Biggest remaining needs for each NFC North team

With the major parts of free agency and the draft in the books, I decided to take a look at each NFL roster, to see where each team could still use some help. This can be a need for a starter or some more depth at a specific position.

We are starting with all four NFC divisions over the next few days and I will come back with the AFC teams next week.

Chicago Bears – Defensive line depth

It is time to stop ridiculing the Chicago Bears. Offensively, they have a strong running game and a promising young quarterback who they have surrounded with weapons on the outside, plus a creative play-caller. On defense, their young talent might be even more impressive. The starting D-line of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Bullard seems to have a chance to really control games up front, but the Bears don’t have much depth behind them.

With Mitch Unrein down in Tampa Bay now, their next guys up seem to be John Jenkins and Roy Robertson-Harris, with the former having taken the field in only half the games since 2016 and the latter barely cracking a hundred NFL snaps. Taking on those double-teams and plugging up those lanes is exhausting in a 3-4 defense and they will need to rotate those guys through to some degree.

I loved watching Roquan Smith run around like a maniac and light up people for Georgia, but the reason I had him lower than a lot of other people on my draft board is the fact he can not stack blockers whatsoever and big bodies swallow him up in the run game. I cannot put into words how pivotal it will be for the rookie backer to stay clean. It could be the difference between him being Defensive Rookie of the Year and the Bears not being able to stop the run. Therefore, adding beef in front of him will be crucial to building a dominant front-seven up there in the Windy City. This team could surprise some people next year.

Detroit Lions – 3-tech defensive tackle

I’ve been saying this for years now – Matthew Stafford has been shouldering the load for Detroit. He hasn’t had much help from his offensive line for quite some time and definitely not from the defense. The front office has made it a priority to completely rebuild the O-line over the last two offseasons.

While the Lions' D had a hot start to last year, leading the league in turnovers for the first quarter of the season or so, they once again fell off as the year went along, finishing 27th in yards allowed. With Matt Patricia taking over as head coach, expect a hybrid defensive scheme, designed to counter opposing offenses.

A’Shawn Robinson should be a fixture for them for the next few years, as he can play a true nose in a 3-4 as well as a 1-technique in a 4-3. Anthony Zettel will be moved along the defensive front and Ziggy Ansah should ball out, rushing the passer off the edge under the franchise tag.

The one element I simply can’t find on their roster is a penetrating 3-technique. Right now, second-year man Jeremiah Ledbetter seems to be the favorite to earn that spot. Detroit grabbed him in the sixth round last year and he saw limited action in all 16 games, but this is too crucial a spot to rely on him that heavily. They just drafted another Alabama D-lineman in Da’Shawn Hand, but he is more of a tweener between 3-4 and 4-3 defensive end. He can slide inside on sub-packages, but he’s not a refined pass-rusher yet. I need to see more aggressiveness and polish to believe that he is ready to improve on disappointing collegiate production, after being a top-ten recruit out of high school.

Green Bay Packers – Interior O-line depth

First and foremost, Aaron Rodgers is back. Everything else pales in comparison to the All-World QB. Jordy Nelson is gone, but they still have weapons at wide receiver and have added Jimmy Graham at tight end, who will give them another dimension and be a goal-line beast once again.

I also like what they have added at the running back position with Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones in last year’s draft, to make Ty Montgomery more of a receiving threat, who will line up in the slot quite a bit as well. Defensively, they have remade their D-line and secondary in recent years, so we will see how that pans out next season.

Therefore, I want to focus more on the offensive line for this team. Green Bay have an excellent duo of offensive tackles and they have done a good job replacing their interior guys. So the starting front looks more than solid, but I’m concerned with the depth behind it. The Packers selected Washington State’s Cole Madison with the first pick in the fifth round of the draft, who I like as a pass-protecting guard, but outside of him, these are the top three interior guys they could carry on gameday – Day Dillon, Patrick Lucas and Kofi Amichia.

Lucas is the only one to ever start an NFL game, when he was forced into the lineup as a rookie last season. If all five guys stay healthy, they should be able to keep Aaron Rodgers clean, but if one of them goes down with an injury, I’m concerned for the man at the helm for them once again.

Minnesota Vikings – Third-down back

The Vikings had a magical run last season, capped off with the Minneapolis Miracle to beat the Saints in the Divisional Round on a 61-yard catch-and-run by Stefon Diggs. Unfortunately, all that magic went away a week later, when they were blown out 38-7 in Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game.

I believe Minnesota still have the most well-rounded, disciplined defenses in the league. However, they understood that they are not quite there with their offensive attack. That’s why they handed out the league’s first fully guaranteed 84-million dollar contract to free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins. Their offensive line saw a massive improvement last season and they had the premiere wide receiving duo with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, plus a quality tight-end in Kyle Rudolph.

I expect Dalvin Cook to build on last year’s shortened success in the league and have a monster season in his sophomore campaign. However, the Vikings lost Jerrick McKinnon to the 49ers in free agency. I don’t see another back with a pass-catching role on that offense, with Latavius Murray being more of a short-yardage and goal-line option.

Kirk Cousins loved having Chris Thompson alongside him in the backfield on third downs with the Redskins and he was heavily featured in the passing game. McKinnon was on the field for 47 percent of the Vikes’ offensive snaps and he would have definitely had a significant role again. The third veteran halfback they have on their roster is Mack Brown, who has one career reception. The guy who might develop into a pass-catcher out of the backfield is rookie Roc Thomas.

The former top-five RB recruit caught 37 passes for JSU last season, although he didn’t put much effort into his pass pro.