Today’s NFL is built around the notion the passing offense must be successful for the games to be entertaining. The rules continue to sway more toward the passing game, so having top-notch wide receivers is a must.
Last season, the Steelers had the second-best passing offense in the league. But this was with Antonio Brown. Brown is now out of the AFC North and this got me thinking about who the best wide receiver is in the North now that Brown is out west. Here’s our top four.
1. Odell Beckham Jr., Browns
The Browns pulled off a huge trade to bring Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. He’s always been considered one of the top receivers in the league when healthy and his addition gives Cleveland the top receiver tandem in the division for quarterback Baker Mayfield to throw to.
2. A.J. Green, Bengals
Like him or not, Green is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. Steelers fans have watched Green quietly pick apart the rest of the league over the last eight seasons. A case could be made Green should be No. 3 based on numbers but you can’t discount what Green is capable of because of the quarterbacks he’s played with.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers
Last season was a breakout campaign for Smith-Schuster, his second year in the NFL. His 111 receptions topped the Steelers and were good enough for No. 6 in the league. If we just based this ranking on last year’s numbers, Smith-Schuster is tops by a mile. But we want to see what he can do this season without Brown on the field with him before we elevate him ahead of established guys.
4. Jarvis Landry, Browns
Yep, the Browns get two wide receivers on this list. The fact Landry, who has 481 career receptions, only checks in at No. 4 on this list shows just how good the three guys ahead of him are. With Beckham Jr. on the same team now, look for a dip in the numbers but it doesn’t change how good Landry is.
