The NFC North is unquestionably one of the best divisions in football and may very well end up being the best division in the conference in 2024.
The Detroit Lions were one half of decent football (heck, not even decent; just passable) away from reaching the Super Bowl last winter, the Green Bay Packers are teeming with offensive talent, the Chicago Bears are being hyped to no end and even the Minnesota Vikings are not pushovers.
A whole lot of things happened within the division this offseason, and all of the movement has absolutely made the NFC North that much more intriguing.
Let’s examine the best offseason move by every ballclub within the division.
Chicago Bears: Drafting QB Caleb Williams.
The Bears have done a whole lot over the last several months, but their most impactful move was undoubtedly selecting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft.
Don’t get me wrong: the jury is still out on Williams, and some of the early comparisons (such as likening him to Patrick Mahomes) are a bit outlandish.
However, Chicago has been searching for a franchise quarterback for what seems like forever. The Bears have also never even had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards in a season, which tells you about the historic plight of the team’s situation under center.
Williams has certainly been set up for success in the Windy City, as the Bears have supplied him with ample talent on the offensive side of the ball. They traded for Keenan Allen. They drafted Rome Odunze. They signed D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett in free agency. They also already had DJ Moore and Cole Kmet in tow. So, as you can see, the USC product has not shortage of weapons at his disposal.
While the hype surrounding Chicago has gotten pretty crazy, there is no question the franchise is in a much better position now than it was 12 months ago, and much of that is due to the potential of Williams.
Detroit Lions: Drafting CB Terrion Arnold.
The Lions have been very busy this offseason, and you can argue that the best thing they did was extend two of their own players, handing massive deals to quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
It’s great that Detroit did that, as it shows that the franchise is now serious about winning. But the most important thing the Lions did in terms of addressing their roster to prepare it for a Super Bowl run next season was fix their ailing secondary.
Detroit ranked 27th in the NFL in passing defense in 2023, which was almost certainly the team’s biggest weakness.
As a result, the Lions revamped their secondary in free agency, trading for cornerback Carlton Davis and also signing fellow cornerback Amik Robertson.
But the most prominent move Detroit made to rectify its defensive backfield was selecting University of Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in the first round of the draft.
Arnold could end up becoming the top corner on the squad fairly quickly and is coming off of a spectacular final season at Alabama in which he racked up five interceptions and 12 passes defended. He also posted 6.5 tackles for loss, an incredible number for a cornerback.
Green Bay Packers: Signing S Xavier McKinney.
This was a toss-up between Xavier McKinney and drafting offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, but McKinney wins out.
The Packers needed a safety after losing three of them to free agency this offseason, as Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford all departed (Ford remains unsigned).
Well, not only did Green Bay get a safety, but it acquired the best one on the market. Heck, McKinney is one of the best safeties in the league, period.
The 25-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the New York Giants and racked up 116 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defended this past season. He excels in every area a safety should, and he will help solidify a Packers secondary that also includes an elite cornerback (when he wants to be) in Jaire Alexander.
Green Bay’s passing defense ranked ninth in the NFL in 2023, so it was already solid as is. Of course, that was before the club’s mass exodus of safeties, but adding McKinney definitely softened that blow.
Minnesota Vikings: Extending WR Justin Jefferson.
You can argue that the most significant move the Vikings made this offseason was selecting J.J. McCarthy to be their next franchise quarterback, but you would be wrong.
Yes, McCarthy was obviously huge given that Minnesota watched Kirk Cousins walk in free agency, but reaching a long-term deal with Justin Jefferson is what is going to make life for McCarthy easy.
The Vikings made Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history by handing him $35 million annually over four years, keeping him happy and ensuring that McCarthy will be throwing to arguably the best wide receiver in football for the foreseeable future.
If Minnesota would have failed to strike a pact with Jefferson, it would have put an insane amount of pressure on McCarthy moving forward. Jefferson either would have been dealt or would have walked in free agency next offseason, leaving a very raw McCarthy out in the cold.
Instead, the Vikings extended their superstar pass-catcher, providing McCarthy with one heck of a safety net in the early stages of his career.
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