Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
I feel all four teams are an enigma. The Packers were on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, and then Raheem Mostert kicked down the door and flattened them like a pancake thanks to a leaky run defense. Will their defense ever lift up their end of the bargain in the postseason? Kirk Cousins got the monkey off his back by winning his first playoff game, but his favorite target Stefon Diggs is out of the building. Will the Vikings take that next step to become a true Super Bowl contender instead of just a playoff contender? Mitch Trubisky’s starting job in Chicago looks very much at risk after the Bears traded for Nick Foles. How long will Trubisky’s leash be…or will he have a leash at all? The Lions traded an All-Pro corner in Darius Slay and drafted his replacement Jeff Okudah #3 overall. Are the Lions really any better on defense? Let’s look at the NFC North.
Rookies will be noted with * and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Chicago Bears
Offense
QB: Nick Foles
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Tarik Cohen
WR1: Allen Robinson
WR2: Anthony Miller
WR3: Ted Ginn Jr.
TE1: Cole Kmet *
TE2: Jimmy Graham
LT: Charles Leno Jr.
LG: James Daniels
C: Cody Whitehair
RG: Rashaad Coward
RT: Bobbie Massie
Defense
DT: Akiem Hicks
NT: Eddie Goldman
DE: Bilal Nichols
OLB: Khalil Mack
ILB: Danny Trevathan
ILB: Roquan Smith
OLB: Robert Quinn
CB: Kyle Fuller
FS: Eddie Jackson
SS: Deon Bush
CB: Artie Burns
Special Teams
K: Eddy Pineiro
P: Pat O’Donnell
The Bears declined Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option in his contract. That essentially means that the front office admitted that they made a mistake of trading up to get him when Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes were on the board. I have Nick Foles starting week 1 because he’s familiar with Matt Nagy’s offense while backing up Alex Smith in Kansas City, and he’s played at a higher level at times in his career than Trubisky ever did. The receivers are not that bad, but it was hard to evaluate them with Trubisky sailing passes over their heads or skipping them at their shoe laces. Akiem Hicks’ absence for most of last season was felt, too, as the Bears’ defense wasn’t as dominate as it was in 2018. Chicago was incredibly disappointing last season, and they need to bounce back now, or the streets will be talking louder and louder.
Detroit Lions
Offense
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB1: D’Andre Swift *
RB2: Kerryon Johnson
FB: Nick Bawden
WR1: Kenny Golladay
WR2: Marvin Jones Jr.
WR3: Danny Amendola
TE1: TJ Hockenson
TE2: Jesse James
LT: Taylor Decker
LG: Joe Dahl
C: Frank Ragnow
RG: Josh Garnett
RT: Hal Vaitai
Defense
DE: Julian Okwara *
DT: Danny Shelton
DT: John Atkins
DE: Trey Flowers
OLB: Jamie Collins
MLB: Jarrad Davis
OLB: Christian Jones
CB: Desmond Trufant
FS: Tracy Walker
SS: Duron Harmon
CB: Jeff Okudah *
Special Teams
K: Matt Prater
P: Jack Fox
The train that was driving the Lions’ season flew right off the tracks after Matthew Stafford’s season-ending back injury and a defense that allowed over 400 yards/game. Before Stafford went out, he was playing fantastic under Darrell Bevell’s offense, and if he can stay healthy this year (which is a HUGE if at this point), the Lions could be a top 10 offense. I love the D’Andre Swift pick in the second round. Kerryon Johnson hasn’t been able to stay on the field, and Swift has an incredible burst. If Johnson goes down again, the running game can stay on course. The defense should be better this year. They added some veterans up front like Danny Shelton and Jamie Collins, and on the back end they signed former Falcon Desmond Trufant and drafted the best cornerback in Jeff Okudah. Matt Patricia is on the hottest of the hot seats, and if the Lions can’t get their act together, expect them to look for a new coach.
Green Bay Packers
Offense
QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB1: Aaron Jones
RB2: AJ Dillon
FB: Elijah Wellman
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: Allen Lazard
WR3: Marques Valdes-Scantling
TE1: Mercedes Lewis
TE2: Robert Tonyan
LT: David Bakhtiari
LG: Lane Taylor
C: Corey Linsley
RG: Billy Turner
RT: Rick Wagner
Defense
DE: Dean Lowry
NT: Kenny Clark
DE: Tyler Lancaster
OLB: Za’Darius Smith
ILB: Oren Burks
ILB: Christian Kirksey
OLB: Preston Smith
CB: Jaire Alexander
FS: Adrian Amos
SS: Darnell Savage Jr.
CB: Kevin King
Special Teams
K: Mason Crosby
P: JK Scott
The 2019 Packers were on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, yet they weren’t the most dominant 13 win team we’ve ever seen. However, they had breakout years from certain players. Aaron Rodgers had a nice season like always, but Aaron Jones was just as important to Matt LaFleur’s offense. The Pro Bowl snub led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns along with his first 1,000 yard season. Free agent pass rushers Preston and Za’Darius Smith were home run signings in 2019, combining for 25.5 sacks, with the latter earning his first Pro Bowl birth. The negative for the Packers is that they struggled against the run. Look no further than the NFC Championship game. In an attempt to improve that stat, they added former Brown Christian Kirksey at inside linebacker. Let’s see if he’s an upgrade on Blake Martinez. I don’t see a down season for the Packers, but Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting any younger. They need to finish their season in February.
Minnesota Vikings
Offense
QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
FB: CJ Ham
WR1: Adam Thielen
WR2: Justin Jefferson *
WR3: Tajae Sharpe
TE1: Kyle Rudolph
TE2: Irv Smith Jr.
LT: Riley Reiff
LG: Pat Elflein
C: Garrett Bradbury
RG: Dakota Dozier
RT: Brian O’Neill
Defense
DE: Danielle Hunter
DT: Shamar Stephen
NT: Michael Pierce
DE: Ifeadi Odenigbo
OLB: Anthony Barr
MLB: Eric Kendricks
OLB: Eric Wilson
CB: Mike Hughes
FS: Anthony Harris
SS: Harrison Smith
CB: Jeff Gladney *
Special Teams
K: Dan Bailey
P: Britton Colquitt
An argument could be made that the Vikings are the most talented team in the NFC North. Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook are coming off one of the best years of their careers, but what’s somewhat under the radar is that Gary Kubiak is the third offensive coordinator that Cousins will be under in as many seasons. Kubiak is a master at his zone blocking schemes, which Cook thrives under. It’ll be interesting to see how Cousins adjust to the new offense, especially with a rookie wide receiver in Justin Jefferson that one would imagine would be a big factor in the passing game. Can Jefferson be as reliable as Stefon Diggs was? After a couple of down years, the Vikings moved on from Pro Bowl corner Xavier Rhodes, and drafted his replacement Jeff Gladney in the first round. He joins a secondary that has a solid safety duo in Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris, as well as former first rounder Mike Hughes on the other side. The Vikings have as good of a chance to win the NFC North as anyone.
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