The NFC North was a mess last year, the Packers won the division at 8-7-1 after losing Aaron Rodgers for a big chunk of the season. The Lions choked their chance to bringing home the division championship on the Packers down year. The Bears also had a tough time as they were struck with the injury bug losing three key guys for big chunks of the season. Finally the last place Vikings needed a lot of help this year as they couldn’t find a starter at the most important position on the field, quarterback. All these teams needed to add guys in free agency to get their teams back to playoff caliber standards.
Chicago Bears
Key Acquisitions
Lamarr Houston, Defensive End
Ryan Mundy, Saftey
M.D. Jennings, Saftey
Key Losses
Julius Peppers, Defensive End
Josh McCown, Quarterback
The Bears were a good team last year but they had a tough time fighting injuries. They lost Jay Cutler and defensive leaders Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs for big chunks of the season. The teams main concern this offseason should definitely be acquiring pass rushers.
Last year the team struggled to get to the quarterback with Peppers being their top player with just seven and a half sacks. They made great move in getting Houston but I was hoping that they could pair him with Peppers. Unfortunately Peppers will be heading to Green Bay and now I think the Bears will still need to look for another pass rusher in the draft. They added Willie Young but with only three sacks last year I’m not sure if he’d be the pass rusher they need.
All in all they did a good job signing guy especially Mundy and Jennings who are two starting caliber safeties. They still have the option to bring back Major Wright which would be great for competition and depth at the position.
Detroit Lions
Key Acquisitions
Golden Tate, Reciever
Jed Collins, Full Back
Key Losses
Willie Young, Defensive End
The Lions haven’t been very active this offseason but I do like the couple moves they’ve made so far. Bringing in Tate was a great move since the team was without a legit number two receiver when Nate Burleson was injured last year. Tate is an underrated receiver in this league and he will no doubt help the Lions offense. Last year Reggie Bush was the team's second leading receiver for the Lions so the team was definitely in need of another receiver to take some attention off Johnson.
The also added Collins who’s been a good player for the New Orleans Saints in the past. The addition of a fullback should help Bush become more effective in the running game. The Lions haven’t used a fullback for a couple years so the added blocker should help a lot.
The team lost Young a who’s a good player but they should have no problem replacing his production whether through free agency or the draft.
Green Bay Packers
Key Acquisitions
Julius Peppers, Defensive End
Key Losses
James Jones, Receiver
Evan Dietrich-Smith, Center
M.D. Jennings, Saftey
The Packers limped to a division championship last year but with a quick exit from the playoffs the team looks to defend their division championship and go deeper in the playoffs. So far the teams big acquisition has been Peppers who was the top sack leader for the division rival Chicago Bears. Peppers might not be the franchise cornerstone that he used to be but he is still a good player and should become a factor on the Green Bay defense.
What may hurt the Packers is the loss of their starting center Dietrich-Smith and one of Rodgers’ key targets James Jones to the Buccaneers and Raiders. Jones and Dietrich-Smith were key parts to the Green Bay offense and with Jermichael Finley still unsigned the team may lose two of their top targets. Their passing game is key to this teams success so this would cause concerns if they can’t resign Finley or bring in someone else.
Minnesota Vikings
Key Acquisitions
Linval Joseph, Defensive Tackle
Captain Munnerlyn, Cornerback
Key Losses
Toby Gerhart, Running Back
The Vikings had a tough time last year as they finished last in the division and suffered more injuries than the previous teams. In one game they were even under the limit for active players on game day. They also had a lot of trouble at the quarterback position as they started three different quarterbacks last season, none of which doing a really good job.
The team did have two really good pick ups that will help them in the long run and next year. Joseph is a good young defensive lineman that has played well the last couple years for the New York Giants. After signing a five year deal he can turn into one of their top guys on the defensive line. Munnerlyn another young guy coming off a good season with last years top defense will be a great addition to the defense.
The Vikings main concern should be finding their franchise quarterback this offseason. Last year the team went out and signed Josh Freeman in the hopes that he would be the long term but that doesn’t seem to be so. They have decided to bring back Matt Cassel but he can’t be the long term fix since he didn’t do much better than the other two guys. Star runningback Adrian Peterson has come out and said he would like the team to bring in Michael Vick and I actually agree with him. Even if they decide to bring in Vick, if they want to be successful long term they need to bring in a quarterback so they aren’t so run dependent.