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Hard to believe it, but I got to say it. We are closing in on football season. Okay, closing in is a little dramatic. We are still just under 100 days away, but never too early to start looking at some under the radar names. So, today we're doing so with our Tyler Sullivan going AFC North edition. We've already seen some wonky movements in the division. So, let's go ahead and welcome on our NFL writer reporter Tyler Sullivan going to help us uh find some unsung heroes in 2026. And Sully, you and I were laughing as we start this list in Pittsburgh with the Steelers. As I was going through the rundown, you have Michael Pittman on here and I was like, wait, what? Uh but that kind of leans into the underratedness of it. Michael Pittman
Jr. is a Steeler. So, talk to me about his 2026 and his new home. Pittman's the perfect example of when you're a general NFL fan and you're checking back in maybe a couple months or doing your fantasy football prep, you'll be like, wait a minute, when did this happen? When did Michael Pittman become a Pittsburgh Steeler? Happened earlier in the off season, but kind of gets lost in the shuffle, especially after the week we just had with Miles Garrett and A.J. Brown being traded. But this is a guy that I really think will make an impact for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Go back to a couple of years, it just feels like this team has always been looking for that number two target in their offense.
Even back last season when they acquired D.K. Metcalf. Remember, you're like, okay, finally they have a number two option, a secondary option in that passing game with George Pickens. And then a couple of weeks later, they trade George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, creating that need again. And last year you saw a perfect example of D.K. Metcalf being a true number one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But in that position room, Calvin Austin was the second leading receiver with under 400 receiving yards, 327 yards for the season. So, they really needed another guy. Pittman certainly fills that need for them. We've seen at the peaks of his powers being able to catch 100 balls, go over 1,000 yards receiving in a given season. And that this
addition really does help the last dance of Aaron Rodgers because like I referenced, it was really stark the difference between the number one wide receiver in DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin the number two wide receiver in that offense from a production standpoint. Pittman brings things to a more respectable level. Pittman finished with 784 yards last year and seven touchdowns on 80 receptions. So it feels like that number could go up. Like I don't know, maybe we see 1,000 yards out of him this year. Let's move on and talk Ravens. And I love this topic here, Tyler. We're talking Mark Andrews. A guy that was just at one point was here at his career and then the playoffs happened. You know
exactly what I'm talking about and now he's still kind of rebuilding that brand a little bit. A down year in 2025, 422 yards, just five touchdowns. Why do you think that he could be one of those under the radar players for the Ravens in 2026? And those receiving yards, a career low for him despite playing all 17 games. So you're talking about a player that's a little bit long in the tooth, going to be 32 years old the start of this season. Coming off a career low in terms of receiving yards. I can see the scent coming off Mark Andrews a little bit, but I think that you would kind of be skipping across this a little bit too much. I do think you need to pay attention to Mark Andrews and not just
kind of throw him off to the side and say aging player, production declining because of what this Ravens offense looks like right now. We've talked a lot about Jesse Minter coming in as head coach, Tyler Linderbaum leaving in free agency. One guy we haven't talked too much about is Isaiah Likely leaving this offense. The number two tight end in this offense following John Harbaugh to New York, signing with the Giants in free agency. They haven't really replaced him in this offense and that's about 40-ish targets, a lot of red zone looks, a lot of receiving yards leaving that tight end room and not a lot in terms of replacements coming in.
Derm Smythe was a veteran that they signed, but he has about like 13 catches over the last two seasons combined. So not a real receiving threat there. So, you would think that Mark Andrews, even in the later stages of his career, a lot of those targets are going to go his way. So, you're basically doubling the looks he could be getting from Lamar Jackson. And we know the rapport that those two have. So, while we may look at this player and say, "Okay, he's certainly in the twilight of his career." I wouldn't be surprised if we see an uptick in production because of the necessary role that he's going to have to play in that tight end room. So, we go from a veteran who has to live up to that hype as we've seen him do in
his career before to a rookie who definitely didn't live up to the hype and caused a fuss along the way. Shemar Stewart, I don't know if everyone remembers the draft process that was Shemar Stewart. Unfortunately, the season kind of reflected that, Tyler. 11 tackles, just one sack, only played eight games there. The good news is it's just year one. You can always go up from here. How can he be an impact player for a Bengals defense that needs him to step up? Well, that's really it, right? The Bengals defense was god-awful last season. No matter which way you looked in terms of the stats, the Cincinnati Bengals were somewhere, if not at the very bottom. So, what do they do this offseason? They bring in Dexter
Lawrence. They trade the number 10 overall pick. You sign Boye Mafe in free agency. You even draft Cash Cowell in the second round. A lot of attention is being paid to those additions coming in this offseason. But, I think the big X-factor of this defense turning a corner could end up being Shemar Stewart. Again, you referenced it. It was not a good rookie season by any stretch of the imagination. Dealt with a contract issue at the beginning of his season in training camp kind of derailed his production. It's really set a foundation for his rookie year, then dealt with injuries. Only eight games, one sack. Like, that is not a first-round production by any stretch of the imagination. But, this kid is
still only 22 years old. Like, I'm not selling Shemar Stewart quite yet because the talent is there. He was a first-round pick for a reason. And if he is able to tap into that talent, tap into to that production and work inside a defense that now has those guys that I just mentioned in Mafe and Dexter Lawrence, then this could be an X-factor in this defense turning around the Cincinnati Bengals, bringing that unit to a more respectable level. I don't think they're going to be top 10 or anything like that, but if you can just say you're middle of the road, you're 15th, 16th in the NFL with that offense on the other side and Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, that could be enough to
win this division and make noise in the conference. I remember covering Ja'Marr Stewart when he committed to Texas A&M down here in South Florida. I was working in local news and everyone down here was devastated that he wasn't going to the University of Miami, that he went to Texas A&M. And you saw in college what he was capable of. So, let's see if he can uh translate that into year two on a clean slate there. Tyler, with another rookie, maybe the numbers aren't as flashy for Dylan Sampson when you think about 2025 overall. He's playing behind Quinton Jefferson, which is very difficult. Um but a chance for him to have a role in 2026 is kind of how you're feeling?
Yeah, I really do think that not necessarily a two-headed monster in this backfield because Quinton Jefferson is going to be the early down back. He is still going to be that number one guy that you're looking at in your fantasy drafts and all of that. He's going to be the lead dog. But don't leave out Dylan Sampson. I still think that this is someone who could have a legitimate role in passing down situations. I go back to when Todd Monken, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, I go back to when he was the offensive coordinator for these Cleveland Browns in 2019. In that offense, you had Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 73 receptions, yards on 93 targets. I'm not saying
Dylan Sampson's going to get 93 targets, but it might come close. I think that Jefferson will certainly carve into that target share, but Sampson has shown us even last season that he can be a force in the passing game. And I think that he is going to be a key outlet as they kind of look over this revamped offensive line. You're may see a little bit more check downs early on whether it's Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders who wins that job. I think Samson as a receiver out of that backfield could be a underrated piece to the Cleveland Browns offense in 2026. It is interesting looking at him on the roster and he's listed as a running back, but the uh receiving stats are just a little bit better there. So uh
you might be on to something Tyler Sullivan, the hardest working man in the NFL in the off-season. Sully, so good to see you once again here on HQ bring us his under the radar players AFC North edition. So just a reminder, uh here is who Sully is looking at in terms of the division winners last year, the Steelers looking at Michael Pittman Jr. to sort of reinvent himself there. Ravens Mark Andrews, uh again only up from here as well when it comes to Shemar Stewart and Dylan Sampson, the rookies going into year two.
