The Cleveland Browns clearly haven't been at their best over the past couple of weeks, but they're still right there in the divisional race. It's only a matter of time before the Pittsburgh Steelers implode, and they'll face the Cincinnati Bengals this week, so someone's got to lose.
All the way to the bottom of the AFC North sits the ailing Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson's injury might give them an excuse for their fourth-place spot, but they were a wildly overrated team even when the two-time MVP was on the field.
That's why Baltimore's attempt to salvage its season by trading for Jacoby Brissett at the NFL trade deadline was almost comical. FanSided's Cody Williams gave the Ravens a 'D' grade for that move, and his reaction was easy to see coming.
"Have the Ravens actually watched their team this season? Lamar Jackson might be out for most of the rest of the season and yet they were ostensibly buyers at the trade deadline. Jacoby Brissett for a fourth-round pick makes next to no sense, the same as trading for Ryan Neuzil on an expiring contract," Williams wrote. "What are we doing here? What's the long-term plan? There doesn't seem to be one and now a roster that needs plenty of help moving forward will be built with less draft capital."
Ravens' desperation is becoming great news for the Browns' AFC North future
Let's not even focus on Brissett, who's a replacement-level starter in the NFL at best. The Ravens could definitely do a whole lot worse than him, though his 4-16 record with the Arizona Cardinals was less than flattering.
The Ravens act like a team that might be a move away from winning it all when that's clearly not the case. Jackson's contract situation looms large, and the Ravens are already paying a ton of money for a bunch of mid-tier players, so decision time is approaching.
The front office seems to be at odds with reality, which has been a constant in Eric DeCosta's tenure.
The Ravens look like a team without a clear direction. They moved on from John Harbaugh this offseason. There's no certainty about Jackson's future, and they keep swapping pieces at the same positions because they can't seem to figure out what's actually wrong.
The Ravens' Super Bowl window may have already closed, and they might be the last team to realize that. That's great news for everyone else in the AFC North — and especially for a Browns team looking to take the division by the horns after years of struggles.
Even if Brissett can do just enough as a game manager to keep the Ravens in the running, this team has major salary-cap issues to manage — they're currently projected to be $48.8 million over next year's cap number, according to Over the Cap — with no clear exit plan, and with a general manager that keeps doubling down on his mistakes instead of cutting his losses.
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