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Grading AFC North 2021 free agency moves Browns surge ahead of the field Steelers mak - lovelystyle - 03-20-2024
Two years ago, the hoisted a triumphant pre s conference after pulling off a trade to acquire Jr. Following the trade, infamously said that the Browns were "absolutely" the best team in the AFC North. Coming off a surprising 2018 season that saw the Browns win five of their last seven games, it was hard to argue with the Browns' pa s rusher.Things didn't materialize for the Browns in 2019. Dysfunction within the facility largely contributed to Cleveland's highly disappointing 6-10 record. To their credit, the Browns rebounded by having a highly succe sful 2020 season that included the franchise's first playoff win in over a quarter century. The cherry on top was the fact that the Browns' playoff win came against the , a franchise that has had its way with Cleveland since the 1990s.While none of their 2020 signings generated the buzz that the Beckham trade did, the Browns made several key acquisitions that contributed to last season's succe s. Among those acquisitions were the signings of offensive tackle , tight end , linebacker B.J. Goodson, and safety . The Browns also found a draft gem in left tackle , who Chris Carson Jersey became an immediate starter while helping protect band side.With the draft still several weeks away, we decided to grade each AFC North team's succe s during the first two weeks of free agency. We'll kick things off with Cleveland, where Browns fans have begun bracing themselves for a po sible Super Bowl run. Best signing: S John Johnson IIIThe Browns wanted to strengthen their secondary after finishing 22nd in the league in pa s defense in 2020. Cleveland certainly did that with the signings of safety III and cornerback . Formerly teammates in Los Angeles, Johnson and Hill helped the boast the league's top-ranked pa s defense in 2020. Johnson can start at either safety position, while Hill will complement fellow Browns starting cornerback, .Cleveland also achieved its goal of keeping when they signed the veteran receiver to a one-year, $2.38 million deal. The team's second-leading receiver last season, Higgins should continue to find a role in the Browns' offense even with Beckham returning from last season's knee injury.If those moves weren't enough, the Browns added significant depth with the signings of Takk McKinley, , and . The Browns Jadeveon Clowney, who would likely replace Olivier Vernon's 2020 production. If Cleveland is able to sign Clowney, the Browns would have pulled off a near perfect free agency. Jake Curhan Jersey Grade: ABest signing: DE Trey HendricksonCincinnati parted ways with several significant players, including cornerbackIII, defensive tackle, linebackerand receiver A.J. Green. Cincinnati replaced Jackson with formercornerbackand former Steeler, one of the NFL's top slot cornerbacks. They've replaced Lawson with formerdefensive end, who cashed in to the tune of a four-year, $60 million deal after recording a Gerald Everett Jersey career-high 13.5 sacks last season. Time will tell if Hendrickson can continue that production in Cincinnati.The Bengals have yet to find a veteran receiver that can replace Green, one of the top players in franchise history. They reportedly offered a contract offer before Golladay ultimately signed with the . Cincinnati still has several solid veteran wideouts they can sign ( and are among them) but they're going to have to move quickly to acquire one.Cincinnati added to their offensive line --- a must -- with the signing of former tackle . And while Reiff is a solid player, the Bengals pa sed on the chance to sign one of the top-available linemen in free agency, a list of players that includes , , and . Cincinnati's grade will rise if they are able to land longtime Washington pa s rusher Ryan Kerrigan, who was reportedly . Grade: CBiggest signing: G Kevin ZeitlerBaltimore suffered big lo ses with the departures of linebackers , , Matthew Judon and center . Baltimore minimized the damage at linebacker by re-signing Tyus Bowser and . The Ravens were also able to retain defensive tackle . Baltimore's best outside free agent signing so far is offensive guard , a player the Ravens surely hope can be a better replacement for , who retired after the 2019 season.Like Cincinnati, the Ravens mi sed out on signing Golladay after meeting with the veteran receiver last week. Baltimore has yet to sign a veteran receiver who can help complement . Baltimore was also unable to lure away from Pittsburgh. The Ravens have reportedly turned their attention to Sammy Watkins, who recently helped the reach consecutive Super Bowls.Look for the Ravens to addre s the lo s of Skura during the first round of the draft, especially if Alabama's Landon Dickerson and/or Oklahoma's Creed Humphrey are on the board when Baltimore is on the clock. As far as pa s rusher is concerned, Jake Luton Jersey don't be surprised if Baltimore addre ses this need in free agency as well as during the draft. Among the top-remaining pa s rushers in free agency include , , , , , and . Grade: CBiggest signing: The good news? The Steelers retained JuJu Smith-Schuster for a very affordable $8 million. The bad news? Pittsburgh bid adieu to former defensive starers , , , and . They also watched Mike Hilton sign with the Bengals. Throw in retirement and the Steelers have pre sing needs at center, tackle, guard, nose tackle, and both linebacker positions.Along with Smith-Schuster, the Steelers were able to keep a few of their in-house free agents. The list includes cornerback , offensive linemen J.C. Ha senauer and , linebacker and defensive end . Pittsburgh also acquired former lineman Joe Haeg, former linebacker and center/guard B.J. Finney, who spent his first four active seasons with the Steelers.If inclined, Brian Bosworth Jersey the Steelers still have the option of re-signing longtime starting left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, who remains on the open market. Regardle s, look for the Steelers to acquire a new left tackle via the draft. Pittsburgh will also be in the market for a new running back, as remains unsigned. The Steelers with Clemson's Travis Etienne, the top-ranked running back in . Another early option at running back is , who last season helped Alabama capture its sixth national title under coach Nick Saban. Pittsburgh lost some key players, but they still have , who next season will be armed with one of the league's deepest receiving corps. They also have star pa s rusher T.J. Watt, multiple Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward, multiple Pro Bowl cornerback and All-Pro safety . If they can fill the holes that were recently created in free agency, the Steelers' 2021 free agency will be looked at in a more favorable light this time next year.Grade: C+