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Part 1 of 2
Biggest roster weaknesses for Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers - NFL
By Scott Kacsmar
In a series of articles the next few days, Football Outsiders will be looking division-by-division at the biggest weakness left on each team's roster after free agency and the 2015 NFL draft.
This edition examines the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens
Biggest post-draft weakness: Defensive line depth
Baltimore did a very good job of filling some of its biggest needs in the draft. Joe Flacco needed young receivers, and the Ravens obliged with tight end Maxx Williams and wide receiver Breshad Perriman. Both should see plenty of action right away, supplying an answer at every position for the offense.
The secondary sunk Baltimore's 2014 season thanks to six defensive backs finishing on injured reserve. Better health, especially for cornerback Jimmy Smith, should help fix that problem, and the Ravens have also added veterans Kyle Arrington and Kendrick Lewis to the group.
The biggest loss remains Haloti Ngata, a potential Hall of Fame defender who was traded to Detroit. Ngata brought plenty of versatility and leadership to this unit, two qualities that are hard to replace with young players. Brandon Williams has secured one starting position on the line, but second-year end Timmy Jernigan will hope to replace Ngata after he flashed with four sacks last year. Jernigan had six quarterback hits, which was one more than Williams, Ngata and Chris Canty combined.
Canty is going on 33 years old, and he did not register a single quarterback hurry last season, according to Football Outsiders game charting. The ship has sailed long ago on Terrence Cody (released in January) replacing Ngata, so it's really up to what Jernigan and the other young players can do this season -- including third-round pick Carl Davis (Iowa), who has very good physical tools but slipped in the draft for his lack of pass-rushing production and a questionable motor.
Cincinnati Bengals
Biggest post-draft weakness: Slot receiver
You could almost see the Bengals marking off their checklist of needs in the draft, with back-to-back selections on the offensive line followed by needed depth at the positions where injuries or disappointing play have hurt them: tight end, inside linebacker, cornerback and defensive end.
That still leaves the passing game as the area where the Bengals need to improve the most, but there is no improving on Andy Dalton at quarterback this offseason. What the Bengals can do is enhance what's around him, and this offense is currently lacking a quality slot receiver. Dalton tends to overthrow his receivers and force high catches, so if the Bengals have someone capable of running underneath routes that are easy to complete, then Dalton's efficiency should pick up and it would help keep the offense on schedule.
Cincinnati signed deep threat Denarius Moore, but he has caught just 46.9 percent of his career targets -- the exact opposite of a high-percentage receiver. A.J. Green is a great receiver, but he is not one of those high-percentage slot weapons. With the help of ESPN Stats & Information, we tracked 30.2 percent of Dalton's throws to Green as being uncatchable in 2014. That is largely on the quarterback, but it also speaks to the types of routes the receiver runs in the offense. Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones are coming off injury-plagued seasons and Mohamed Sanu disappeared down the stretch. Sanu averaged 7.8 targets per game thru Week 12, but had just 12 targets and 71 receiving yards in the final five games. Sanu also had the third-highest rate of dropped passes among wide receivers, according to ESPN Stats & Information game charting.
Slot receiver Wes Welker is still a free agent. In 2014, Welker had the lowest rate of uncatchable targets among wide receivers (9.4 percent). It's hard to miss a guy who rarely runs more than eight yards down the field. Welker has had his share of concussion problems, but he could be a value signing at this stage. Third-and-5 would be a bit easier for Dalton if a quality underneath option were an alternative to forcing another high ball to Green 15 yards down the field.
Biggest roster weaknesses for Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers - NFL
By Scott Kacsmar
In a series of articles the next few days, Football Outsiders will be looking division-by-division at the biggest weakness left on each team's roster after free agency and the 2015 NFL draft.
This edition examines the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens
Biggest post-draft weakness: Defensive line depth
Baltimore did a very good job of filling some of its biggest needs in the draft. Joe Flacco needed young receivers, and the Ravens obliged with tight end Maxx Williams and wide receiver Breshad Perriman. Both should see plenty of action right away, supplying an answer at every position for the offense.
The secondary sunk Baltimore's 2014 season thanks to six defensive backs finishing on injured reserve. Better health, especially for cornerback Jimmy Smith, should help fix that problem, and the Ravens have also added veterans Kyle Arrington and Kendrick Lewis to the group.
The biggest loss remains Haloti Ngata, a potential Hall of Fame defender who was traded to Detroit. Ngata brought plenty of versatility and leadership to this unit, two qualities that are hard to replace with young players. Brandon Williams has secured one starting position on the line, but second-year end Timmy Jernigan will hope to replace Ngata after he flashed with four sacks last year. Jernigan had six quarterback hits, which was one more than Williams, Ngata and Chris Canty combined.
Canty is going on 33 years old, and he did not register a single quarterback hurry last season, according to Football Outsiders game charting. The ship has sailed long ago on Terrence Cody (released in January) replacing Ngata, so it's really up to what Jernigan and the other young players can do this season -- including third-round pick Carl Davis (Iowa), who has very good physical tools but slipped in the draft for his lack of pass-rushing production and a questionable motor.
Cincinnati Bengals
Biggest post-draft weakness: Slot receiver
You could almost see the Bengals marking off their checklist of needs in the draft, with back-to-back selections on the offensive line followed by needed depth at the positions where injuries or disappointing play have hurt them: tight end, inside linebacker, cornerback and defensive end.
That still leaves the passing game as the area where the Bengals need to improve the most, but there is no improving on Andy Dalton at quarterback this offseason. What the Bengals can do is enhance what's around him, and this offense is currently lacking a quality slot receiver. Dalton tends to overthrow his receivers and force high catches, so if the Bengals have someone capable of running underneath routes that are easy to complete, then Dalton's efficiency should pick up and it would help keep the offense on schedule.
Cincinnati signed deep threat Denarius Moore, but he has caught just 46.9 percent of his career targets -- the exact opposite of a high-percentage receiver. A.J. Green is a great receiver, but he is not one of those high-percentage slot weapons. With the help of ESPN Stats & Information, we tracked 30.2 percent of Dalton's throws to Green as being uncatchable in 2014. That is largely on the quarterback, but it also speaks to the types of routes the receiver runs in the offense. Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones are coming off injury-plagued seasons and Mohamed Sanu disappeared down the stretch. Sanu averaged 7.8 targets per game thru Week 12, but had just 12 targets and 71 receiving yards in the final five games. Sanu also had the third-highest rate of dropped passes among wide receivers, according to ESPN Stats & Information game charting.
Slot receiver Wes Welker is still a free agent. In 2014, Welker had the lowest rate of uncatchable targets among wide receivers (9.4 percent). It's hard to miss a guy who rarely runs more than eight yards down the field. Welker has had his share of concussion problems, but he could be a value signing at this stage. Third-and-5 would be a bit easier for Dalton if a quality underneath option were an alternative to forcing another high ball to Green 15 yards down the field.
