The AFC North Mailbag, 2/20 Edition

Welcome to another edition of the AFC North Mailbag. Today's topics include the Cleveland Browns' draft picks, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Nate Clements, the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense considering Rashard Mendenhall's injury and more.

If you have a question for the mailbag, follow me on Twitter at the link at the bottom of the page and watch for calls for submissions.

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@FBALL_Andrea For the mailbag... When the dust settles, who do the Steelers purge with their salary cap issues?

— zach_law (@zach_law) February 20, 2012"

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The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the 2012 league year at nearly $30 million over the projected salary cap.

Though they have managed to shave $15 million or so off of that figure by cutting Bryant McFadden and Arnaz Battle and restructuring a few contracts, they will need to reduce that number further, especially if they want to definitely retain wide receiver Mike Wallace in 2012 and beyond.

Longtime Steelers receiver Hines Ward is likely to be a casualty of the team's cap problems. He is owed $4.61 million this year but has stated he's willing to take a pay cut. That might not be enough, considering that if he stays, he will spend 2012 as the Steelers' No. 4 or No. 5 receiver. They probably don't want to cut him, but it may be necessary.

Guard Chris Kemoeatu is almost guaranteed to be cut, considering he's owed over $5 million this year and underperformed last season while dealing with an arthritic knee. Defensive end Aaron Smith had neck surgery during the 2011 season and is expected to retire this year, which would save the team $2.1 million in cap space.

Safety Will Allen is primarily a special teams player who is headed into the last year of his contract. Though the savings will be just $1.28 million, that's a lot of cash for a team in as much cap trouble as the Steelers.

Finally, the team could release nose tackle Casey Hampton, who recently underwent ACL surgery and is likely to start the season on the PUP list. It's not an ideal move to cut him after being injured, but balancing the books is a major issue for the Steelers right now.

They could re-sign him at a cheaper rate once the 2012 season has begun.

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@FBALL_Andrea Hi! With Mendenhalls injury who will be the rb for Pittsburgh 2012 and do you think Mike Wallace will be a 49er?

— JAY(@Go40Niners) February 20, 2012"

Though it is never ideal for a team to lose their top running back for potentially an entire season, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be in a worse situation.

They're lucky to have solid depth at the position, and it's likely that Isaac Redman will be the team's primary rusher in 2012.

Behind him are Jonathan Dwyer and John Clay; 2011 draft pick Baron Batch should be back with the team after tearing his ACL in the preseason, and the Steelers may choose to retain Mewelde Moore, set to be a free agent, just to have even more options at the position.

Retaining wide receiver Mike Wallace is the Steelers' top offseason priority, but depending on their cap issues, they may have to offer him a first-round RFA tender, and teams with an interest might offer Wallace more money than the Steelers can afford to match.

The San Francisco 49ers are a good potential landing spot for Wallace, considering their need for a playmaker like him and their available cap space, which portends that they can afford him.

Though I see the New England Patriots making the biggest play for Wallace should the Steelers have to give him an RFA tender, the Niners could ultimately wind up with him if he's up for grabs.

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@FBALL_Andrea what do you think the browns will do with 2ND round pick if they use both firsts on rg3? Best wr available or defense?

— Sean Garst (@seangarst) February 20, 2012"

If the Cleveland Browns give up both of their first round picks to grab a quarterback with the potential to be elite like Robert Griffin III, they're going to need some weapons for him to throw to.

The Browns aren't in a bad cap situation, however, and could address their needs at wide receiver via free agency, but I do see them also picking up a wide receiver in the draft.

Snagging the best available wideout seems to be the smartest option for Cleveland in the second round, but if there's a highly talented pass rusher sitting there, they may go for it. However, receiver is a dire need, and there are some quality options in the second round, so I see that as their most likely choice.

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@FBALL_Andrea What the heck are the Cleveland Browns going to do with their first pick in the draft?

— Matthew Stein (@MatthewJStein) February 20, 2012"

The Cleveland Browns have themselves quite the interesting dilemma, but luckily for them, trading up with the St. Louis Rams to get quarterback Robert Griffin III or staying put and likely snagging Alabama running back Trent Richardson are both smart moves for the team.

Personally, I think trading up is the most attractive option. Quarterback stability has been a major problem for the Browns for many years, and drafting RG3 means they won't have to worry about the position for a long time.

There are worse things they can do than keep running back Peyton Hillis on the roster, though he's clearly not of Richardson's caliber.

Unless the Browns bring in a veteran quarterback via free agency to take over the starting role, the team could be dangerously one-dimensional on offense with Colt McCoy under center, despite Richardson's top-tier abilities.

However, bringing Griffin on board instantly makes them more competitive in the AFC North. Richardson helps, but Griffin in a game-changer.

Much relies on how they handle the Hillis situation and how committed they are to McCoy. I like them trading up, but losing both of their first-round picks may prove to be too steep a price for a team with as many needs as the Browns. At this point, I'm torn on what they will ultimately decide.

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@FBALL_Andrea is moving Nate Clements to ss a real possibility?

— Dan Hafer (@danhafer) February 20, 2012"

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Nate Clements is 32 years old as he heads into the final year of his contract with the team. Generally, corners of his age start to struggle to keep up with receivers, and Clements is no different, as we saw in 2011.

He's still of value to the team in 2012, and a move to safety would benefit both the Bengals and Clements' chances to make a real contribution.

Further, if the team loses Reggie Nelson to free agency, the only other starting safety is Chris Crocker, whose ongoing knee problems make him questionable to play a full season in 2012.

The Bengals are very likely to draft a corner with one of their two first-round picks, and whoever that is will likely be a starter in his rookie season. In order to keep Clements on the field in a role that suits his changing skill set, a shift to strong safety would be wise.

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@FBALL_Andrea think Bengals bring in Mike Wallace? Good move? Bad move? How Likely?

— James Rapien (@James_Rapien) February 20, 2012"

I can't think of a single team that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace couldn't improve, and thus, if the Cincinnati Bengals made that move, it would be a good one.

Much depends on whether the Steelers put a first-round RFA tender on him in the offseason; considering their cap situation, this is a very real possibility, one that puts the team at risk of losing one of their biggest offensive playmakers.

The Bengals have two first-round picks, which means they wouldn't be giving up all that much compared to a team that has just one, and they have the cap space to pay him what he's worth and then some, making it difficult for the Steelers to match or beat the offer.

It seems like a perfect storm for the Bengals to make a move for Wallace, though they might have to engage in a bidding war with the New England Patriots in order to land him. He'd be of great help to quarterback Andy Dalton and would immediately make their already-impressive receiving game much, much better.

If the Steelers give Wallace an RFA deal, I don't see a reason for the Bengals not to make a play for him.

Right now, Pittsburgh is working very hard to get under the cap enough to either franchise Wallace or make a long-term deal with him, and I think they will be successful in their efforts, even if that means making a number of roster cuts to make it happen.

But if they can't, then the Bengals going after Wallace would be extremely smart.

Have a question for next week's AFC North mailbag? Follow @FBALL_Andrea for the next call for questions.