Steelers And AFC North Could Suddenly Be Hit With Division-Altering Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers sit in first place of the AFC North after four weeks of the 2025 NFL season. It cannot go understated how important it was for the team to get a big win in Dublin, Ireland over the 

Minnesota Vikings prior to the Week 5 bye. One of the more surprising happenings across the league is that fact that the Baltimore Ravens are 1-3 with injuries all over the place. Additionally, an offense full of firepower for the Cincinnati Bengals was stopped in its tracks when Joe Burrow was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) due to a toe injury.

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow makes a gesture to the crowd as he walks off the field during a professional football game away from home.

The Bengals have looked abysmal in the two starts from Jake Browning, and the team can't afford to continue to slip within the division and conference as a whole. It's possible that Cincinnati's front office could reach out to the 

New York Giants in an attempt to acquire either Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, but there is another interesting situation in the NFC that isn't being talked about nearly enough.

The Atlanta Falcons made the decision to hold onto Kirk Cousins, despite the fact that young signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. is under center on a weekly basis for the franchise. The veteran in Cousins did not play well in 2024, but would certainly be a better option for the Bengals compared to the on-field product that Browning has put on display in recent weeks.

On Monday night, Browning completed 14 of 25 passes for just 125 yards. He threw five interceptions in the two previous games that he played in with Burrow absent, so it's clear that the team is starting to trust him less and less. Only throwing for a little over 100 yards, even though Cincinnati was losing pretty much the entire game against the 

Denver Broncos, is concerning and a sign that things are not going well.

Cousins would bring a veteran mentality to a Bengals offense that already has the pieces in place to be successful. The Bengals are sitting at 2-2, so it's not too late to make a move that could not just change their season, but the AFC North as a whole. After the 

Monday Night Football fiasco, it's certainly possible that Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin could reach out to General Manager Terry Fontenot in Atlanta.

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Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin speaks to members of the media at the NFL Scouting Combine.

It certainly feels as if time is of the essence for Tobin and co. On the other side, Cousins isn't the future for the Falcons and could be expendable. The biggest challenge is that Atlanta is sitting at 2-2 as well, and Cousins could be an emergency plan if Penix continues to show signs of shaky play. There are a lot of moving piece, but the Bengals are likely to be making calls for a quarterback solution, and Cousins makes a lot of sense.

If Burrow was undoubtedly out for the entire 2025 campaign, it may not be worth it for Cincinnati to give up draft capital for a quarterback, but the Pro Bowl signal-caller could make a return towards the end of December. If the Bengals can just remain in the conversation, a playoff run is not out of the question with a healthy Burrow. Tobin has to make a decision rather quickly because of how much poor play has been on display from Browning.

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Bengals quarterback Jake Browning scrambles around the backfield as he attempts to evade a Steelers defender during a 2023 regular season game in Cincinnati, OH.

 

Steelers Are Sitting In A Perfect Position In Tough AFC North Division

 

Cousins entering the division would change the way fans and the media alike would be looking at the AFC North. While he wouldn't be expected to play at an elite level, he has the veteran prowess needed to find playmakers such as 

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

Currently, Pittsburgh is in the driver's seat and while unfortunate injuries are never rooted for, the Steelers are absolutely benefiting from an up-and-down first four weeks in the division.