This offseason, there have been few teams who have improved as much as the Chicago Bears.
It all starts and ends with the addition of no. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, but general manager Ryan Poles has done a phenomenal job filling out this roster around the quarterback. No rookie passer has ever come into such a good situation.
The rest of the NFC North may have improved in significant areas, too, but not every team did all that they could in order to compete at the highest level. There were some misses, for sure.
Which moves, or lack of moves from all three rivals, were the biggest misses that the Bears can take advantage of?
If you ask a die-hard Vikings fan what area they're most concerned about going into the summer and eventually, the regular season, they'd probably tell you the left guard. Currently, Blake Brandel is slotted to start. But, the inexperience and, quite frankly, lack of consistency, is worrying for Minnesota fans.
The highest number of snaps Brandel has played in a season came in 2022 when he played 273 snaps, appearing in nine games with three starts. To make it simple, he was given an overall grade of just 55.3 via Pro Football Focus.
Minnesota has seemingly always had questions on the offensive line. It's been a while since we've seen consistency there. And, for the Bears, that's a good thing. Chicago has had a tough time coming up with sacks in recent seasons and can use all the help they can get.
Green Bay failed to add significant talent at cornerback
The Packers have one of the best corners in the game, when healthy, in Jaire Alexander. He's that type you hate to go up against but love having on your team; a real Joakim Noah type of personality, for the Chicago Bulls fans out there.
However, other than Alexander, the Packers don't have a sure thing on the opposite side. They are currently banking on 2021 first-round pick, Eric Stokes, to fill that second starting role. The problem with Stokes, though, is that he has only appeared in 12 games over the last two seasons (three in 2023 and nine in 2022).
As a rookie, Stokes was real good, coming up with 14 pass breakups and allowing an opposing passer rating of 71.3. But, injuries have hampered the last couple years of his career. Behind Stokes is 2022 seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine, who was average at best in 2023.
If you ask a Packer fan, they'll honestly tell you that cornerback is a worrisome area. Even Alexander only played in seven games last year, so there are plenty of things to be concerned about.
The Bears, meanwhile, will have an improved passing attack behind Caleb Williams and all of the weapons at his disposal.
The Lions did not successfully replace Josh Reynolds
It might seem silly to talk about Josh Reynolds as a key part of this Lions offense, but he certainly was last year. Reynolds was the third option behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.
Last season, Reynolds caught 40 passes for 608 yards and five scores. His chemistry with Jared Goff was something the veteran quarterback relied on throughout the season, especially on key downs. 32 of his 40 receptions went for first downs last year.
Reynolds was allowed to leave via free agency and wound up signing with the Denver Broncos, but Detroit did not replace him. Instead, they're going to bank on 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams to finally come through and get up to speed. In two seasons, Williams has caught 25 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns.
Williams has missed extensive time in his first two years, both due to injury and a suspension for violating the league's gambling policy. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has even publicly stated his wish for Williams to have caught onto things quicker, in the past, so the Lions are truly counting heavily on somewhat of a mystery at this point.
