The AFC North has been known historically for its running backs and pass rushers, at least in the last few decades. Not to be overlooked though is a historically great group of off-ball linebackers who also fit right into that mix, thanks to previous names like Ray Lewis, James Farrior, Andra Davis, and Takeo Spikes holding down the middle of AFC North defenses in the early 2000s.
Like the running backs and pass rushers, that trend seemed to be slowly returning in the tough AFC North, albeit with a different breed of linebackers to meet today’s wide-open, fast-paced offenses.