Monday 5 September 2016 15:58, UK
Sky Sports take a look at the AFC North's Steelers, Bengals, Ravens and Browns.
Head coach: Mike Tomlin
Key man: Antonio Brown. Some might argue - Odell Beckham Jr would for sure - but Brown is the league's best wide receiver on a team that boasts a quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) who has one of the biggest arms. NFL receiving records could be broken.
Major additions: Tight end Ladarius Green is the main new face at Heinz Field but whether he can be as popular or contribute as much as the retired Heath Miller is questionable. Much will be expected of first round pick Artie Burns to make immediate contributions at cornerback as well.
Last season: A 10-6 record was good enough for the playoffs and they made it to the AFC Divisional Round thanks to a Wildcard win over divisional rivals Cincinnati. All of that came with a number of star players either out injured, hobbled or concussed.
Prospects: Running back Le'Veon Bell serves yet another suspension to start the season but once he comes back this becomes the best offense in the division by a long way. They will rightly expect to win the division if the injury bug does not strike again.
Prediction: 1st (12-4)
Head coach: Marvin Lewis
Key man: Andy Dalton. Sure, wide receiver AJ Green is the most talented player on the team, but the Bengals saw what happened last year when Dalton went down injured.
Major additions: The Bengals needed to replace wide receiver Mohammed Sanu and will hope they have with veteran Brandon LaFell and exciting rookie Tyler Boyd, who has received some good reviews in camp.
Last season: A fine regular season ended with a divisional title and a 12-4 record. But Dalton's injury saw them stumble late in the year and a first-round exit to the Steelers was predictable enough with AJ McCarron under center.
Prospects: Dalton is back, but a suspension will cost them temperamental linebacker Vontaze Burfict for four games and there are still injury doubts over tight end Tyler Eifert. A slow start to the season would not be a massive surprise.
Prediction: 2nd (10-6)
Head coach: John Harbaugh
Key man: Terrell Suggs. T-Sizzle can be one of the most disruptive players in the game when he is on song, and boy did the Ravens miss him last season when he was forced to sit out 99.99 per cent of it with a torn Achilles.
Major additions: So much has changed from the end of last season with Suggs, quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Steve Smith Sr, who went back on a decision to retire, among the players coming back from injury. They also added exciting running back Kenneth Dixon through the draft and spent well in free agency on safety Eric Weddle and receiver Mike Wallace. Another high-profile addition, tight end Benjamin Watson, is already lost for the season after tearing his Achilles in pre-season.
Last season: 5-11, largely because of injuries. They started 1-6 and the only real positives were home and road wins over the Steelers.
Prospects: Would be a massive surprise if the Ravens are any worse than last season but their improvement could be negligible in a tough division. As well as the players already mentioned, the Ravens could do with Breshad Perriman - he missed all of last season - being as good as they expected when he was drafted in the first round in 2015.
Prediction: 3rd (7-9)
Head coach: Hue Jackson
Key man: Duke Johnson III. The second year running back is going to be counted on more in the running game this year as he spent more time in 2015 as solely a receiving threat. He should be looking to top 1,000 yards in combined yardage.
Major additions: Robert Griffin III gets the chance to relaunch his career as Browns quarterback and there is also plenty of excitement around rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman, who was the 15th overall pick in the draft. But the big add could be Josh Gordon, once the star WR returns from what feels like the 47th suspension of his short career in week 5. Paul Di Podesta (he of Moneyball fame) also joins the back office to raise expectations a little further.
Last season: In one word, forgettable. A 3-13 record, Gordon suspended all season and a defense with more holes than an extra-holey type of Swiss cheese.
Prospects: The Browns are an interesting team to watch this season but it is a shame most of the excitement is on offense as little has apparently been done to address their dreadful defense unless they find a couple of stars from a deep draft class. 2017 could be more of a target for this team.
Prediction: 4th (5-11)
