LogFAQs > #946640841

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Detroit Lions

Here is what happened in the offseason for the reigning champions:
- They entered with either the most or one of the most cap spaces in the league
- They lost only one starter to retirement
- They effectively traded TE Travis Kelce and the 32nd pick for SS Jaquiski Tartt and the 5th pick
- They drafted two starters
- They signed two starters in free agency including the underrated HB Dion Lewis, who is a younger version of the lone starter they lost to retirement (hall of famer in my heart Courtney Lewis)
- They signed in one of the best run defensive DTs in Randy Starks after losing William Morrisey for the season
- They are left with the second-most cap space in the league accounting for user cap (roughly $45 mil using in-game cap)

Unlike the AFC, I think the gap between NFC teams barely shrunk, if at all, during the offseason events, so the Vikings have great odds to fall in line with what they've done the previous two seasons where they went a combined 25-7.

The Bears made a flurry of moves to put them on the path to their first postseason appearance. Realistically maybe half, or four of their eight new starters they brought in from outside the organization (I think they promoted two or three others from within), will pan out year 1, but this Bears team on paper looks to be a playoff threat this season. Their defense unexpectedly fell completely apart last season, some regression to the mean and adding much better players in FS Lamarcus Joyner and SS Derek Linde should hopefully see them perform at a level closer to what they experienced in S12. The key here I think will be the offense where they traded for two backups from Portland who excelled in what little they played (QB Tom Savage and HB Jeremy Hill). The offense hasn't finished in the top half of the league since the days of David Carr and Chris Brown. They are on somewhere around their 6th and 4th respectively different starting QB and HB since. If they can get offensive stability somewhere at the skill positions, then I think they have a shot at the playoffs this season. The schedule won't do them any favors as they could start as bad a 1-5, but playoff teams always have to win at least a game or two that they weren't expect to, so we will soon see if this Bears team is ready to stop picking in the Top 10.

The Packers were less than five minutes away from being in the Super Bowl in S12. Just one season later they went from selecting 30th to 3rd, which almost certainly is the largest year-to-year difference that we've had and maybe ever will have. The culprit wasn't the defense which was still good even after they had a mini-firesale mid-season. HB Carnell Williams, who retired after S12, turned out to be irreplacable as a now-stagnant running game in the most run-heavy offense in the league was a recipe for complete disaster. While they brought in a lot of depth and potential future starters, the starting offense is virtually identical to the disappointing one from last season. They have #3 overall pick OT Laremy Tunsil taking over at RT, and backup HB Isaiah Crowell now gets his first crack as the starter. The offense could improve some, but this doesn't inspire confidence that they will make a quick turnaround. If the defense holds tight, and the offense does way better than I expect, then they could take advantage of a mostly favorable schedule to a surprise playoff appearance a la Patriots S12 and Lions S13.

While other teams had offseasons to forget, the Lions may have my vote for the most disappointing offseason of them all. The Vikings and Bears both made considerable efforts to improve their team, and the Packers brought in a ton of bodies who will be the top backup, or a starter in a few cases. The Lions had to mount a massive second half comeback to get into the playoffs in S12. They absolutely could not depend on that happening again, and they absolutely had to make an effort in the offseason. Instead, they elected not to go after high-end players in RFA that fit their needs, take advantage of a draft board that fit their needs, or go after a robust free agent class that fit their needs. The Lions are not the Cowboys or Dolphins. They cannot afford to be passive. The schedule isn't super tough, but they are already without their best defensive player for most of the season (MLB Bryan Vinson). I feel like this won't end well.
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