Radical plan at NFL Realignment has been suggested…

Radical plan at NFL realignment puts Bengals in division with rival, 2 new teams

[local12.com]

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Without question the NFL continues to evolve more so than any other North American professional sports league.

The NFL has managed to keep itself in the news cycle all 12 months with action on and off the field, which includes the draft, free agency and the schedule release. The league has embraced rules changes, partnerships with sportsbooks and expanded playoffs. So perhaps the idea of a radical plan to realign divisions isn't so far-fetched. It would, however, greatly affect the Bengals.

The current model has existed since 2002 when the Houston Texans were added. Six divisions were made into eight, with four teams in each, and without question there are some misplaced franchises -- like the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East and a team from the south in the Miami Dolphins with those in New York and Massachusetts as part of the AFC East.

The idea to modify the NFL's alignment has come to light due to the changing college football landscape, with west coast schools like UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten. However, it would be more sensible for the NFL to reevaluate its teams to move into divisions based off of geographical proximity.

While this look is certainly intriguing, the better plan would be as follows:

The AFC East would have three New York-area teams (Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and New York Jets) and the New England Patriots.

The new AFC Central would be controversial. The Bengals and Cleveland Browns would move into a division with two teams currently in the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. Arguably Cincinnati's biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, would exit with the Baltimore Ravens.

The revised AFC South would be comprised of three Florida teams (Tampa Bay Bucs, Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars) with the Atlanta Falcons.

The four franchises in the AFC West would be the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.

The NFC East would be a group featuring both teams in Pennsylvania- the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers - with two teams whose stadiums are separated by a mere 35 miles in the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens.

The NFC Central would be the current NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. It's the only division whose members would go unchanged.

The NFC South has two Texas franchises in the Cowboys and Texans, along with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.

The NFC West, which would lose the Arizona Cardinals, would add the Chargers, the other team from Los Angeles. The San Francisco 49ers, LA Rams and Seattle Seahawks remain.