What players from the AFC North would you have wanted on the Steelers over the years?

While I know we have some hatred toward our opposing teams in the AFC North, there still is a bit of respect for being competitive recognizing a great player. There are a few over the years I always felt I would have taken on the Steelers squad over the years:

Bengals:
Boomer Esiason - He would have been a great QB to have between Bradshaw and Ben.

Browns:
Joe Haden - I know we got him, but he has to be on this list.
Josh Cribbs - His return game was top notch and as a Steeler it is an area we always seem to need help.
Bernie Kosar - He wasn't the most athletic, but he was quite the cerebral QB. He would have been another QB that would have been great to have on the roster between Bradshaw and Ben.

Ravens:
Ray Lewis - Aside from his off the field incident, there is no denying he was a great linebacker in his prime.
Jamal Lewis - He was a beast of a running back and absolute clock killer late in the game. I would still take Bettis every day of the week, but no doubt he could have been special in Pittsburgh.

 

How about Ed Reed? Him at free safety and Troy at strong safety could have won at least one more ring for the Steelers.

 

Cleveland
Harder to find.. but I'll say Alex Mack and Joe Thomas.... then way back to Ozzie Newsome, Clay Mathews, Micheal Dean Perry, Josh Cribbs

Cincinnati
Wow.. even harder than the Browns
Anthony Munoz, Max Montoya, Tim Krumrie, Takeo Spikes, Chad Johnson

Baltimore
Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs Haloti Ngata, Orlando Brown, John Ogden, Anquan Bolden. Justin Tucker but the guy I want the most Ed Reed.

Can you imagine Reed at FS and Troy at SS? SCARY!

HACK

 

Browns : Joe Thomas

Bengals: uhhhh....

Ravens: Suggs. Can you imagine Suggs on one end and Harrison on the other...QB's would **** themselves.

 

Browns: Thomas, Haden (got him ), Landry,
Bengals: Dunlap, OchoCinco, Bates
Ravens: Suggs, Lewis, Reed, Tucker, Ngata, Humphrey, Judon

 

I would say, but everyone echoed what I would have picked.
I would say that H. Ngata
was the 1st I thought of, but that's just looking at more recent history.

 

Browns-Jarvis landry &Joe Thomas

Bengals-takeo spikes, anthony Munoz, boomer & A.J. green

Ravens-ed Reed & Jonathan Ogden

From the old days oilers teams-chris dishman, earl Campbell, frank wychek, jevon Kearse & Bruce Matthew's

 

Good list

 

Ed Reed.


That is it for me. That is the list; Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata be damned. Ray is no doubt a Top three MLB of all time but there is considerable debate that Ed Reed is the GOAT among Safeties.


Do not care as much for Cleveland or Cincy players if we are talking about the present. Not too many to name right now and it is too early for me to name even the likes of JaMarr Chase to be the "next big thing".

 

I'm not sure how far back you want to go but my #1 pick by far would be Jim Brown.

 

Hmm... good point. OP never stated how far back. If there is no timeframe limit in play here... Jim Brown then.

 

I remember in 1969 the Bengals had a rookie phenom at QB by the name of Greg Cook that set the league on fire. The Bengals luck was bad even back then because Cook suffered a serious shoulder injury and had to retire after his rookie year.

 

OP did say there were players over the years he would take on the Steelers.... so I guess I took it as at the time.... Jim Brown was retired long before my time... so I never thought "I wish he was in my team" obviously he was one of the best of all time.... but I never see him play.. and honestly even if I did. That would have put him in Cleveland while my RBs were Franco and Blier... not sure my rose colored glasses would have let me be jealous of him.. lol

HACK

 

That duo absolutely would have wreaked havoc.

 

JOE BURROW - LOL!!!!!

 

Yes, I didn’t get to see him play either. Jim Brown is definitely a good pick.

 

I saw him play the last couple of years of his career, he was not only one of the greatest football players of all time but he is considered maybe the greatest lacrosse player ever to play the game. Brown averaged 38 points a game in HS basketball and placed 5th in the nation in the decathlon. He along with Jim Thorpe are probably the 2 greatest athletes of all time.

 

Ed Reed, Ray Lewis.

 

Indeed the OP states over the years. However, that is not an exact finite figure of the earliest point that the choices available can be made; i.e. from 2000, 1990, etc. If the timeframe is based on whom one saw during their time watching, Ed Reed is still my pick. Otherwise it is Jim Brown.

 

No Pacman, Vontaze, Chris Henry? Come on guys.

In all seriousness though.

Stains. Thomas. Cribbs.

Bungals. Whitworth. Krumrie.

Rats. Reed. Tucker.

 

Ickey Woods! Just for his dancing!

 

Nick Chubb.

 

Imagine Ed Reed and Troy at the same time? Would have been epic.

 

Anthony Munoz

There are others, of course, but everyone else is one or more steps behind this all timer. There probably aren't more than 2 or 3 guys I'd take over anyone we had in the 70s, and I'd have to think about guys 2 through whatever.

This is guy 1, and he's the only no brainer.