patrick Graham. But one thing figures to be sure: winning the AFC North in 2026 won’t be as easy as it was for the Steelers in 2025. Yet, Harrison, who also predicted the Steelers would win 16 games, thinks they made enough upgrades to continue their reign in the division.
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