The AFC North is home to not one, not two, but three Heisman Trophy winners and a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. While the majority of these guys have played two seasons or less, that won't stop me from saying that in a couple of years, the AFC North could be one of the better divisions in terms of quarterback play. For now, find out where I've ranked each of these quarterbacks down below!
4) Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
After going an abysmal 2-14 in 2019, the Bengals selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with their first pick in this year's draft. I could rave about all of his college accolades and stats, but until he plays a down in the NFL I have to put him at four in my rankings. However, that's not to say he doesn't have the potential to fly up this list - and fast. With the likes of A.J Green, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon at his disposal, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense could explode onto the scene in 2020.
3) Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Can Mayfield be the savior of Cleveland? He definitely has the skill to do it, but will he though? That's a different question. Coming into the 2019 season, the Browns were being talked about as a potential super bowl contender, but at the very minimum, it was predicted that they would at least make the playoffs...which for the 18th time this millennium didn't happen. The constant change of front office and coaching personnel hasn't helped by any means, but Baker Mayfield has got to cut down on the interceptions (21 this past season) to at least allow the offense to stay on the field longer. With a star-studded offense at his disposal (Beckham, Landry, Chubb, and FA tight end Austin Hooper), Baker Mayfield has the ability to surge in 2020, but until then, he's number three on my list.
2) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
In the prime of his career, Big Ben was an absolute monster in the pocket - bombing balls down the field while evading sacks with his 6'5", 240-pound concrete frame. Guiding the Steelers to postseason contention year in and year out, and winning a pair of super bowls also means he's a lock for the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to hang his cleats up. Unfortunately, I'm not ranking these quarterbacks based on their career as a whole, but how they've fared recently. If this was 2014-2016 Big Ben, he'd probably be ranked number one, but his recent injuries and his drop-in play - even when healthy I should add - force me to rank him at two (he'd probably be lower if Baker Mayfield had shown out this past season). Number seven still has some juice left in the tank, and a resurgence in 2020 may in fact put him in contention for the comeback player of the year award, but to say that at age 38 he's the best quarterback in the AFC North just doesn't compute for me.
1) Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The reigning MVP and newest Madden cover athlete gets the top spot in my rankings for obvious reasons. His athletic ability is something we haven't seen since the days of Michael Vick (1,200+ rushing yards, 7 scores) and his passing game improved significantly from 2018 to 2019 as well, completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Although Lamar Jackson hasn't had much success in the playoffs (yet), it doesn't change the fact that he's still currently the best overall quarterback in this division. Another stellar season is most likely in the books for Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in 2020.
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