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AFC North: All-Time 53-man roster and depth chart

By A.J. Fagerlin

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 20: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens high-fives teammate Ed Reed #20 on the field prior to the 2013 AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 20, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 20: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens high-fives teammate Ed Reed #20 on the field prior to the 2013 AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 20, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 30: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers drops back to pass in the first quarter during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on December 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 30: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers drops back to pass in the first quarter during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on December 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Who are the AFC North’s best players of all-time? See who made the cut for the all-time 53-man roster and depth chart for the division.

The current AFC North alignment has four teams with a very rich history, making this project — a combined 53-man roster and full depth chart — a tough one.

Here’s how one all-time AFC North roster would look.

Quarterbacks

Starter

Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns

Graham was the head of the Browns dynasty that dominated the league from the mid-1940’s to the mid-1950’s. Cleveland made the Championship every year that Graham was at the helm and won seven championships in 10 years.

Reserves

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers

Roethlisberger and Bradshaw quarterbacked the Steelers to all six of their Super Bowl wins.

Big Ben is now going into his 16th season for Pittsburgh and has proven to be arguably the best and most accomplished quarterback of the impressive 2004 quarterback class.

He is rarely mentioned as an “elite” quarterback, but has absolutely been a top QB of his era. Six Pro Bowls, two Super Bowls, and over 56,000 passing yards into his career, Ben appears to be heading to Canton soon after he hangs up his cleats.

Bradshaw had the help of one the all-time best defenses in the Steel Curtain for the majority of his career, but he was still instrumental in four Super Bowl victories. His stats are not nearly as impressive as some other great quarterbacks, but Bradshaw was an effective leader and passer, and his accomplishments cannot go unnoticed.

Honorable Mentions

Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals

Bernie Kosar, Cleveland Browns

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Anderson had a very successful 16-year career with the Bengals including four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro selection.

Kosar is a bit of a celebrity in Cleveland after leading the Browns to the playoffs five consecutive years from 1985 to 1989. Cleveland made three AFC Championship games during that stretch, with the Broncos keeping them out of the Super Bowl each time.

Flacco was the only quarterback that won a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for the Ravens that actually spent more than just the Super Bowl season in Baltimore. Flacco was given a contract comparable to some of the “elite” NFL QB’s at the time, but is now no longer with the team.

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