Free Agency Review - AFC North

The AFC North this off-season has been a tale of two approaches. The Bengals and Steelers have kept quiet and kept things mostly in-house; meanwhile the Ravens and the Browns have been making headlines, and not always for the right reasons.

-Cincinnati Bengals-

Key Additions:

Tyler Eifert

TE

1yr

$5.5m

This could be quite a short section. Their only fantasy relevant addition was actually re-signing Tyler Eifert on a one year deal. I wondered whether they may be more adventurous and move on from the injury prone Tight End but it turns out they’re willing to roll the dice once more. I’m steering clear of him this season as I just can’t trust someone so fragile, but he has the ability to be a top 5 TE for certain, provided he plays enough.

A trade with the Bills saw the Bengals get some much needed help on their offensive line in Left Tackle Cordy Glenn. On the defensive side of the ball the Bengals added Preston Brown (also from the Bills) and Chris Baker (formerly of the Bucs) which may be a good thing since perennial suspension magnet Vontaze Burfict is looking at a 4 game ban to start the season for a PED violation.

It may not look like much, but the Bengals have been smart in their moves. All of the moves listed should have an effect on Andy Dalton and after having a disappointing QB17 season in fantasy in 2017, he could well be a bounce back candidate.

-Cleveland Browns-

Key Additions:

Tyrod Taylor	QB	Trade
Carlos Hyde	RB	3yrs	$15.25m
Jarvis Landry	WR	Trade
Darren Fells	TE	3yrs	$12m

Coming off a 0-16 season you could be forgiven for thinking the Browns are a dumpster fire that will never burn out. However, with the way the NFL works, eventually they will become upwardly mobile once more. This off season they have probably made the most decisive attempt yet to improve and they still have a hefty number of draft picks to add to the mix.

The first move the browns made was to trade for Jarvis Landry from the Dolphins. The price on the face of it (a 4^th round pick in 2018 and a 2019 7^th round pick) doesn’t look a lot on the surface and in truth it isn’t, provided they can sign him to a long term deal. The next move was for Quarterback Tyrod Taylor in a trade with the Bills for a 3^rd round pick. With 1 year left on his deal he seems set to be a bridge QB for Cleveland while they bring through whichever QB they draft. He’s not the long term solution, but a suitable short term option.

With 2 big pieces arriving before Free agency even opened their attention then moved to other positions of need. With the 1^st overall pick and Saquon Barkley seemingly waiting, it came as a shock that the Browns then signed former 49er Carlos Hyde. Despite his injury concerns, Hyde is very much a starting running back in the NFL and pairing him with Barkley would feel like a waste of one player’s talents. Whoever does end up with the bulk of the carries in Cleveland will have a decent offensive line to help them out although the retirement of Joe Thomas, who bows out after an incredible career, means his production and reliability will need to be filled. Elsewhere, they signed Tight End Darren Fells from the Lions which when you have David Njoku is a little odd but provides something a little different at least. But with more reinforcements coming via the draft,

With the 1^st and 4^th overall picks and with some QB needy teams they could get a very decent return for one of them. Alternatively they could choose their QB of choice and sit back and then take the best available player at 4 before waiting for the rest of their picks to come. However they approach it, the Browns could find themselves in a much improved position compared to last year, although the fantasy strength of their running game may be determined by the ability of the team to be in contention late in games. I feel it’s safer than usual to say that the Browns aren’t going to be sat in the basement for too much longer.

-Baltimore Ravens-

Key Additions:

John Brown	WR	1yr	$5m
Michael Crabtree	WR	3yrs	$21m
Ryan Grant	WR	4yrs	$29m

Baltimore needed some Wide Receiver help this off season and that was definitely where attention was focused when it came to negotiations. It has not been an easy road however and possibly one of the biggest controversies of the off season has played out in the Ravens medical room. Ryan Grant was all set to sign a 4year $29m, contract and that itself raised a number of eyebrows for a guy who has had 84 career receptions and less than 1000yards in total over his 4 years in Washington. However when Michael Crabtree was released by the Raiders there was suddenly a change of heart. Grant then mysteriously failed a medical and had his contract voided, while Crabtree came in and signed a 3 year $21m deal. It’s not a good look and when Grant went on to pass a physical with the Colts only days later.

It is what it is but Grant has since found a home in Indianapolis and the Ravens now have a wide receiver with some name power. To add to Crabtree they also brought in John Brown from the Cardinals who can be a quality WR2 option but needs to have his Sickle Cell traits under control in order to do so.

Danny Woodhead retires after a very effective career and with Alex Collins signed on an exclusive rights tender they have at least one decent running back; they may however still consider looking for another in the draft. Defensively they have lost a few pieces such as Ladarius Webb as cap casualties but they still look to have most of the elements there which made them a top 3 defense last year.

The Ravens have had a strong defence and struggling offence pretty much since winning Superbowl XLI. Their moves don’t really look inspiring and still leaves them at risk of being left behind in the AFC North. They look to be heavily reliant on Alex Collins producing ‘as good as’ or ‘better than’ last year and Crabtree having instant chemistry with Flacco before time runs out for both. There will be fantasy relevant players (namely Collins and Crabtree) but in truth the most valuable Ravens fantasy asset might just be their DST.

-Pittsburgh Steelers-

Key Additions:

Nothing

Obviously the Steelers haven’t done absolutely nothing, but in terms of fantasy relevance Pittsburgh haven’t felt the need to tamper with what they have. When you’re offensive options are Bell, Brown, Juju and Big Ben and with a full off-season for Vance McDonald and a more experienced Jesse James, there’s not an awful lot to improve on.

The Steelers defense was the area most requiring attention and they have had losses and gains in that department. Morgan Burnett is on his way to Heinz Field from the Packers while John Bostic comes in from the Colts to try and fill the Ryan Shazier shaped void. The other key move may well be the retention of Roosevelt Nix on a 4 year deal. Nix was arguably one of the best Fullbacks in the league last season and while he may himself be fantasy relevant, his play is a big part of that offensive scheme and is fundamental in determining how successful Leveon Bell is as a running back.

The Steelers are very much looking to retain what isn’t broken but the ticking time bomb that is Big Ben calling it a day is looming large and they are yet to find his successor. The transition when Ben retired will be huge in determining the long term success of the team and all the fantasy relevant players, however with Ben suggesting he’s got 2 years in him yet, they may not look to address this issue this year.