AFC North Breakout Candidates 2015

Cincinnati Bengals

Jeremy Hill, RB: Hill had a great rookie season. He's going to establish himself as a top 5 running back next season. Hill showed every single trait of a top running back last season, and even was a very good blocker too, but he will be in a "timeshare" with Gio Bernard for the foreseeable future. I'm quoting "timeshare" because even though Gio Bernard is very good too, they will have a tough time justifying taking Hill off the field. Hill is a great blocker as I mentioned earlier, and he is also a very good receiver in the backfield. He's just a more complete runner than Bernard too, and that will show this season. Hill is the best back Andy Dalton has ever had, and even though I don't think Dalton will take any strides in development, Cincinnati has a star in the making with Jeremy Hill. I'm predicting 1300 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, which truth be told aren't that different from his 2014 numbers, but it's only because they will get in their own way with the RBBC idea. He WILL establish himself as a star RB though, and if he gets more carries, he will do a lot more damage.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ryan Shazier, MLB: Another player who barring injury, should be in for a big season. Part of me wanted to go with Martavis Bryant to breakout, but that is almost expected and I think that Shazier will actually make the bigger jump in 2015. He is an athletic freak that can physically do anything on the football field. He's also an incredible playmaker, and if he improves his technique and instincts, he can have a NaVorro Bowman type impact on this defense. He's not perfect, he's still very raw, but his ceiling is high. I have faith in Pittsburgh's defensive staff to coach up Shazier in areas where he needs it, but alongside Lawrence Timmons he will wreak havoc on opposing offenses. I'm predicting 95 total tackles for Shazier, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and quite a few jaw-dropping athletic plays.

Cleveland Browns

Barkevious Mingo, OLB: This is a risky breakout candidate. Not as risky as me predicting Johnny Manziel to break out, but nevertheless he might not shape out to what I believe he can. Mingo hasn't developed into the pass rusher the Browns were hoping for, and they also drafted Nate Orchard in the second round to add some depth on the edge. So why does Mingo get breakout candidate love? Simple, he improved a lot last season even if the stats don't necessarily show it, and he is still an athletic freak with a high ceiling. The Browns defense should be even better in 2015, and Mingo should be in line for a bigger role and more snaps too. I'm predicting 7 sacks for Mingo in 2015, which would be a huge increase from his 2 sacks in 2014. I also think he'll continue to develop a well rounded game, and improve in his technique, which is vital for his growth.

Baltimore Ravens

Jimmy Smith, CB: Jimmy Smith is a player that if he stays healthy, he will be a star. He was well on his way to stardom last season, but a foot injury prematurely ended his year. He has the size, athleticism and technique to go toe-to-toe with any wide receiver in the NFL and he's still only 26 years old. The Ravens secondary really struggled in 2014, and they should be in for a resurgence in 2015 with Smith being healthy and Webb being another year removed from his big injury. Everybody knows about the Ravens deadly front seven, and if you didn't know, now you do. They will be able to bring pressure to opposing QB's, which means Smith will have an easier time defending receivers (not that he needs it). Smith is in a position to thrive with Baltimore in 2015, and if he stays healthy, he could be a top 5 cornerback in the entire NFL. I'm predicting 3 interceptions, but what's most important is that he will constantly give opposing WR's a hard time and he will rarely be burned too.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Cincinnati Bengals

Offense

The Bengals might have the strangest team in all of football. On paper, their offense looks terrific, except for at quarterback, which isn't necessarily bad, just inconsistent. At QB they have Andy Dalton, and I personally am not a fan of his. He is extremely inconsistent, and even though he shows a lot of promise in certain games, he hasn't stepped up enough to prove to me he can be a franchise quarterback. The Bengals have surrounded him with a ton of talent too. In the backfield, the Bengals have one of the best running back tandems in Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard. Hill is a big, bruising back, while Bernard is a quick, agile, receiving back. They complement each other really well, and together give the Bengals two players that are huge problems for opposing teams. On the offensive line, the Bengals have possibly the best left tackle in all of football. Andrew Whitworth won't get the press of Tyron Smith or Joe Thomas, but he was just as good as them last year. Alongside Whitworth, the Bengals have a lot of talent. They drafted Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher with their first two picks in this draft respectively, and they already have a very good right side of the line to go along with their star LT. Kevin Zeitler is a very underrated right guard, and he is approaching star status. Andre Smith is a mauler in the run game, and had another good year as their right tackle when he was healthy, although he missed 7 games. At center, they have Russell Bodine, a sophomore this season. He was inconsistent last year, but he should get a further grasp on their offense and elevate his game. At left guard, Clint Boling should see some work unless one of the drafted O-linemen beat him out. Either way, they have solid options at the position. At tight end, the Bengals will let Tyler Eifert take the reigns. Jermaine Gresham is no longer in the picture, and Eifert will finally be in a position to reach his potential. Eifert has a high ceiling, and could be a great red zone target for Andy Dalton, and also help spread the field too. At wide receiver, the Bengals are sitting pretty. A.J. Green is a star. Period. He may be the only reason that Andy Dalton is still the Bengals quarterback. Athletic, great route runner, physical, has size, he's pretty much everything you want in a receiver. Opposite Green, Marvin Jones has developed into a great receiver in his own right. Everybody knows him from his 4 touchdown game in 2013, but he was very solid the rest of the year too. Unfortunately he couldn't build off of his breakout season as he was out with an injury for all of 2014, but expect big things from the Robin to A.J. Green's Batman. The Bengals also have Mohamed Sanu for added depth, and he is a good wide receiver in his own right. This is a very balanced Bengals attack. They can hurt you through the air, or in the run game too. The questions I have about this offense remain from the questions I have had over the last couple years. Can Andy Dalton be their guy? I don't think he can, but I am wrong a lot, so maybe this is the year he puts it all together. The Bengals had a middle of the pack offense last season, and with the pure talent they have, it should have been even better. I think they are stuck with Dalton, so their ceiling is a middle of the pack offense, not bad enough to lose them games, but not enough to win them any either.

Defense

This is a good defense. If all goes well, this could be a great defense. They have a very good defensive line as their anchor. Geno Atkins is a great defensive tackle, and he is the heart of their D-line. Being another year removed from his injury could help his game move back to elite status this season. Beside Atkins, the Bengals keep rolling out Domata Peko. He was fine a few years ago, but at this point, they need to find a replacement for him because he is not playing well enough to be a starter. Cincinnati will be reuniting a pair of defensive ends this season, as Michael Johnson was signed back to be the right end to Carlos Dunlap's left end. Johnson was a good value signing, and if he can be a percentage of the player he originally was with the Bengals, then this could be a steal. Carlos Dunlap has developed into a very good defensive end. He is incredible against the run, but has also developed into a solid pass rusher too. At linebacker, the Bengals have another star in Vontaze Burfict. What they have surrounded him with is... Well, it's not great, but they play nickel a lot so it's not horrible. They have Rey Maualuga, A.J. Hawk, Emmanuel Lamur, and Paul Dawson. The only player that intrigues me out of that group is Dawson. He has incredible instincts, and could be the next Chris Borland (Boring comparison heard all the time, but it's true). In the secondary, Cincinnati has a lot of good talent. Not really any star power, but both safeties and all three starting cornerbacks are coming off of good seasons. At safety, they have the tandem of Reggie Nelson and George Iloka. Nothing flashy about either player, but they do get the job done, and are very reliable and consistent. At cornerback, the Bengals have a lot of depth. They have Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones, Darqueze Dennard, and the recently drafted Josh Shaw (Although he may be better at safety in the long run). The first four players I mentioned are all very talented, and they give the Bengals a lot of options on what to run on defense. Dennard has a chance to take a big step forward after a quiet rookie season that saw him play scarcely. The only issue for him will be playing time, as it is still a very talented secondary. This is a very good defense that could take a step forward permitting health. They have stars in Atkins, Burfict, and Dunlap. They have depth in their secondary, and very good supporting players too. There isn't a lot to pick apart here, they may not have the overall talent level of some of the upper tier defenses, but they are just under them. I expect a top 10 defensive finish, and for them to keep forcing a lot of turnovers, just like last year.

Another great roster built by the front office, and another year that, for the most part, rests on Andy Dalton's shoulders. This entire roster is one of the deepest in the NFL, but everything I say about them will always come back to Dalton. Until I'm proven wrong, I can't predict them winning a playoff game. In fact, this season I'm predicting them to miss the playoffs entirely. The sad part is, I think it's good for them if they miss the playoffs this year. Chances are, if that happened, they would move on from Dalton, and that would be for the best. The 2016 QB class looks awesome at this point in time, and if the Bengals could pick up Cardale Jones, or Jared Goff, then they could make a lot of noise the following year. Sorry Bengals fans, from what I've seen I just don't think you can win with Andy Dalton.