NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Panthers, & Vikings

Bears

• According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, the Bears are considering the idea of moving Kyle Long to tackle next year to take advantage of his athleticism.
• Wright mentions that with the recently additions to the Bears’ defense, they’re now in a position to target the best available player, even if it’s someone on the offensive side of the ball.

Lions

• Michael Rothstein can see the Lions signing a veteran guard such as Rob Sims or Justin Blalock and still adding another offensive lineman in the draft.
• Rothstein mentions that the idea of moving Riley Reiff to right tackle is “gaining momentum.“

Packers

• ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes that if one of the top cornerbacks were available to the Packers at No. 30 overall, you would think GM Ted Thompson would pull the trigger.
• According to Demovsky, it might be a stretch to think DT Khyri Thornton and LB Carl Bradford could be starters for the Packers in 2015, even though they are in need of defensive help.
• Demovsky hasn’t been able to substantiate the report that the Packers may have interest in WR Wes Welker, and instead suggests that Green Bay may have been compiling a list of receivers as fall-back options in case they couldn’t retain Randall Cobb.

Panthers

• David Newton doesn’t expect to see the Panthers draft up in the first round of this year’s draft.
• Newton seems to indicate that the Panthers may no longer have much interest in free agent WR Greg Jennings now that they’ve signed Jarrett Boykin, Ted Ginn Jr. and like Stephen Hill‘s potential. Plus, there’s also a deep draft of receivers.

Vikings

• Ben Goessling believes the Vikings could have interest in veteran G Evan Mathis if he ends up being released by the Eagles in the coming weeks.
• Goessling has heard that the Vikings could be looking to fill their guard opening with a veteran that gets cut, as this wouldn’t impact their compensatory picks in 2016.
• According to Goessling, the Vikings haven’t shown any interest in former Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski.
• Goessling mentions that Michigan State CB Trae Waynes could be a fantastic complement to Xavier Rhodes, due to his size and speed.