NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs believes Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky really was injured Sunday night and not pulled for poor play as some have speculated. 
• Biggs foresees the Bears not being able to give LB Danny Trevathan the contract he wants this offseason, meaning he’ll likely sign elsewhere. 
• While the Bears liked Titans QB Marcus Mariota as a prospect and his former coach Mark Helfrich is an offensive assistant in Chicago, Biggs says there’s little chance Mariota signs with the team this offseason, as both he and Trubisky are represented by the same agency. 
• The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain mentions Bears WR Allen Robinson as a potential extension candidate, given 2020 will be the last year of his deal, he’ll be just 26 and Chicago can create more cap space. 
• Fishbain identifies Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski and S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as strong candidates for Chicago to re-sign this offseason. 
• Meanwhile, Bears CB Prince Amukamara, WR Taylor Gabriel, WR Cordarrelle Patterson and K Eddy Pineiro have the rest of the season to make their case to stay in 2020. 
• Bears HC Matt Nagy said the team would evaluate Trubisky this week in practice to determine if he’s healthy. If he’s healthy, he would start: “We need to see where he’s at. We need to see where this offense is at … We want him to be out there at practice and we want him to be out there this weekend as the starter.” (Fishbain)
• Nagy added he’s seen improvement from Trubisky the past few weeks: “He has without a doubt gotten better at the quarterback position.” (Fishbain)
• Trubisky told reporters he’s already feeling much healthier a few days removed from his hip pointer injury Sunday: “I feel good. (I feel) a lot better. Night and day, almost.” (Rich Campbell)
• Trubisky was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. (Campbell)

Lions

Lions QB Matthew Stafford has consistently played through injuries that would have sidelined many other passers. However, his latest broken back injury has kept Stafford out for the past two games and potentially more. While Stafford is likely pressing to come back in, former Lions WR Herman Moore said the team should save him from himself and go ahead and shut him down for the year. 

“I would look at it and say, ‘What is there to gain?‘” Moore said via Brandon Folsom of the Port Huron Times Herald. “If this team was postseason bound, which it looks very bleak right now, I would try to bring Stafford back. But I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.”

• Even though Lions TE Jesse James has only eight catches and is rated by Pro Football Focus as a bottom-ten blocking tight end after signing a big deal in free agency, OC Darrell Bevell said he’s happy with the production he’s getting at tight end: “We’re using them and we’re moving them around. There are a lot of things that tight ends do that really don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet. We love all three of those guys, we love what they’re doing.” (Matt Schoch)

Packers

• The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia lists Packers LB Blake Martinez on his top-50 potentially available free agents in 2020.

Vikings

• The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia lists Vikings CB Trae Waynes on his top-50 potentially available free agents in 2020.