Breaking down who has the best collection of second level defenders in the division.
With training camp less than a month away and every roster in the league all but set, it’s time to take a step back and evaluate all four rosters in the AFC North, the only division in which every team finished with a winning record above .500 in 2023.
Up next in this multi-part article series ranking each individual position group are the off-ball linebackers.
1.) Baltimore Ravens
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Depth chart: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Chris Board, Josh Ross, Deion Jennings and Yvandy Rigby
The reigning AFC North champions are the only team in the division with a player who has been named to the All Pro First Team and Pro Bowl. Smith has done both twice in each of the past two seasons since being acquired at the 2022 midseason deadline. He is arguably the best off-ball linebacker in the league and is coming off a stellar 2023 season in which he led the team with 158 total tackles—sixth-most in the league, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception.
Even though Smith is the only member of the bunch on the Ravens with an extensive starting appearance, his presence at the MIKE spot allows whoever lines up next to him at the WILL spot to flourish and take their game to another level because of all he brings to the table. He formed the best tandem in the league with former Ravens first-rounder Patrick Queen who developed into a Pro Bowler and Second Team All Pro this past season which allowed him to earn a lucrative contract in free agency back in March.
The next man up to replace Queen is second-year pro Trenton Simpson who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He didn’t get a lot of playing time on defense last year as a rookie but flashed tantalizing playmaking potential in the regular season finale and is garnering some hype and heightened expectations this offseason.
Behind them is a quartet of former and recent undrafted free agents who will likely primarily play special teams. Board is back for a second stint being the most experienced of the group as a six-year veteran. He is followed by Ross who is heading into his third season and has only appeared in five games but has yet to record a regular-season snap on defense. Rounding out the group is a pair of rookies in Jennings and Rigby who will likely be battling for the fifth spot on the depth chart assuming the Ravens keep that many given the new kickoff rules.
2.) Pittsburgh Steelers
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Depth chart: Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson, Kyron Johnson, David Perales and Tyler Murray
After years of this position being one of the weakest on their defense following the career-ending injury suffered by former two-time Pro Bowler Ryan Shazier, it is now the deepest in the division. Their collection of top four off-ball linebackers following the addition of Queen in free agency and Wilson in the draft, two very athletic playmakers, to along with Roberts and Holcomb rival any depth chart in the league from a pure talent standpoint.
Queen came across enemy lines fresh off a career year in which recorded a single-season high with 133 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, six pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Roberts led the Steelers in total tackles last year by recording his second straight season of 100-plus and 10 tackles for loss to go along with 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and two pass breakups.
Holcomb was having a strong start to the 2023 season for the Steelers before his season was cut short after eight games by a gruesome knee injury. He had posted 54 total tackles including four for a loss, two quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, two pass deflections and a fumble recovery. The five-year veteran is still rehabbing and even if he doesn’t reclaim his starting spot, he’ll provide quality depth behind whoever does secure the spot next to Queen.
Robinson and Johnson are former late-round picks who have primarily played special teams and have limited experience on defense. Although Robinson, a 2022 seventh-rounder, got to make a pair of starts and played 151 snaps last year when injuries plagued the position. Perales and Murray were both undrafted free agents last year and spent their rookie seasons on the practice squad.
3.) Cleveland Browns
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Depth chart: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jordan Hicks, Devin Bush, Nathaniel Watson, Charlie Thomas III, Mohamoud Diabate, Caleb Johnson, Tony Fields II and Winston Reid
The Browns have one of the better young off-ball linebackers in the league highlighting the group in Owusu-Koramoah. The former second-rounder is fresh off his first career Pro Bowl season in which he recorded a team-leading and career-high 101 total tackles including a whopping 20 tackles for loss to go along with 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hits, six pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Cleveland upgraded at least one of their off-ball linebacker spots by bringing in Hicks to replace Anthony Walker next Owusu-Koramoah. Despite playing in just 13 games, the nine-year veteran recorded over 100 total tackles for the fifth straight year on his third different team last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He also logged four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, five pass breakups and one interception.
Even though he is a former first-round pick, it remains to be seen if Bush will be an up or downgrade from Sione Takitaki who they let walk in free agency. Originally a first-round pick of the Steelers in 2019, Bush is back in the AFC North after a one-year stint in the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks where he appeared in 13 games, made three starts and recorded 37 total tackles including five for a loss.
Behind their projected top three at the position, the Browns aren’t very deep with proven talent with only 11 career starts between their remaining six off-ball linebackers. Fields II, a 2021 fifth-rounder—has the bulk of them with 10 including four last year and Diabate—a 2023 undrafted free agent—has the other which also came last season. Thomas and Johnson are also former undrafted free agents while Reid and Watson are undrafted rookies this year.
4.) Cincinnati Bengals
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Depth chart: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joe Bachie, Shaka Heyward, Devin Harper, Aaron Casey and Maema Njongmeta
The Bengals’ top trio is the least decorated group in the division with no Pro Bowlers, First or Second Team All Pro bids. However, they are also its most experienced playing alongside each other with Wilson, Pratt and Davis-Gaither having played together since 2020.
Wilson and Pratt are coming off career years in total tackles with over 100 and two or more interceptions. Wilson led the team with a career-high 135 total tackles and Pratt was second with 118 and they combined for six interceptions and three sacks. Even though their base defense is a 4-3, they mainly deploy those two players on almost every down.
Behind them are five young players with little to no experience playing defense in the regular season. Bachie and Harper have played primarily on special teams throughout their career. At the same time, Heyward has yet to appear in a regular season game after going undrafted out of Duke last year. Both Casey and Njongmeta are undrafted rookies who will be vying for one of the final spots on the depth chart or at least put themselves in practice squad consideration.