In his first offseason as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Omar Khan made every effort to ensure that his team is going to be as competitive as possible. Early in the 2023 free agency period, Khan cut players loose and moved money around to add depth to positions like linebacker, cornerback, and offensive guard.
Sadly, Pittsburgh might not have taken a big step forward in their division. Though the Ravens more or less stood pat (while simultaneously burning bridges with QB Lamar Jackson), the Browns and Bengals got aggressive with some signings that could potentially negate what the Steelers will attempt to do when these teams face each other twice per year. Here are three AFC North rival signings that could prove to be problematic for Pittsburgh.
3. Steelers will have to account for ballhawk Juan Thornhill
The Kansas City Chiefs selected safety Juan Thornhill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and despite some ups and downs early in his career, he's been better than his passer rating surrendered would indicate. After recording a whopping 13 interceptions at Virginia (6 of which came during his senior season), Thornhill has earned 8 picks in his first four seasons with the Chiefs.
Now the ballhawk recently inked a deal with the Cleveland Browns in free agency. Last year, starter John Johnson had just 1 interception and 4 passes defended in 17 games as he was credited for surrendering 429 yards in his coverage. Meanwhile, Thornhill is coming off a three-interception season in which he graded out as the 20th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus -- including the 12th-best coverage grade.
Kenny Pickett should be able to catch Thornhill off guard at times, but he will need to be careful when airing it out in his direction. He has the ball skills to make the Steelers pay on any given pass.
2. Dalvin Tomlinson will look to counteract Steelers rushing attack
Every generation seems to include a few beefy run-stuffers who can stick around forever thanks to their dominance to hold up at the point of attack. Dalvin Tomlinson is one of them. Listed at 6'3'' and 325 pounds, Tomlinson is somehow even stouter than his frame would suggest.
During his first six NFL seasons, the former Alabama product has never earned worse than a 74.9 overall grade, per PFF. Last year, his 77.0 grade was good for 14th among all interior defensive linemen.
While he doesn't have a lot to offer as a pass rusher (despite a very respectable pass-rush grade last year), Tomlinson is a space-eating nose tackle who loves to swallow up running backs near the line of scrimmage. A player like Tomlinson could be the kryptonite of a team looking to ram the ball down their opponent's throats this year.
The 29-year-old interior defender is coming off arguably the best season of his career and made a nice chunk of change to shut down AFC North running lanes. He could make things difficult for Najee Harris and company when they face twice per year.
1. Orlando Brown Jr. should be a big upgrade for the Bengals
In two games against the Cincinnati Bengals last year, Alex Highsmith recorded an impressive 3.5 sacks and 7 quarterback hits. They decided that former first-round pick, Jonah Williams, wasn't cutting in and they went all out for an upgrade in free agency. Newcomer Orlando Brown Jr. is a four-time Pro Bowler who just earned a $64 million contract to protect Joe Burrow.
This is going to make things a lot trickier on Pittsburgh. Though he's not a great athlete, Brown wins with remarkable play strength and unmatched length to push his opponents up the arc. It's worth noting that Highsmith did record 2.0 sacks in 2 games against the Chiefs in 2021 (including the playoff loss), but Brown has been a much better overall player than Williams so far in his career.
Getting a notable upgrade at one of the most important positions in football is going to be huge for the Bengals. This will not only help improve a pedestrian rushing attack but should allow Joe Burrow more time in the pocket to hit players who are already impossible to cover like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Bengals continue to take another step forward with this move, and if Highsmith doesn't return following the 2023 season, Brown's presence could prove to be even more of an issue when the Steelers and Bengals face each other two times per year.