Fans would argue that the beginning of the off-season wasn't exactly what Ravens fans had hoped. After Ray Lewis & Matt Birk retired, Anquan Boldin was dealt for a 6th round pick and Bernard Pollard was a cap casualty. Free agency was no different as departures included Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger, Cary Williams, and of course future first ballot Hall of Famer Ed Reed.
Fast forward a couple of months, and many of these moves are not thoughts of the past, as Ozzie Newsome seemed to have had a plan all along. Chris Canty, Marcus Spears, Elvis Dumervil and Michael Huff were all inked to help shore up a Ravens defence that was uncharacteristically ranked 16th in total yards allowed.
Baltimore also addressed the defence in the first 4 rounds of the draft, with Safety Matt Elam and Middle Linebacker Arthur Brown expected to start early on this season. After re-singing left tackle Bryant McKinnie, the only remaining holes on the roster remain at the number 2 receiver position, and the new vocal leader in the locker room with Lewis retiring.
While baltimore has rebuilt their D throughout the offseason, let's take a look at what the other teams in the AFC North have done thus far.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals made waves early on in the draft by surprisingly selecting tight end Zach Ertz to pair with Jermaine Gresham to give Andy Dalton another weapon in the passing game. Atlthough they signed the aging James Harrison, they took the conservative approach in free-agency, electing to focus on resigning their current crop of young talent, including Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson. It will be interesting to see if they're able to come to terms with former 6th overall pick Andre Smith.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The major headlines this offseason for the Steelers including losing wide receiver Mike Wallace to Miami for $60 Million and parting ways with former sack machine James Harrison. They managed to re-sign Emmanuel Sanders to help soften the blow, while also bringing back William Gay after a one year stint with the Cardinals. Look for first round pick Jarvis Jones to step in as a pass rusher from day one, with Le'Veon Bell and Markus Wheaton competing for reps immediately
Cleveland Browns
The Browns made perhaps the largest splash this offseason by making it a point to beef up their front 7. First they snatched Paul Kruger away from the division rival Ravens, signed Desmond Bryant from the Raiders and then used the 6th overall pick to select Barkevious Mingo. Although the Browns have upgraded their defensive front, they are still a year or two away from doing any damage in the division.
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