NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that Bears GM Ryan Pace is signed through the 2021 season and won’t really face pressure on the hot seat until 2020 if the Bears continue to struggle.
• Biggs says the same is true of HC Matt Nagy, who’s currently signed through the 2022 season. Both Nagy and Pace earned yearly awards for their positions last year, which gives them some leeway for the rocky start to 2019. 
• With only two second-round picks and a fourth-round pick in 2020, Biggs notes the Bears are limited in what they can do to replace QB Mitchell Trubisky if he continues to struggle. 
• Bears CB Sherrick McManis remains in the concussion protocol. (Jeff Dickerson)
• Nagy says the Bears are looking for more from LB Roquan Smith, whose playing time decreased last week shortly removed from the personal issue that caused him to miss a game: “He can definitely play better.” (Dickerson)

Lions

Lions RB Kerryon Johnson landed on injured reserve with a knee injury for the second year in a row this week. This time the second-year runner needed surgery on his right knee after an injury to his left knee knocked him out of the final six games last season, though Johnson can return in Week 16 this year. Johnson came to Detroit with an extended injury history in college as well but HC Matt Patricia didn’t want to answer questions about the former second-round picks long-term durability. 

“We like to just stay in the moment with all of that stuff,” Patrica said via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We’ll see how this goes as far as that’s concerned. We know the running back position is one that is difficult position to stay completely healthy in, certainly from that aspect of it. If you guys remember, we actually talked about this last year about the overall running backs in the NFL and there’s only a few of them that take every single snap during a game, there’s only about a handful. We’re prepared to go running back by committee or whoever’s out there being ready to go.”

• Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes the Lions traded CB Quandre Diggs to the Seahawks because GM Bob Quinn felt it was their last opportunity to recoup assets for him. 
• Meinke points out that the Lions would’ve had a difficult time trading Diggs next year, given his cap number will be $7 million for 2020. 
• By trading Diggs, the Lions cleared around $3.5 million in cap space for next season.  

• The Lions shopped Diggs to the entire NFL in recent days and received little interest back in return, finally settling on a deal to send Diggs and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Seahawks in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round pick. (Birkett)

Vikings

• Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reports that former Vikings DB Isaiah Wharton suffered a concussion that landed him on their injured reserve prior to being waived with a settlement on October 1. According to Tomasson, Wharton has now fully recovered from his concussion. 
• Vikings promoted WR Davion Davis to their active roster. (NFLTR) 
• The Minnesota Vikings officially ruled out WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) for Week 8’s game and list DT Jalyn Holmes (illness) as questionable.