Each week during the regular season and occasionally during the offseason, our AFC North writers tackle the pressing questions and biggest storylines around the division. After a two-month hiatus, we’re back for a pre-training camp edition.What area of your team do you feel better about since we last talked before the NFL Draft, and what area remains a concern?Mike DeFabo (Pittsburgh Steelers): The Steelers continue to pour resources into the offensive line, drafting tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round and guard Gennings Dunker in the third round. It might take a little time for the rookies to see the field. But eventually (maybe sometime next year), a group full of youth and potential should be one of the better units in the NFL, even after 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones’ neck surgery that put his long-term future with the team in jeopardy.On the flip side, the inside linebacker who stands next to Patrick Queen in the base defense is a question mark, and safety depth is a concern. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Steelers scouring the waiver wire on cutdown day to add to the secondary, preferably with a true free safety.Jeff Zrebiec (Baltimore Ravens): You can question whether the Ravens should have done even more to upgrade an offensive line that struggled last year, but you can’t dispute that the group should be much improved. The selection of guard Vega Ioane in the first round and the recent signing of center Ethan Pocic, coupled with the early free-agent addition of guard John Simpson, likely completes the offensive line makeover. It was thorough. The Ravens added six offensive linemen between the draft and free agency. Plus, they hired coveted offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. Pocic is not Tyler Linderbaum, but on paper, the Ravens are better at both guard spots, and Ledford has a strong reputation for developing linemen.As for the concern, Baltimore still has a lot of questions with its defensive front seven. The Ravens’ interior defensive line, edge rusher and inside linebacker groups could be vulnerable if injuries hit.The legal cheat code being used by teams in the NFLPaul Dehner Jr. (Cincinnati Bengals): When we last talked, I was pointing out how absurd it would be to think Cincinnati would make a big swing, given its history and financial situation entering the draft. So, yeah, that has changed. The Bengals’ defensive line, generally, and pass rush, specifically, shifted from a debilitating weakness to a team strength this spring. Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and second-round pick Cashius Howell all add to the mix. Give de facto general manager Duke Tobin and the front office credit; the Bengals’ defensive identity has been established.As for what remains a concern, they didn’t add a single veteran player to the mix behind Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter at linebacker. Knight and Carter require a leap of faith to buy in. Positive development in that room is critical this August.Zac Jackson (Cleveland Browns): The Browns have significantly upgraded their receiving corps with the additions of two rookies: first-rounder KC Concepcion and second-rounder Denzel Boston. Both will be immediate contributors, and Boston was arguably the most impressive player on the field in many spring practices.Overall depth remains a concern, as does overall offensive competence. The Browns traded Myles Garrett because they’re playing more for 2027 and 2028 than the season ahead, and this is going to be one of the league’s youngest teams.This question will probably be a lot easier to answer for Zac than the rest of us. What is your team’s most intriguing position battle/roster competition heading into training camp?DeFabo: The Steelers have a quarterback competition, just not for the starting job. Aaron Rodgers will be QB1, and there’s no way they’d cut rookie Drew Allar. That appears to have set the stage for a competition between 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and veteran backup Mason Rudolph for the QB2 job and, potentially, a spot on the 53-man roster. It could be a risk to go into the season with two backups who have never played an NFL game and a 42-year-old QB. At the same time, Mike McCarthy bet on himself by drafting Allar and could do it again by keeping the younger, unproven Howard with the hope of developing him.Zrebiec: The crux of the competition is for backup jobs. The Ravens will probably have their fiercest position battle at cornerback. Jesse Minter loves loading the field with defensive backs, and the Ravens believe they have four capable starting corners in Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie and T.J. Tampa. There aren’t enough starting snaps available for all four, obviously, particularly when safety Kyle Hamilton is often used in the slot. Behind those four are rookie fifth-round pick Chandler Rivers; 2025 draft picks Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam; and 2025 holdovers Marquise Robinson, Amani Oruwariye and Keyon Martin. It would be tough to keep more than six corners, so the competition for the final two spots figures to be well contested.Dehner Jr.: Potentially the most impactful will be the jockeying for position at cornerback. We know the top two: DJ Turner and Dax Hill. Those outside Cincinnati probably haven’t heard of anyone else. Jalen Davis is penciled in as the starting slot corner, with third-round pick Tacario Davis, Josh Newton, DJ Ivey, Ja’Sir Taylor and Bralyn Lux all tossed into a mix behind them. Not exactly reliable depth, and how fast this could become a major problem should be top of mind for this front office. If nobody enjoys a quality camp and makes them feel better about what’s happening behind the top two, they will need to go outside and acquire a veteran via free agency or a trade.Jackson: In Cleveland, it’s not just Deshaun Watson versus Shedeur Sanders for the temporary starting quarterback job. The offensive line is all new, the receiving corps is mostly new, and the only sure things are Quinshon Judkins as the lead runner and Harold Fannin Jr. as the lead tight end. Obviously, quarterback matters, and the Browns would like to stop playing the saddest game of musical chairs at that spot sometime in the next three seasons. But there’s a new offensive system and much work to be done for the talented young players to eventually take a step forward.Who is the most notable player who is either on the roster bubble or has an uncertain future with the team?DeFabo: Signing Nick Herbig to a four-year, $100 million extension has stirred up another round of outside linebacker speculation. Quality depth at this position is critical, especially if the Steelers are going to be in a win-now posture with a 42-year-old QB. I’d expect Pittsburgh to keep all three of its top edge rushers: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Herbig. But longer term, you have to wonder what the future holds. Highsmith will have just one year on his deal after this one, and Watt hasn’t exactly played up to his massive paycheck. They’ll have some decisions to make this offseason.Zrebiec: If you’re talking about bubble guys, the team’s three “biggest” names in that category are probably guard Andrew Vorhees, who has started 20 games over the past two years; outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, a 2024 third-round pick who has zero sacks in two injury-marred seasons; and running back Rasheen Ali, the team’s No. 3 back for part of last season. In terms of uncertainty, the biggest question heading into Ravens training camp is when/if Pro Bowl defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike returns to the field. He played just two games last year because of a neck injury that required surgery in April. There was legitimate concern at the time that Madubuike’s career was over, but the sense of optimism on his status has grown considerably within the team facility. Madubuike still has to get cleared by team doctors. He seems determined to return.Dehner Jr.: Perhaps the most notable would be 2024 second-round pick Kris Jenkins Jr. He was expected to eventually replace B.J. Hill at three-technique when the Bengals selected him out of Michigan. Now, not only did he fail to replace Hill (to whom the Bengals gave a three-year, $33 million contract in 2025), but they also were forced to add another expensive veteran in Allen. They also added a seventh-round pick to compete with him in Navy’s Landon Robinson, the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. That means it’s sink-or-swim time for Jenkins, who needs to make good on his potential or else be cut or traded.Jackson: Because of the timing of the deal and the ongoing quarterback competition, the Garrett trade was a huge, immediate headline that quickly became kind of a background story. But there are ramifications, and there are also lingering questions about who’s next. The Browns probably should trade Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, and they also face a decision on whether to extend safety Grant Delpit ahead of the final year of his current deal or move on from him, too. Carson Schwesinger and Jared Verse are poised to become the defense’s long-term featured players.With three new head coaches and a few notable trades and big free-agent signings, there has been a lot of change in the AFC North. Which team in the division are you most curious about heading into camp?DeFabo: I’m not just saying this because I cover them. The Steelers have a lot of intriguing storylines to follow. They’re replacing the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, Mike Tomlin, with one who grew up just eight minutes from the practice facility. He’s reuniting with Rodgers, an all-time-great quarterback who will be riding off into the sunset after this season. It’s a wild story. We’ll just have to wait and see if it changes anything in the playoffs.Zrebiec: It sure seems in recent weeks that the bandwagon for the Bengals is growing. As long as Joe Burrow stays healthy, you know what you’re going to get from that offense. The curiosity is with the defensive side. The Bengals have made some solid moves defensively this offseason, and it will be interesting to see just how much they’ve improved. As I’ve always said, the Bengals don’t have to be great defensively. Even a solid defense combined with that offense makes them a legitimate threat to come out of the AFC.Dehner Jr.: I’m most curious about the Ravens. They’ve felt largely predictable over the last 10 years, and that is a compliment. You knew John Harbaugh would have them in the mix. You knew they’d be a contender with Lamar Jackson healthy. You knew the type of game you’d need to play to beat them. How much will change with Minter in charge? How long will it take a 30-year-old first-time play caller to replicate the success of Todd Monken? There’s reason for excitement in both respects, but being ready for those chairs and actually sitting in them are two different beasts. I’m extremely curious how long the transition phase will last for the Ravens this season.Jackson: This is a tough one. At the schedule release, I know one website immediately had the Bengals favored in 15 games and the Browns favored in just two. Nobody thinks the Bengals are going 15-2, and nobody’s sure if the folks running the Browns actually plan to be better than 2-15. But in either case, this is a strange time for the division, and all four teams are interesting on multiple levels. If the Bengals keep Burrow healthy, they’re real contenders. If they don’t and they can’t make a few tackles, Zac Taylor’s time as the division’s longest-tenured coach could be short.