Telltale Sign of Bears Offensive Talent

A telltale sign of how the Bears have drafted offensive players, developed them and executed their attack in recent years is any all-star team, especially one from their division.

A perfect example is the All-NFC North team chosen by the FanNation writers who cover each of the division teams.

The Bears had only two players selected on the offensive side of the ball by the NFC North insiders.

Actually, it was 1 1/2 because one player made it only after a 2-2 voting tie.

The kicker to this all was, well, the kicker. Cairo Santos was the only Bears player with the majority of votes at his position. Santos had three of the four votes and even he wasn't a unanimous selection.

Here's the All-NFC North team selected by John Maakaron of All Lions, Bill Huber of PackerCentral, Will Ragatz of Inside the Vikings and Gene Chamberlain from BearDigest.

All-NFC North Offense

*Unanimous selection

**Tied for roster spot

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Packers*

Rodgers, who has won back-to-back MVPs and four overall, is No. 1 in NFL history with a 4.83 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes (4.08), Russell Wilson (3.36) and Tom Brady (3.07) are the only quarterbacks at 3.00 or better. How dominant is Rodgers in this category? If he were to start this season with 16 interceptions and zero touchdowns, he’d still be ahead of Mahomes.

Running Back: Dalvin Cook, Vikings*

After injuries plagued his first two seasons, Cook has stayed healthy for at least 13 games in each of the last three years and has established himself as one of the NFL's elite running backs. He shines with a combination of vision, burst, agility, and power. Cook should be in line for another big individual season in 2022, perhaps with a larger receiving role in Kevin O'Connell's offense.

Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Vikings*

Mike Zimmer didn't put Jefferson in the starting lineup until Week 3 of his rookie year in 2020. The then-21-year-old broke out with an incredible 175-yard game that day and hasn't looked back since. He leads all players in receiving yards over the last two seasons and is at or near the top in almost every advanced metric among receivers. Jefferson is a true young superstar who is already the face of the Vikings' franchise.

Wide Receiver: Adam Thielen, Vikings

It's been a while since Thielen put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018. He hasn't gotten back to the 1K mark since then, as injuries and age have limited his yardage production. Where he has continued to dominate is in the red zone; Thielen is one of four receivers with 30 receiving TDs since 2019.

Slot Receiver: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions*

The second-year wideout really started to shine during the second half of his rookie season. His reception in the end zone against the Vikings gave Dan Campbell his first career head coaching victory, a memory many will remember for a long period of time. He possesses all of the intangibles the team is looking for in the second year of the Campbell era.

Tight end: T.J. Hockenson, Lions

It is time for Hockenson to live up to the billing this season. Quarterback Jared Goff will be relying upon the team's No. 1 tight end to stay healthy to provide another option in the passing game. New offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should have ample opportunity to unlock the talented tight's potential, as he previously served as the team's tight ends coach.

Tackle: David Bakhtiari, Packers*

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve 2020. Would the Packers have reached the Super Bowl had he been on the field for the NFC title game against Tampa Bay? And would have last season ended differently had Bakhtiari made a successful comeback from the injury? When he last played in 2020, he gave up one sack.

Guard: Elgton Jenkins, Packers*

Jenkins is another member of the Packers’ ACL Club. A Pro Bowl guard in 2020, he slid out to left tackle to replace Bakhtiari last season. In the process, Jenkins solidified his standing as one of the best linemen in the NFL. However, he suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in November. When he’s healthy, he could return to guard or play right tackle.

Center: Frank Ragnow, Lions*

The Lions offensive line unit has received plenty of praise this offseason. It is expected that Ragnow and Co. will gel quickly in order to protect Jared Goff and open massive holes for the speedy D'Andre Swift. Ragnow is a top player at his position, so his presence was missed the 13 games he missed after foot surgery. A healthy Ragnow means the offensive line will meet their potential.

Guard: Cody Whitehair, Bears**

Whitehair is the only Bears lineman who has been in the Pro Bowl, although it was at center in 2018 and not left guard where he now plays. He allows an average of less than three sacks a year and the analytical website Pro Football Focus has graded him as high as an 87.5 but no lower than a 64.9 as a blocker throughout his career.

Guard Jonah Jackson**

He made strides in Year 2, but still allowed 35 pressures. The young offensive lineman only allowed two sacks and improved his overall technique as a pass protector. His skills should greatly benefit the run game, which Dan Campbell wants to keep improving. If Jackson is able to continue his development as a pass protector, he could earn another Pro Bowl nod in 2022.

Tackle: Brian O’Neill, Vikings*

The Vikings haven't had a homegrown offensive lineman like O'Neill in quite some time. He's the definition of steady and reliable at right tackle, almost never allowing sacks and constantly using his athleticism and technique to create holes in the running game. O'Neill made the Pro Bowl last year, making him the first Vikings OL to receive that honor in nearly a decade.

Kicker: Cairo Santos, Bears

Santos set the Bears record for field goal accuracy in 2020 at 93.8% (30 of 32) and in his Bears career is at 89.1%, (57 of 64). He made a run at the NFL record for consecutive field goals of 44 held by Adam Vinatieri, hitting 40 straight before a 2021 miss. He's doing this outdoors, at one of the leagues' worst facilities for kickers. He still needs to show better accuracy beyond 50 yards.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven