Through the rest of this week, we will continue unveiling our preseason All-Division teams, as is our annual tradition around this time of year. As always, the rosters were compiled largely by a panel of one, though there was significant input from the writing and editorial staff at CBSSports.com after I took an initial run at the rosters on my own.
We began last this week with the NFC, moving through the NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, and finally NFC West. This week, it's on to the AFC. We began with the AFC East and move on through the rest of the conference throughout this week. Without further ado, the preseason All-AFC North Team...
Offensive skill positions
QB: Lamar Jackson (BAL)
RB: Nick Chubb (CLE)
WR: Tee Higgins (CIN), Chase Claypool (PIT), Odell Beckham Jr. (CLE)
TE: Mark Andrews (BAL)
FLEX: Joe Mixon (CIN)
Choosing the quarterback for this division was actually pretty tough. The Bengals are almost surely going to throw more often than the other teams in the division and they have great receivers, so it's easy to see Joe Burrow finding success. The Browns have the best offensive line and the most well-designed offense, so Baker Mayfield could very well pick up right where he left off toward the tail end of last season. And Ben Roethlisberger obviously has an established track record of success. Jackson is the most talented player at the position in this division, though, so we're giving him the benefit of the doubt despite some questions about the supporting cast and offensive design.
Chubb might be the most talented pure runner of the football in the NFL. He led the league in Pro Football Focus' elusive rating -- which measures how often players break tackles and create yards after contact -- last season by a mile. He's in a system designed to optimize rushing efficiency and despite the presence of Kareem Hunt, still seems like a good bet to end up among the league leaders in rushing attempts. Mixon, meanwhile, no longer has to compete with Giovani Bernard for passing-down work, which should allow him to be a more well-rounded player than he has been in the past.
We gave strong consideration to Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Jarvis Landry, and Diontae Johnson at the wide receiver spot. Ultimately, it seems likely that Higgins emerges as the No. 1 target in the Cincinnati passing game this year given his additional experience and the reported struggles Chase has been having in camp. Claypool's combination of efficiency and touchdown production as a rookie foretell big things in his future, and it's entirely possible he overtakes Johnson as the No. 1 in the Pittsburgh offense this year. Beckham has his injury concerns, obviously. But he's still one of the most talented receivers in football and apparently looks quite healthy in camp. With the Browns likely to open things up a bit more than they did last year. he has a chance to shine.
Andrews is the top target for Jackson, and after struggling with health and drops last season, we're betting on a bounce-back for a player who was one of the most efficient receiving tight ends in the league during his first two seasons.
Offensive line
OT: Ronnie Stanley (BAL), Jack Conklin (CLE)
G: Joel Bitonio (CLE), Wyatt Teller (CLE)
C: JC Tretter (CLE)
The Browns finished last season ranked first by PFF in both run blocking and pass blocking. They also finished first in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Line Yards, and allowed pressure on the second-lowest percentage of dropbacks, according to PFF. So it should come as no surprise that they dominate this section of the roster. Stanley missed much of last season due to injury but is still firmly in his prime and one of the league's best left tackles. Jedrick Wills could reach his level eventually, but isn't there yet. Neither the Bengals nor Steelers had a lineman seriously challenge for a roster spot here.
Defensive front
EDGE: Myles Garrett (CLE), T.J. Watt (PIT)
IDL: Cameron Heyward (PIT), Stephon Tuitt (PIT)
LB: Devin Bush (PIT), Anthony Walker (CLE)
We named Garrett and Watt our first- and second-best edge rushers in the league earlier this offseason. They were locks for this roster.
Like his older brother, Watt has developed into a full-fledged force who causes all kinds of ridiculous problems for defenses. He led the NFL with 15 sacks and 23 tackles for loss last season, added a career-high 41 QB hits, and checked in fourth in the aforementioned WOW Rtg (third among players with 30-plus snaps per game). Garrett, so far, has been almost but maybe not quite as impactful a player as Watt. He's missed some time with injuries, carried a lower snap rate. It feels like there is still meat left on the bone for him, room for him to reach an even higher level than he's already at.
Heyward and Tuitt, meanwhile, ranked fifth and sixth among interior linemen.
Heyward and Tuitt are the lynchpins of that defense, due to the havoc they can wreak as 3-4 defensive ends. They ranked fourth (Tuitt) and eighth (Heyward) in WOW Rtg last season, and they each carried snap loads in excess of 50 per game. The Steelers' depth will be tested this year as they have let contributors leave for salary-cap reasons, but they have nothing to worry about with their starters. These guys are studs.
Bush played only five games last season, but the level of playmaking he showcased as a rookie makes him a good bet to be among the best linebackers in the AFC this year, assuming he can stay healthy. Walker turned himself into an above-average starter during his four years with the Colts, and while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah might have a higher ceiling in the future, Walker is likely to outplay his rookie teammate this season.
Defensive backfield
CB: Denzel Ward (CLE), Marlon Humphrey (BAL), Marcus Peters (BAL)
SAF: Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT), Jessie Bates III (CIN)
FLEX: John Johnson III (CLE)
Hot damn there is a lot of cornerback talent in this division. We couldn't find room on the roster for Joe Haden, even after William Jackson III left Cincinnati in free agency. Ward and Humphrey were roster locks, with the former a true No. 1 perimeter corner and the latter arguably the league's best cover guy in the slot. It was then a choice between Haden's high floor and Peters' high ceiling. We went with the ceiling, though you could certainly make an argument to go the other way.
Fitzpatrick has been well worth the first-round pick the Steelers traded for him, making back to back All-Pro First Teams. He even managed to get his hands on more passes last season than he did the year before, and continued forcing turnovers at what seems like -- but may not be? -- an unsustainably high rate. Bates took a third-year leap last season and became one of the NFL's best center-field safeties. He can come down and make plays in the run game or take away the deep half. The same is true of Johnson, who was one of the quiet keys to Brandon Staley's Rams defense last year. He was the Browns' most important free-agent pickup.
Specialists
K: Justin Tucker (BAL)
P: Sam Koch (BAL)
RET: Devin Duvernay (BAL)
I won't lie, I deferred to our resident expert, John Breech, when it came to the kickers and punters. He told me that Tucker was the best kicker and Koch the best punter in this division, and I believe him. Duvernay averaged a very strong 27.5 yards per kick return last season, and was one of only a few players to take a kickoff back for a touchdown. He's a dynamic player with the ball in his hands.