The Steelers shook up their quarterback room in 48 hours with three dramatic moves uncharacteristic of their organization.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
It’s all about the quarterback, right?
That’s the simple analysis of the NFL these days.
The dominant NFL teams of the past 20+ years have been the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. Why? Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. The greatest quarterback of all time and the only active challenger to that title.
So it’s come to be, more than ever, that a team’s quarterback dominates perception of the entire team. Rightly or wrongly.
I think at the very least this over-generalization should be expanded to a team’s top two quarterbacks. The Browns won games last year with three backup quarterbacks, and their third one, Joe Flacco, won four games in a row in December to lead them to the No. 4 AFC playoff seed.
Sure, it’s rare for a team to go all the way with a backup quarterback. The Eagles did it in 2017 with Nick Foles taking over for injured Carson Wentz. The last team before that was the Rams with Kurt Warner replacing injured starter Trent Green in training camp in 1999.
But there are enough examples of backups leading their teams into the playoffs, such as Flacco in 2023, to include a team’s No. 2 quarterback in a fair evaluation of a team’s overall quarterback strength.
Which brings us to the changing quarterback landscape in the AFC North.
The Browns and Steelers made big changes to their quarterback rooms last week. The Browns signed backups Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley and the Steelers totally overhauled their room.
So let’s review the current state of quarterback rooms – No. 1 and No. 2 only – in the division.
Contract and salary cap data provided by Spotrac.com and Overthecap.com.
Baltimore Ravens
Starter: Lamar Jackson.
Backup: Josh Johnson.
Total 2024 money payout (salary + bonus): $32.4 million for Jackson and $1.21 million for Johnson = $33.6 million.
Total 2024 cap charges: $32.4 million for Jackson and $1.152 million for Johnson = $33.552 million, or 13.1% of total team cap.
Analysis: Jackson won his second MVP award in his sixth season, but a home playoff loss in the divisional round ran his post-season record to 2-4. The Ravens believe a second season in coordinator Todd Monken’s offense will continue the overall growth of Jackson’s passing game and further him as a complete quarterback.
Johnson, 39, ended 2023 as the Ravens’ No. 3 QB behind Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Huntley had been Jackson’s top backup the past four seasons, but he defected to the Browns on Sunday.
So the Ravens’ battle for No. 2 could be waged in training camp between Johnson and Malik Cunningham, who was poached from the Patriots’ practice squad in December.
Cincinnati Bengals
Starter: Joe Burrow.
Backup: Jake Browning.
Total 2024 money payout: $65.714 million for Burrow and $915,000 for Browning = $66.629 million.
Total 2024 cap charges: $29.714 million for Burrow and $915,000 for Browning = $30.629 million, 12% of total team cap.
Analysis: Burrow’s health has been an issue in three of his four seasons. The Bengals were 1-3 as Burrow played through a preseason calf injury, then went 4-2 before Burrow’s season ended with a torn ligament in his right hand.
Browning had been on their practice squad for two seasons. He took over for Burrow in Game 11, won three in a row to move the Bengals to 8-6, then lost two of his last three and the Bengals were shut out of the postseason.
If Burrow can stay healthy, the Bengals feel good about their Super Bowl chances because he is 3-1 against Mahomes in regular- and post-season meetings. Browning proved he can keep the team afloat in the short term.
Cleveland Browns
Starter: Deshaun Watson.
Backup: Jameis Winston.
Total 2024 money payout: $46 million for Watson and $4 million for Winston = $50 million.
Total 2024 cap charges: $63.977 million for Watson and $4 million for Winston = $67.977 million, 26.6% of total team cap.
(Note: Winston’s official contract with the Browns has not been filed yet. It’s possible the Browns will add some void years at the back end to decrease his 2024 cap charge and defer some to 2025 and beyond.)
Analysis: Because of a league suspension in 2022 and multiple injuries in 2023, Watson has played only 11 games and one quarter in two seasons. He was 4-1 in games started and completed last year, but had season-ending surgery in November to repair a displaced fracture of the glenoid in his right throwing shoulder. He is expected to begin light throwing this month.
Winston was signed to replace fan- and locker-room favorite Joe Flacco. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 draft by the Buccaneers, Winston spent the past four seasons with the Saints. They were 6-4 in games he started.
The Browns repeatedly have said they expect Watson to be ready to go for the 2024 training camp and have no ill affects from his shoulder injury. Winston, 6-4 and 231 pounds, might be considered by the team a better fit than Flacco in the new offensive scheme being implemented by new coordinator Ken Dorsey.
The wholly unexpected signing of Huntley on Sunday raises questions about Watson’s overall readiness for the start of the season and Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s role. Huntley is not seen as a QB2 if Watson is healthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Starter: Russell Wilson.
Backup: Justin Fields.
Total 2024 money payout: $1.21 million for Wilson and $3.233 million for Fields = $4.443 million.
Total 2024 cap charges: $1.21 million for Wilson and $3.233 for Fields = $4.443 million, 1.7% of total team cap.
Analysis: In the span of two days last week the Steelers sent shockwaves through their fan base and the NFL by overhauling their QB room after repeatedly saying they were content with incumbents Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph.
First, they signed Wilson for the NFL minimum after the Broncos released him despite owing him $39 million, and then traded Pickett to the Eagles and replaced him by trading for Fields of the Bears.
Until further notice, Wilson, 35, and Fields will play under 1-year contracts.
Rejected by their former teams, Wilson and Fields have the opportunity to restore their careers in a change of scenery to a team with a stout defense and proven winning head coach. Nobody can accurately project how they’ll perform because the Steelers are also introducing an offensive scheme change installed by new coordinator Arthur Smith.
But most people expect a QB room of Wilson and Fields to be better than Pickett and Rudolph.