Written by Adam Stites at SBNation.com
The Cincinnati Bengals came away with the AFC North crown in 2015, but both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens entered the year with hopes of a Lombardi Trophy too. Injuries, among other problems, derailed the Ravens in a big way while the Steelers had their own fair share of struggles.
Joe Flacco’s year ended on injured reserve after he tore his ACL and Ben Roethlisberger battled through a separated shoulder in the postseason. The health of both teams will be key in training camp if they are to keep pace with the Bengals, a team that has been a buzzsaw in the regular season but struggled to break through with a playoff victory.
Baltimore Ravens
Location: Under Armour Performance Center, Owings Mills, Md.
Starting Date: July 28
Complete Coverage: Baltimore Beatdown
The biggest storyline for the Ravens heading into camp is whether star players lost last season to injury will be fully healthy and ready to go next week. Flacco is reportedly healthy enough to hit the practice field at the start of camp, which is encouraging news for Baltimore.
Terrell Suggs, Dennis Pitta, Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman are also working their way back from injuries. For the Ravens, the goal will be getting all of these players up to speed without jeopardizing their health.
First-round tackle Ronnie Stanley is primed to step into the starting left tackle role, so keep an eye on his development throughout camp and the preseason. Linebacker Kamalei Correa, Baltimore’s second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is also expected to get a lot of snaps and contribute this season.
Cincinnati Bengals
Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Starting Date: July 29
Complete Coverage: Cincy Jungle
The wide receiver battle in Cincinnati is the main one to watch. We know that A.J. Greenis established atop the Bengals’ receiver depth chart, but after losing Marvin Jones andMohamed Sanu in free agency, every spot after Green’s is wide open.
With the departure of former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who took over as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, it remains to be seen what offensive changes will take place with a familiar face in charge of the unit. Ken Zampese was promoted to offensive coordinator after serving as the Bengals’ quarterbacks coach for over a decade.
Tight end Tyler Eifert is recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to miss all of training camp. But the team is expecting to have Darqueze Dennard, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury late last year, back and ready to contribute in his third year.
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