Roster Reset: Pittsburgh Steelers atop AFC North

Roster Reset: Pittsburgh Steelers atop AFC North
By Marc Sessler
Around the NFL Writer
Published: April 15, 2015 at 10:02 a.m. Updated: April 16, 2015 at 01:56 p.m.

The Patriots*, Broncos and Colts all sit comfortably atop their respective divisions, but the AFC North remains up for grabs.

After producing a trio of playoff teams last season, the AFC's black-and-blue division has enough talent to repeat the trick in 2015.

The Steelers watched longtime, brilliant defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau walk out the door, but Pittsburgh's weapons on offense make anything possible. Now it's time to restock a secondary ravaged by age and the retirement of future Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.

The Ravens have seen a flock of familiar faces -- Jacoby Jones, Torrey Smith and Haloti Ngata -- leave for greener pastures, but nobody in the division does a better job of patching holes through the draft than general manager Ozzie Newsome.

Four straight playoff losses for the Bengals don't change the fact that Cincinnati's roster is stocked with talent. Except at quarterback, where the presence of middling passer Andy Dalton puts a ceiling on our expectations for the organization.

Cleveland's offseason has been a collage of headache-inducing drama, from Ray Farmer's texting scandal to Johnny Manziel's stint in rehab. The Browns added more veteran talent to a rising defense, but coach Mike Pettine still lacks a true starting quarterback. That's no recipe for success in the rough-and-tumble North.

Our Roster Reset series will rank each team by the strength of their roster.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Why they sit above the rest: There's no ceiling with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. January's playoff loss to Baltimore would have been a different contest with a healthy Le'Veon Bell, who gives the Steelers one of the game's most dangerous runners. With Bell facing a three-game suspension to start the season, the newly added DeAngelo Williams should work out better than last year's LeGarrette Blount experiment.

Pittsburgh's aging defense needs help. Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor have both retired. Brett Keisel is also out the door. While the ageless James Harrison returns, he can't make up for the sudden retirement of Jason Worilds. Pittsburgh will eye the draft for pass-rushing help.

What's next:

» Rebuild the secondary: The Steelers have lost a combined 1,595 snaps from last season with the departures of Polamalu, Taylor and Brice McCain. Drafting a cornerback early makes plenty of sense for a squad with paper-thin depth behind William Gay. Cortez Allen has been a mess. Polamalu is irreplaceable, but finding help at safety is a must unless the front office believes young Shamarko Thomas can make the leap.

» Fill the Worilds void: Harrison's return helps, but the Steelers are a candidate to add another outside linebacker alongside Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones. In his latest mock, NFL Media's Lance Zierlein sees Pittsburgh landing Kentucky's Bud Dupree.

» Add a playmaking tight end: Matt Spaeth returns, but it's time to develop a pass-catching weapon behind Heath Miller. Another X-factor at the position would make this Steelers attack an absolute headache to stop.


(Read More:) http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000484705/article/roster-reset-pittsburgh-steelers-atop-afc-north

Everything listed under what's next, is what should be next. Those few bulletpoints should be the guideline for the draft.

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Everything listed under what's next, is what should be next.

The writer left Fire Haley off the list.

Steelers have the best offense in the division.... but Ravens and Bengals have better defenses. Hopefully the Steelers D will improve this year.

Wallace108 wrote:

KeepHarrisonTilHes92 wrote:

Everything listed under what's next, is what should be next.

The writer left Fire Haley off the list.

NEVER!!

Really looking forward to 2015 with the Steele Curtain.