No matter what additions the Cleveland Browns made in Free Agency and the NFL Draft, the upcoming season was always going to be tough in the talent rich AFC North division, a division which played host to three of last season’s playoff teams.

As it was, the Browns did well in the draft, snagging top running back, Trent Richardson, as well as quarterback, Brandon Weeden, in the first round. They bolstered their offensive line with Mitchell Schwartz in the second round while also adding underrated defensive players, Billy Winn and Trevin Wade, in the later rounds, both of whom could well make the final roster.

Although Peyton Hillis had a poor season for the Browns last year, they will miss the physical style of running he brought to the team, and much of Cleveland’s hopes for the coming season will be pinned upon whether or not Richardson can remain healthy for the entire season. No one doubts that Richardson has elite potential, and is arguably the best running back to come into the NFL in the last few years, but there are concerns over his durability.

Rookie quarterback Weeden also offers the unique quality of entering the league later in life, something Browns’ fans will be hoping helps his acclimatisation to the professional game, but there are worries that they lack the necessary receiving corps to help him shine. Mohamed Massaquoi can be great on his day, but often lacks consistency, and while Greg Little offers great potential, it remains to be seen whether he has refined his skills enough from his rookie year. Josh Gordon, a second-round pick out of Baylor in the Supplemental Draft, could yet prove to be the key to the Browns’ offense after performing very well in the preseason.

Cleveland has a young defense which is continuing to grow and develop, but they will need defensive stars, Joe Haden, T. J. Ward, Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor, to step up if they are to have any chance of stopping the increasingly potent offenses of the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

It is almost a certainty that the Browns will finish at the bottom of the AFC North, but they should be targeting an improvement on their 4-12 record from 2011. The playoffs will seem like a far-off notion for many Cleveland fans, but they have certainly taken steps towards improving their roster for the long term, hopefully ensuring they can challenge the division heavyweights of Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the coming years.

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The Cincinnati Bengals made huge strides last season as they went to the playoffs for the first time since 2005, an impressive feat given the relative strength of the AFC North. A resolute defense and spectacular debut season from quarterback, Andy Dalton, and wide receiver, A. J. Green, were enough to secure the sixth seed in the AFC, whilst the roster looks to only have improved in the off-season.

Many experts regarded the 2012 Bengal draft as one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL this year, and they were certainly helped by the picks received from the Oakland Raiders for quarterback Carson Palmer. They improved their secondary and offensive line dramatically with the additions of Dre Kirkpatrick and Kevin Zeitler respectively in the first round, while the likes of Devon Still (Defensive Tackle), Mohamed Sanu (Wide Receiver) and Orson Charles (Tight End) are likely to provide quality on the depth chart.

Cincinnati also did well in free agency, replacing the mercurial Cedric Benson with the more reliable running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and they will hope he can provide them as effective a running game as his predecessor did. Former Dallas Cowboy, Terrence Newman, also joined, strengthening a group of corners already featuring the likes of Kirkpatrick and Leon Hall.

Although second-year players, Dalton and Green, should have only improved with a full off-season under their belts, wide receivers Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell and Jordan Shipley have all moved onto new pastures, raising concerns about the depth of the receiving corps in Cincinnati. Veteran Brandon Tate will likely be the number two receiver while fifth round pick, Marvin Jones, has staked his claim for a starting position after impressing in preseason.

The departure of veteran guard, Bobbie Williams, didn’t seem too worrying for Bengals Head Coach, Marvin Lewis, due to the arrival of Travelle Wharton, but a potentially season ending knee injury to the guard will heap even more pressure on rookie, Zeitler and second-year interior linesman, Clint Boling.

Although a repeat performance of last season, which saw the Bengals finish with a 9-7 record and a trip to the playoffs, would likely be seen as a success by both the front office and fans alike, it is not incomprehensible for Cincinnati to be targeting greater things. With an ever-improving defense, the spotlight will fall on the offense. If the offensive line gels quickly, and Dalton and Green continue their development from last season, the Bengals could well move above Pittsburgh, whose troubles have been well documented this off-season, in the hierarchy of the AFC North.

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Although the Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the most vaunted defenses in the NFL in recent years, their offensive performances arguably deserve even more credit when considering their glaring weakness – the offensive line.

Pittsburgh took significant steps towards addressing this issue in the first two rounds of the draft, bringing in two potential starters in guard, David DeCastro, and tackle, Mike Adams. They will also have high hopes for linebacker, Sean Spence, their third round draft pick, who will bring some much needed youth to an aging defense.

Due to a lack of cap space the Steelers were unable to make any serious additions to their roster in free agency and were unable to bring back defensive veterans, Aaron Smith and James Farrior. Along with neither Farrior nor Smith returning, defensive stars James Harrison, Ike Taylor, Casey Hampton and Troy Polamalu are all well into their 30’s and questions have been raised about how effective the defense can be this year.

With the defense aging and the general development of the NFL into a passing-orientated league, focus will be firmly upon Ben Roethlisberger and the offense. Although ‘Big Ben’ is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he escapes the pocket, and has shown incredible durability when you consider how often he takes hits, he needs an offensive line which will be able to keep him upright and allow him to remain healthy throughout the season.

The offensive line hasn’t been at its best this preseason, perhaps unsurprisingly, given the turnover of personnel, but both DeCastro and Adams have huge potential at their respective positions and do have the ability to start in the NFL. It may take them a few regular season games to get fully up to speed with the professional game, but expect Roethlisberger to have much better pass protection this season than he did in 2011.

Unfortunately for Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, the defense and offensive line are not his only concerns heading into the season, but also his receiving corps, which may be without their best deep threat in Mike Wallace. The star wide receiver has yet to report to training camp, and although the Steelers still have a good unit of receivers including Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, his presence has been missed in the preseason games.

Pittsburgh is a team that no matter the adversities they face, they always seem to be competitive, and don’t expect this season to be any different. They face challenges on both the offense and defense but should still be able to finish the season with a record somewhere in the region of 9-7, and will consider anything other than a trip to the playoffs as unsuccessful. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, they could be facing another season of finishing below arch-rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, and could find themselves in a battle with the Cincinnati Bengals for the second spot in the AFC North.

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The Baltimore Ravens had a good, albeit frustrating, season in 2011. They recorded victories home and away against their arch-rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also missed out on a trip to the Super Bowl after one dropped catch, and then failed to take the game to overtime because of a missed field goal. Such are the fine margins between success and failure in the NFL.

The losses of Jarret Johnson and Cory Redding have hurt the notorious Ravens’ defense, not to mention the potentially season-long injury to reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs. The Ravens’ defense is nothing but resilient, however; players such as Paul Kruger and Pernell McPhee look ready to step up after an impressive last season. Second-round draft pick, Courtney Upshaw, also seems an even more inspired pick following the injury to Suggs just days after the draft.

With Ray Rice secured to a long term contract, one of Baltimore’s primary concerns was to find other backs to share the load with their premiere running back. Both third-round pick Bernard Pierce and undrafted rookie Bobby Rainey look to be favorites for this role. Pierce offers the Ravens a physical runner who can be used in third and short situations, while Rainey plays in a fashion very similar to Rice and has looked effective in the passing game also.

The departure of Ben Grubbs was also a blow to the Ravens, but they seemed to have found a ready-made replacement in second-round pick Kelechi Osemele. The rookie from Iowa State has performed well in preseason, whether it be at tackle or guard, and has a wealth of experience to learn from including Marshall Yanda, Bobbie Williams and Michael Oher.

Although preseason performances are not necessarily a true measurement of ability, early signs have been good for quarterback, Joe Flacco, and the new no-huddle offense. It remains to be seen whether this is due to the arrival of Jim Caldwell as the new quarterback’s coach, the increased maturity of Flacco, the improvements in the receiving corps, or a combination of all three.

Despite the Ravens offense being the focus of attention this preseason, the defense cannot be underestimated when it boasts the talents of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Lardarius Webb, all of whom will be eager to make up for the loss of Suggs and maintain Baltimore’s status as an elite defensive team.

With the offense looking to be in better shape than last season, there is no reason why Baltimore won’t be able to replicate their success from last season and once again make it to the AFC Championship game. However, whether or not they will have the firepower to beat the likes of the New England Patriots, who they could well meet again at that stage of the playoffs, remains to be seen.

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After last seasons’ disappointing playoff exit, the Packers are ready for the upcoming season.

Offensively, the Packers are led by last seasons’ MVP, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and had a league leading passer rating of 122.5. Expect a similar type year this upcoming season especially since all of his core offensive weapons are back. Not to mention, the Packers also added running back Cedric Benson, this offseason. The addition of Benson definitely improves the Packers non-existent run game from last season, which should also pay dividends for Rodgers and the passing game.

Defensively, the Packers certainly have some concerns. Last season, Green Bay was ranked last in the NFL and allowed 411.6 yards per game. In addition, the Packers had a very difficult time getting pressure on the opposing teams’ quarterbacks and were ranked in the bottom five in the league. As a result of their defensive woes, Green Bay used six of their eight draft picks on defense. First round pick Nick Perry from USC and second round pick Jerel Worthy from Michigan State should help the Packers put some pressure on quarterbacks this upcoming year.

The secondary may be more of a concern in terms of defensive problems. The Packers parted ways with safety Nick Collins because of health concerns, and as a result, they moved cornerback Charles Woodson, to the safety position at the start of training camp. In addition, the Packers also released veteran safety Charlie Peprah. The departure of these veterans opens up a chance for the young members of the secondary, especially defensive backs Morgan Burnett and M.D Jennings to prove they are NFL ready. Expect Woodson to move back to corner if M.D Jennings or rookie Jerron McMillian impress defensive coordinator Dom Capers.

The Packers start off the season with some difficult tests, week one against San Francisco 49ers, week two Chicago Bears, three at Seattle, and four New Orleans Saints. It is not likely the Packers will go 15-1 like last season, but a record of 11-5 or 12-4 is a more realistic target for their 2012 campaign. In addition, they should win the NFC North, a much more competitive division this upcoming year thanks to big improvements to the Chicago Bears roster as well as much of the young talent of the Detroit Lions growing in experience.

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