Following a year where three of the four teams in the NFC North made the playoffs, the division has once again reshaped itself this offseason. We’ll dive into some of the moves made, and more moves that need to be made before Week 1.
The home stretch of the offseason before the start of training camp is approaching quickly. All 32 teams around the league will wrap up their mandatory minicamps within the next two weeks before taking a break for a little over a month. This period allows NFL front offices to reassess their rosters and make corrections before the start of training camp.
For teams like the Chicago Bears, their first-year coaching staff has had access to the roster for the better part of two months. This allows them to better understand their existing players, new additions, and any potential holes they’d like to address heading into training camp. The other three teams within the division are returning the bulk of their coaches, which should help give a clearer vision of what they have moving into the preseason. At this time of year, rosters are in constant flux, but most of their key needs have been addressed. We’ll examine each team’s most improved position and forecast which spot could be addressed in the coming weeks.
Chicago Bears
Outside of the New England Patriots, the Bears have the most active offseason among all 32 teams in the league. It began during the hiring of a new coaching staff, which heavily carried over into free agency and ultimately the draft. When all was said and done, the Bears had six new starters and the potential for another three, depending on how training camp and the preseason play out. Unlike past offseasons, the team didn’t shift its entire focus to one side of the ball. The offense received more of the considerable resources, but that didn’t stop General Manager Ryan Poles from also giving the defense some new pieces.
Most Improved Position: Offensive Line
Shortly after hiring Ben Johnson, the new head coach made it clear that the offensive line would be a priority. His comments at the combine about adding multiple new starters in free agency came to fruition a week later when they traded for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. Five days later, they struck early in free agency to sign center Drew Dalman. The fun didn’t stop there, though. Despite striking out in the first round of the Top 3 tackles, the team took tackle Ozzy Trapilo with the second pick in the second round. There’s a real potential for four new Week 1 starters, pending the health of incumbent starting left tackle Braxton Jones. No matter what shakes out at left tackle, this should be a vastly improved group, and having one of the league’s best offensive line coaches, Dan Roushar, only helps that cause.
Most significant Remaining Need: Edge Rusher/Running Back
Looking around the league, you’ll never find a roster that is truly complete. Even teams like the Kansas City Chiefs always have questions at one spot or another. That said, a rotational edge rusher and proven depth at running back stick out as the Bears’ most significant remaining needs. Most expected them to address both positions in the draft in the early rounds, but the board simply didn’t play out that way. Fans shouldn’t rule out veteran additions at either position. Poles has been known to strike late when he feels like he must acquire additional pieces to the roster.
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Despite the Lions finishing with the league’s best regular season record (15-2), their disappointing one-and-done playoff appearance was just the beginning of many changes during the offseason. They lost both coordinators to head coaching jobs, as well as some assistants who followed Aaron Glenn and Johnson. After reloading the coaching staff with veterans, they focused on free agency and the draft. They opted to get younger on the offensive line, replacing Carlton Davis with D.J. Reed, and drafted two exciting players: defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and receiver Isaac TeSlaa. This is still one of the better rosters in the league, but they failed to address the defensive end position, which could be problematic with an injury or two.
Most Improved Position: Defensive Tackle
The combination of Aleim McNeill and D.J. Reeder helped the Lions’ defense cope with the loss of Aiden Hutchinson last year. This offseason, they spent a first-round pick on Williams, adding an under-the-radar move with Roy Lopez. Coupled with former third-round pick Broderick Martin, this spot is legitimately five deep. Considering the concerns on the edge, this was a needed approach.
Most significant Remaining Need: Edge Rusher
Aidan Hutchinson is coming off an ACL tear in the middle of last year. All signs point to him being healthy for the start of 2025, but depth is a huge issue. They re-signed Marcus Davenport (who has played in only six games over two seasons) and Al-Quadin Muhammad, but neither player profiles as a suitable DE2 for a contending team. Don’t be surprised to see a late free agent addition. Those options include Za’Darius Smith, Jadeveon Clowney, and Matthew Judon.
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Heading into last season, many believed the Packers could be the favorite for the division. They entered 2024 with the youngest roster in the league, featuring numerous budding talents expected to make a significant impact. Ultimately, they finished 11-6, rode through an early bout of adversity, and made the playoffs. Diving deeper into their season, it had many inconsistencies and a less-than-ideal finish. Part of their third-place finish was aided by a strong division ahead of them, but the offense didn’t take the necessary steps forward. That led them to an offensive-focused offseason, which saw multiple new additions and the hope that they can take the next step in 2025.
Most Improved Position: Wide Receiver
As a whole, this was a group that disappointed in 2024. Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson haven’t lived up to expectations, with the latter suffering a torn ACL in Week 18 of the season. Jayden Reed took a slight step back, and none of their “surprise” contributors from 2023 did much. This led Green Bay to take a receiver in the first round for the first time since the 1990s. Matthew Golden was the pick in Round 1, but they double-dipped with Savion Williams out of TCU in Round 3. Reed has already been assured a significant role this season, but there are plenty of questions about Dobbs’ long-term future. Speed was a key focus for the Packers’ offense, and they effectively addressed this need with both of their draft picks.
Most significant Remaining Need: Cornerback
Despite adding Nate Hobbs on a three-year deal in free agency, this group’s ceiling relies on what the team decides to do with Jaire Alexander. Most writers covering the team expected the Packers to use an early-round pick at the position, but they waited until the seventh round to add to the depth chart. We’ll see how things pan out with Alexander’s future, but his availability has been an issue in three of the last four years, as he has played in just 14 total games since 2023. Keisean Nixon is an elite returner and an OK corner who is undersized. At best, depth is a big concern, but multiple questions with this group need to be resolved.
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The biggest move of the Vikings’ offseason came when they opted not to franchise-tag Sam Darnold, who ultimately signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks in early March. Offensive guru (and head coach) Kevin O’Connell quickly committed to last year’s No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy, despite missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury. Instead, Minnesota chose to spend the vast majority of its offseason resources in the trenches. There’s always a level of unknown when it comes to starting an inexperienced quarterback, which is why their approach made so much sense. If they can win at the line of scrimmage, it should help them compensate in other areas. Although they won 14 games last season, it’ll be hard to follow that up with a better season.
Most Improved Position: Defensive Tackle
The Vikings wasted little time in free agency, adding to the defensive line by signing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. They took a similar approach to edge rusher last year, adding Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkle, and drafting Dallas Turner in the first round. On paper, this is one of the more lethal groups in all of football, but they’ll be relying on Allen and Hargrave to regain their past form. On paper, it’s hard not to love these moves. If it works out, defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have a field day deploying different pass-rushing packages against opposing defenses.
Most significant Remaining Need: Cornerback
On paper, Minnesota doesn’t have many needs. Offensively, they have a great one-two punch at receiver, a Top 10 tight end, a vastly improved offensive line, and a promising young quarterback. Defensively, the trenches are taken care of. Linebacker doesn’t have a ton of upside, but it’s a quality group. Despite re-signing Byron Murphy, Cornerback stands out as the “weakest” spot on their roster. The addition of Isaiah Rodgers should help, but Mekhi Blackmon is coming off a season-ending injury, and the depth behind those names isn’t very proven with Ambry Thomas and Jeff Okudah. Flores should be able to scheme around this group, but another free agent addition could make sense.