How does our offseason compare to our AFC North Rivals?

[CTFan]

Seems that both CLE and PIT have gotten weaker too. Not sure what CIN has done. Any thoughts?

[Ravens4Real]

I know many will not like this response, but, I believe the Bengals have done the most right now in free agency. Not say they are the better of the teams but they have had our number recently. I mean, some of you guys have some severe purple shaded glasses on. I can't honestly sit here and field an argument into how we have gotten better in free agency. It's funny listening to people reason it also.

We have probably lost the most out of all of the AFCN. Now I'm not saying we can't make out in the draft and be competitive like we are year in and out, but we also can't sit here and act like we are in a better position now, than at the end of this past year.

Let the negs come in.

[CTFan]

I don't doubt we've lost the most, but that's because we had the most to lose. In some ways the NFL is like college sports, there's a constant cycle of replenishment. In our case, the losses were mostly expected. Even Ngata and Torrey were fairly predictable due to our cap situation.

 

The Ravens have been good at replenishing. 

[Ravens4Real]

Simple question, if we had the most to lose, shouldn't we have won our division and the Super Bowl? We were lucky to even make the playoffs last year. We needed help from multiple teams to even get into that dance. There are going to be arguments from all teams of who is better and who lost/gained more, but until the game is played on the field, the point is moot.

[CTFan]

I was referring to the talent we lost. I felt we had the most good players leave. Of course, one could make the argument that CIN did, since they got 4 comp picks to our 3.

[hn68wb4]

We've easily lost the best players, i mean Ngata, McPhee, and Torrey - three average/above average starters are gone, but we are the only team in the AFCN that could afford to lose those three. Cleveland is Cleveland, Pittsburgh still refuses to get younger - Our secondary needed to be completely rebuilt but Pittsburgh is still relying on senior citizens in their back end, we took our year but now we have young pieces ready to emerge back there, Pitt doesn't, Bengals as always are hard to read but with Dalton as their starter next year they won't get any better. Torrey is the only one we don't have clear replacement for but he isn't irreplaceable by any stretch of the imagination

 

How can you make the argument the Bengals lost more than us? who major did they lose?

[Ravens4Real]

Cleveland, eventually with all of their first round picks, should catch up quickly. But with their poor management I say the above very tentatively. Conceivably, they are one hit on a quarterback in the draft to being right there with everyone else in the AFCN.

The Steelers, many people in media and such are still repeating that they are old on defense. This year with the departure of Taylor and soon to be Troy P., they will be much younger, although very inexperienced, on their back end. Outside of Harrison and may be Timmons??, on their defense, I don't believe anyone else is over the age of 30. I could be very wrong though. Their offense will still be one of the best in the league. I wish we could draft WR's like they do.

As for the Bengals, I agree with you. They have, arguably, the most talented roster. But like you said, I don't believe Dalton can win the big game, either.