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State of the AFC North: And then there were none

The Steelers' season is over, and pretty soon their window of being a top AFC team will be closed, too. The Browns are very clear about their thoughts on the quarterback position, and the Ravens are quietly making solid moves.

By PatrickJudis
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Now that the Steelers have been eliminated from the playoffs, each AFC North team is done for the season. The Browns have a new head coach, but they are still looking to fill out the rest of their staff. The Ravens added another coach to their staff, which hasn't changed much this offseason.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are starting off the offseason quietly. They haven't let go of any coaches and haven't made much noise after the season ended. The Ravens added former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier to coach their defensive backs. This has been the biggest move they've made so far this season. The move adds even more experience to a staff that has bred continuity over the past few seasons. It could be one of the biggest reasons that even though the Ravens were short handed for much of the season, they were never really out of any of their games.

Cleveland Browns

We all know that Hue Jackson has never been shy about saying what is on his mind, and he hasn't changed one bit. On Sunday Jackson made it known, without explicitly saying that Johnny Manziel is not his future quarterback. He isn't tipping his hand that the Browns will be taking a quarterback with the second overall pick, but he has made it clear that it's possible. What the Browns plan to do with the rest of their assistant coach vacancies seems to be a little bit more of a mystery. While Jackson has an incredible amount of respect as a coach, the Browns seem to be a much harder sell on coaches given their lack of consistency. It will be interesting to see who rounds out the staff in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Well we can all sleep at least a tiny bit better knowing the Steelers won't be holding up the Lombardi Trophy this season, but could the Steelers' window of opportunity be closing? Whether Ben Roethlisberger was injured or not, he has been appearing on the injury report more and more often, and he isn't getting younger. Roethlisberger will be 34 by the start of next season, and when he starts to seriously decline, or call it quits, the Steelers' chances of being back in the race for a Super Bowl win will take a hit, too. The Steelers are a super talented team, but the most important thing in the NFL is having a great quarterback and great coaching. If Roethlisberger can't compete as one of the top quarterbacks, the Steelers will have to rely on Mike Tomlin to keep control of this team. Don't be surprised if the Steelers grab a quarterback in the draft, especially if a good one falls, who they can take a chance on and allow to develop behind Roethlisberger. Sure they have Landry Jones, but he has been inconsistent at best, even with all the talent around him, and if the Steelers think they can find an upgrade, don't be surprised if they pull the trigger.

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