Sizzling AFC North training-camp position battles

With training camps underway, here's a look at the top position battles to watch for teams in the AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens

RUNNING BACK | J.K. Dobbins vs. Gus Edwards vs. Melvin Gordon: Dobbins is the front-runner for RB1 after leading the league in rushing yards (397) and yards per carry (7.0) from Week 14-17 in 2022. However, that can quickly change if his absence from training camp is prolonged. He's on the PUP list but is unhappy with his contract. Head coach John Harbaugh said the timeline for Dobbins to return is unknown.

"I wish it was a simple answer. There's always a lot of things that go into football," Harbaugh told reporters. "There's some complexity to it and we're working through all of that, J.K.'s working through it and I'm looking forward to when he's out there."

In the meantime, Edwards and Gordon, who signed a one-year deal with the team Friday, will battle it out. Edwards is coming off a 433-yard and three-touchdown season while Gordon joins Baltimore following a 318-yard and two-touchdown season with the Broncos.

Cincinnati Bengals

CORNERBACK | Chidobe Awuzie vs. DJ Turner II: Awuzie hasn't panned out since signing a three-year, $21.75M contract in 2021. The 28-year-old has just two interceptions in his first two years with the team and missed the final nine weeks of the 2022 season with a torn ACL. The six-year veteran is entering the final year of his deal and seems ready to fight for his job after being activated from Cincinnati's physically unable to perform list Tuesday.

However, Turner II has a case of his own. According to reports, the second-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft has already earned first-team reps. The Bengals have dealt with their fair share of injuries to the secondary and Turner II offers something the rest don't: top-end speed. The rookie ran a 4.26 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Cleveland Browns

DEFENSIVE TACKLE | Jordan Elliott vs. Siaki Ika vs. Maurice Hurst Jr.: After no player other than Myles Garrett eclipsed three sacks in 2022, the Browns bolstered their defensive line this offseason. Veteran DT Dalvin Tomlinson will be a starter, but who will line up next to him regularly on the interior is not known yet. 

Elliott, who has only 2.5 sacks in three seasons, has the nod for now. Ika, one of Cleveland's two third-round picks from this year's draft, and a veteran Hurst could make things interesting. The defense was eighth worst in rushing yards per game (135) a season ago.

Pittsburgh Steelers

LEFT TACKLE | Dan Moore Jr. vs. Broderick Jones: When a team trades up in the first round of the draft, it is usually for a player it hopes will contribute right away. However, that might not be the case for Jones, the Steelers' 2023 first-round pick. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Dan Moore Jr. will get first-team reps at left tackle to begin training camp.

That may come as a surprise after Moore Jr. allowed seven sacks in 2022, but general manager Omar Khan said Jones, who didn't allow a sack in 2022 at Georgia, "has to earn it." The 6-foot-5, 311-pound "bully of an offensive tackle" may be the fan favorite, but Moore Jr. isn't backing down.

"If I need another guy to push me to take my game to the next level, I feel like I shouldn't even be here," he told reporters. 

The battle to be second-year QB Kenny Pickett's blindside blocker will be epic.