Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: recent history.



Baltimore Ravens



With a consistently great defense in place, the Ravens have put a lot of effort recently into improving their offense. Offensive tackle Michael Oher (2009), quarterback Joe Flacco (2008) and guard Ben Grubbs (2007) — all starters — were Baltimore’s past three first-round picks. The Ravens also had major success with former second-round pick Ray Rice and former fourth-round pick Le’Ron McClain. Both running backs made the Pro Bowl this past season. Expect Baltimore to continue to search for more offense high in the draft this year, as the team attempts to take its passing game to the next level.



Cincinnati Bengals



The reigning AFC North champs helped build their defense through the draft the past three years and will now focus on improving the offense. Recent draftees such as cornerback Leon Hall (2007) and linebackers Keith Rivers (2008) and Rey Maualuga (2009) are starters for Cincinnati’s defense. If the team has similar success on offense this year, the Bengals will be in good shape. Cincinnati currently needs help at tight end, receiver and guard. The Bengals may patch some of those holes in free agency. For example, receiver Terrell Owens is visiting Cincinnati Wednesday. But it will be important to fill any remaining offensive holes in this year’s draft.



Cleveland Browns



This is the third regime drafting for Cleveland in three years. Former general manager Phil Savage was fired after the 2008 season. Former general manager George Kokinis followed but was fired in 2009, paving the way for new president Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert. A major reason the Browns are in the basement in the AFC North is their inability to draft impact players. Only five players selected in the past three drafts are steady starters, and only one (Joe Thomas) has made the Pro Bowl. With the No. 7 overall pick and 11 total picks, Holmgren needs to find impact players who can help erase the talent gap and turn around the Browns.



Pittsburgh Steelers



The Steelers are a veteran-laden team, so most of their picks the past three years have provided a delayed impact. Recent high picks such as Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley and Rashard Mendenhall all had to wait at least one year before getting their turn to be productive. Receiver Mike Wallace, last year’s third-round pick, was a rare exception. Pittsburgh president Art Rooney II recently said it’s vital for the team to develop its younger players more quickly. After missing the playoffs, the Steelers have a relatively high pick at No. 18. That player could turn out to be a rookie starter, particularly if the pick addresses the cornerback position or the offensive line.

Free-agent quarterback Derek Anderson lashed out at Cleveland Browns fans after he was released by the team Tuesday.



Anderson later apologized for his comments. But don’t think for one second the former Pro Bowl quarterback didn’t mean what he said.



Frustration had been mounting with Anderson ever since the end of the 2007 season. He had the finest year of his career, which included 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns, but it never seemed to matter. It is a fact that he was cheered by Browns fans while injured, and things only got worse when his level of play dropped.



Living in Ohio for the past seven years, I will offer you two truths about Browns fans: First, it is an extremely frustrated group. Second, the backup quarterback usually is the most popular player in town.



Browns fans have an odd infatuation with players holding a clipboard. Somehow, standing on the sideline long enough creates legendary status in Cleveland.



It happened to Kelly Holcomb. It happened to Charlie Frye. And in Anderson’s case, it most recently happened to Brady Quinn. All of these former backups were fan favorites until they also faltered, leaving Browns fans to seamlessly move on to the next target.



Should Anderson have made those comments publicly? No, especially since it was a parting shot on his way out the door.



But it’s true that Cleveland is not a quarterback-friendly city, and perhaps Anderson’s comments will provide Browns fans a chance to re-examine how they treat the NFL’s most important position.

It didn’t take long for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson to generate interest in the free-agent market.



According to a league source, Anderson has scheduled visits with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday and the Arizona Cardinals on Friday.



The Browns released Anderson this week after the team made a trade with Seattle to land quarterback Seneca Wallace. Cleveland also avoided a $2 million roster bonus and a base salary of $7.45 million by cutting the former Pro Bowler.



Both Arizona and Seattle could be attractive options for Anderson. The Cardinals lost Kurt Warner to retirement, and Anderson could provide insurance if Matt Leinart falters. In Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck has battled injuries in recent years, and the team just lost its backup in Wallace.



Anderson had his best year for Cleveland in 2007, when he threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns.

The Oakland Raiders have to be, at least, intrigued by the idea of pursuing former Cleveland Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson.



He was cut Tuesday by the Browns. Anderson instantly becomes the best free agent quarterback on the market. That’s not saying a whole lot, but it might be worth it to Oakland to bring him in.



Right now, the Raiders are planning to have Bruce Gradkowski and JaMarcus Russell compete for the job. Oakland needs to throw another quarterback in the mix, whether it’s a veteran or a draft pick.



Anderson may be a worthy competitor to Gradkowski and Russell. If Gradkowski can pick up from where he left off before he was hurt in December, he could start. The Raiders’ offensive players really believe in Gradkowski. If the journeyman can show improvement, it should be Gradkowski’s job.



But the Raiders needs a backup plan. Yes, they need a backup plan past Russell. If Russell is really losing weight and working on his fundamentals this offseason, perhaps the former No.1 overall pick can salvage his career.



But Russell has proven he can’t be counted on.



The Raiders need more. Anderson is no superstar, but he may be worth a look in Oakland.

Monday could go down as one of the busiest offseason ays in the AFC North.



Two developments Monday night include include receiver Terrell Owens planning a visit with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns trading for Seattle’s Seneca Wallace. Both reports are via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.



Wallace will rejoin Cleveland president Mike Holmgren, the former coach of the Seahawks. The Browns have been searching for help at quarterback and Wallace was the first move. The team mostly likely will release Derek Anderson before his $2 million roster bonus is due March 19.



What this means for Cleveland’s quarterback situation is uncertain. Wallace has been a backup for most of his career, and the team has yet to publicly endorse Brady Quinn. This situation remains fluid, so stay tuned.



Cincinnati’s visit with Owens Tuesday will be important, as the team will get a feel of whether he fits with the Bengals. Owens is good friends with Bengals Pro Bowl receiver Chad Ochocinco, who has been lobbying for the team to sign T.O.

Leigh Bodden’s agent is telling everybody “Don’t believe the type.”



Bodden has not re-signed with the New England Patriots.



“Reports of Leigh Bodden re-signing with the Patriots are not true and premature at best,” Bodden’s agent, Alvin Keels, tweeted Monday night. “Leigh is still evaluating his options.”



Well, fine.



But multiple outlets report Bodden and the Patriots have agreed in principle on a new contract that will keep him in Foxborough after an effective season as the club’s right cornerback.



Bodden made like Ryan Clark, flirting with another team before returning home. Bodden visited the Houston Texans on Monday. Clark spent the day with the Miami Dolphins but re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.



In other Patriots news:

• Four-time Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler and defensive end Marques Murrell visited Gillette Stadium on Monday. Crumpler, a star when he played for the Atlanta Falcons, caught just 27 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown with the Tennessee Titans last year. Murrell played in 10 games with zero starts for the New York Jets.
• Patriots free-agent defensive end Jarvis Green will make a free-agent visit to the Denver Broncos on Tuesday.
• Tight end Benjamin Watson, who scheduled a visit with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, will swing by the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.

Seneca Wallace indeed had more value to the Browns than to his own team, the Seahawks.



Wallace, shipped to the Browns in a trade Monday, will give Cleveland a quarterback with six years of experience in Mike Holmgren’s offense. Holmgren is the Browns’ president, not their head coach, but he has brought his offense to Cleveland, complete with former Seattle coordinator Gil Haskell.



The Seahawks are no longer running Holmgren’s offense, diminishing Wallace’s value to Seattle. Just as the Rams valued A.J. Feeley’s familiarity with their offense, Holmgren wanted a quarterback Cleveland wouldn’t have to coach up very much. Wallace can help the other quarterbacks learn the offense.



Speaking of the Browns’ other quarterbacks: If Cleveland releases Derek Anderson, as expected, the Seahawks might be wise to pursue him. That would give them a veteran backup with experience to help them get through the upcoming season. Seattle could always revisit its options if the team drafted a quarterback early enough to affect one of the top two spots on its depth chart.



I’ll update when it becomes clear what Seattle might receive in return for Wallace.

The Cleveland Browns have an interesting situation brewing at inside linebacker.



Sunday’s free-agent signing of Scott Fujita adds to a mix of veterans and youngsters competing at the same position. In the end, there may not be enough room for all of them.



Fujita joins Eric Barton, D’Qwell Jackson, Kaluka Maiava and the versatile Jason Trusnik as players who spent time starting at middle linebacker for Cleveland last season.



A starter for the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, Fujita didn’t come to Cleveland to be a backup. So let’s assume he’s a starter next fall. That leaves four players — Jackson, Barton, Maiava and Trusnik — competing for one starting job.



Barton signed a four-year deal last season and is a favorite of head coach Eric Mangini. But Barton is coming off neck surgery and his health is in question. Jackson has been one of Cleveland’s most productive defenders, but he’s also coming off a season-ending pectoral injury. Jackson has a second-round tender and could generate some interest in the trade market.



Maiava and Trusnik both are young players who can provide depth.



Because the Browns play a 3-4 defense, they would probably prefer to keep a large surplus of linebackers. But Fujita, Barton and Jackson are a particularly odd trio with tons of combined starting experience and just two jobs available.



Fujita isn’t going anywhere. So an educated guess is Cleveland’s front office, led by new president Mike Holmgren, likely has to decide between keeping Barton or Jackson this offseason.

Despite spending his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals, new Baltimore Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin is not a stranger to the AFC North.



According to ESPN Stats & Information, Boldin played six career games against his new division rivals — the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Currently the Browns and Steelers both lack quality depth at cornerback, although the draft and free agency could change that.



Paired with former teammate Larry Fitzgerald, Boldin was the second option in Arizona’s offense, but could have more balls thrown his way next season as the top option for Baltimore and quarterback Joe Flacco. This also means Boldin will face more No. 1 cornerbacks in the AFC North like Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor and Cincinnati’s Johnathan Joseph.



Last season, Boldin caught 84 receptions for 1,024 yards and four touchdowns with the Cardinals. It was the fifth time Boldin eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his career.

The Cleveland Browns landed two veterans with their first free-agent signings of the Mike Holmgren era. The team announced that Cleveland agreed to multi-year deals with offensive tackle Tony Pashos and linebacker Scott Fujita Sunday.



Pashos’ deal is for three years and $10.3 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Terms of Fujita’s contract were not available.



Pashos, who played for the San Francisco 49ers last season, is expected to start at right tackle. Fujita played outside linebacker for the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and likely will move inside in Cleveland’s 3-4 defense.



“We are extremely happy that we were able to get Scott and Tony signed so quickly,” Browns general manager Tom Heckert said in a statement. “They are two players we had targeted from the start of free agency. Both are smart, tough and physical — the type of players that the Browns are looking for.”



Cleveland has been active since the start of free agency. In addition to signing Pashos and Fujita, the Browns dealt defensive lineman Corey Williams to the Detroit Lions and reached a contract agreement with Pro Bowl kick returner Josh Cribbs.