NFC North Roundtable: Biggest Remaining Question for Lions
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The ninth in a series of articles from NFC North FanNation team reporters explores the biggest remaining question for each NFC North squad in 2022.
Can the Bears keep Justin Fields upright?
If a veteran line allowed 58 sacks last year, how many times can Justin Fields expect to be thrown to the ground this year?
The Bears enter training camp with three tackles for two spots which have started 10 total NFL games. For instance, former center Sam Mustipher hasn't played at right guard in his life other than during OTAs and minicamp.
This offensive line is an "Abbott and Costello" routine for football: Who's at tackle, who's at guard?
Could rookie Braxton Jones start at left tackle? Will the Bears move Mustipher back to center and start center Lucas Patrick at right guard, one of the positions he played with Green Bay?
Larry Borom started eight games at right tackle last year, but lined up at left tackle through the offseason, until Jones played left tackle to close OTAs and minicamp.
And, Teven Jenkins was supposed to be a starter, as the Bears' second-round pick last year, but he could be on the bench if Jones and Borom man the tackle positions. Then again, they could also move Jenkins to guard. They did have Dakota Dozier playing guard, but he suffered a knee injury at minicamp and is on IR.
A starting offensive line needs to be established as soon as possible to let them build a cohesive unit. The Bears have four undetermined positions.
Subsequently, Fields' mobility promises to be tested.
Can the defensive line drastically improve?
The Detroit Lions' defensive line has struggled mightily over the past couple of seasons pressuring the quarterback. Simply put, opposing offenses have had their way with Detroit's defense for far too long.
Detroit's sack totals and pressure rates have been nothing to write home about, as Detroit's defense has ranked in the the bottom tier of the league in a lot of categories.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and the front office have made a concerted effort to revamp the defensive line, drafting young players which possess a strong motor and are positive fits in the locker room.
Charles Harris had a career season in 2021, and will be looking to build off the success he experienced his first season in Motown.
Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK
How fast rookies Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal adapt to life in the NFL will go a long way in determining how successful the defensive line can be.
The coaching staff is counting on veteran Romeo Okwara returning from a serious injury, along with the development of second-year players Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill.
If the switch to more of a 4-3 base look can produce more pressure, the secondary can also benefit and take steps forward, as the roster is still quite young on defense. The biggest question mark still revolves around who will step up along the defensive line and rack up sacks.
Who’s going to get open?
Aaron Rodgers is coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, thanks in part to All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. Over the last six seasons, no receiver in the NFL has caught more passes, piled up more yards or scored more touchdowns than Adams. With his talent and incredible connection with Rodgers, the duo was unstoppable.
The problem is the Packers didn’t add any significant assets to their receiver corps until it was too late.
In five drafts from 2016-20, the Packers drafted six receivers. The earliest was J’Mon Moore, with a compensatory pick at the end of the fourth round. None of those six are even on the roster today.
With the offseason trade of Adams, the Packers signed veteran Sammy Watkins, whose lone 1,000-yard season came back in 2015, and drafted Christian Watson in the second round, Romeo Doubs in the fourth round and Samori Toure in the seventh round.
Those four, along with veterans Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and 2021 third-round slot receiver Amari Rodgers, will battle for their place on the depth chart in training camp.
Ultimately, the entire season will boil down to this question: Who will get open?
Rodgers is a great quarterback, and Matt LaFleur has a great scheme. But, at some pivotal moment, in a hugely important game, somebody is going to have to win their route and make a play.
Will that be Lazard? Watkins? One of the rookies? Or will GM Brian Gutekunst have to go shopping?
Will the offensive line and secondary be good enough?
I'm making this a two-part answer because, well, why not? As currently constructed, the Vikings have one key area on each side of the ball that's a relative unknown heading into the season.
As is the case seemingly every year, the offensive line is a potential weakness that could hold back an otherwise talented attack.
The Vikings have a solid veteran quarterback, elite weapons at the skill positions and a young, offensive-minded head coach who appears to have a bright future. In order for all of those people to thrive, the line needs to provide adequate pass protection and strong run-blocking.
Minnesota's tackle situation is actually quite promising, with young building blocks Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill. But, it's the interior trio that remains a concern, particularly center Garrett Bradbury.
Defensively, the front seven looks stout. But, this is a passing-driven league, so the Vikings' secondary might make or break the team's defensive performance as a whole. It's a unit relying on two of the oldest players on the roster -- possible Hall of Famers Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson -- to play at a high level.
In addition to those two, the Vikings will be counting on three of the youngest players on the roster, including two rookies, to provide quality play. That mixture of post-and pre-prime talent could work well, or it could be a bit of a mess.
