Steelers: Stealing one player from each AFC North team

Cincinnati Bengals: QB Joe Burrow

Okay, so you probably guessed where I was going with this. Here was the grand plan. Lamar Jackson is clearly the more proven player and a better option. However, knowing that he will be perhaps the highest-paid quarterback in the league somewhere in the next two years, I decided to go with Joe Burrow for my pick for the Bengals.

Let’s be honest, Cincinnati doesn’t have a lot of great talent to choose from, and Burrow is by far the most valuable piece on their team. The main reason I went with Burrow, however, is because of the money I would save.

Burrow hasn’t even started his rookie season yet, which means I would be able to keep him on a cheap deal for five years (including the fifth-year option) before he needs to be paid.

With the money I save at the quarterback position, I am able to lock all three of Stanley, Watt, and Garrett. This would be very similar to the way that Seattle was able to keep their stars around while Russell Wilson was still on his rookie deal.

Burrow is still completely unproven in the NFL, but he is coming off the single greatest season we have seen from a college quarterback. With a fantastic defense to work with, Burrow won’t be asked to do a lot to win games.

Stealing players like Ronnie Stanley, Myles Garrett, and Joe Burrow would no doubt make the Steelers the team to beat year after year. Reply and let me know which players you would take from each AFC North team.