Third in a continuing series looking key questions by division for NFL teams as the exhibition season begins.
BENGALS: THE question is QB Carson Palmer's health. When will he be able to play? And what effects of a devastatingly bad knee injury will he show? Palmer threw for more yards (3,836) than anyone other than Tom Brady and Trent Green last season, and his 32 TD passes led the NFL. His health is pivotal to Cincinnati's playoff hopes. How much will free-agent signees NT Sam Adams and S Dexter Jackson improve the defense?
BROWNS: Can Cleveland win with second-year man Charlie Frye at QB? The Browns must think so, having traded last season's starter, Trent Dilfer, in the offseason. How much will recent high draft picks TE Kellen Winslow Jr. and WR Braylon Edwards contribute to the offense? If either or both are close to their pre-injury form, the Browns' offense will boast playmakers other than RB Ruben Droughens.
RAVENS: How much does QB Steve McNair have left in the tank? Tired of waiting for Kyle Boller to develop, Baltimore acquired McNair, 33, from Tennessee and reunited him with WR Derrick Mason, who had 86 receptions in 2005. Will RB Jamal Lewis, once a 2,000-yard rusher, bounce back from a subpar season, or is he starting to decline? Among the Ravens' many veteran free-agent signings was RB Mike Anderson, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
STEELERS: How will the defending Super Bowl champions respond to having a target on their back week after week? The Steelers had an unusually low amount of roster departures in the offseason, but the players they did lose were big: RB Jerome Bettis, versatile WR Antwaan Randle-El, DE Kimo von Oelhoffen and S Chris Hope. Randle-El added an element of surprise, von Oelhoffen is an every-down 3-4 defensive end and Hope's steadiness freed Troy Polamalu to make plays. But Bettis was the heart and soul of this club, replacing his leadership in the locker room will not be easy.
Next: AFC East
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