NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• The Athletic’s Dan Pompei surveyed three scouts, and all of them had major questions about the Bears in 2022. One said he couldn’t figure out what the team’s identity was: “I don’t know what they are hanging their hat on.”
• 2021 first-round QB Justin Fields is the Bears’ most important player but the three scouts had major questions about his supporting cast and their impact on the young quarterback: “They have a lesser supporting cast around him, and with a lesser supporting cast, you need a quarterback who will elevate them. I don’t think Fields is quite ready for that. Fields needs to be protected and he needs a run game. He will not operate efficiently on schedule, but he will make plays off schedule.”
• The group generally saw the Bears’ running backs, led by David Montgomery who is entering a contract year, as solid but unspectacular: “He gets the yards that are blocked. As far as creating plays or forcing an extra defender in the box, I don’t see that.”
• Bears WR Darnell Mooney also garnered a lot of praise but none of the scouts thought Chicago had put an NFL-level receiving corps around him: “Their lack of other options might allow defenses to cloud cover, bracket and take him away. The weapons outside of Mooney are at or below average.”
• One scout thought third-round WR Velus Jones could develop into something down the road but asking him to be an impact player as a rookie might be too much: “You can feel his speed. He could end up being a good pick, but he’s really raw.”
• The same was true of fifth-round OT Braxton Jones who looks like he’ll open the season as the starting left tackle:“At the very least he will get a baptism by fire. But if Fields is a franchise quarterback and that’s my team, I’m not sleeping well at night.”
• The Bears signed veteran OT Riley Reiff and handed him a fair amount of money for how late in the offseason he was available, but he still doesn’t look like he’s starting, which perplexed the scouts: “I’m still trying to figure out what they were doing with that. His locker-room ability is better than his on-field at this point. Maybe they are paying for the culture.”
• They also called 2021 second-round OL Teven Jenkins “a total wildcard” and weren’t fans of the decision to claim OL Alex Leatherwood and his remaining $5.9 million in guarantees: “By taking that contract, they did the Raiders a solid. He’s really struggled.”
• One of the few positions the Bears are above average at is edge rusher, per the scouts, with DE Robert Quinn the main reason. One also says DE Trevis Gipson is a much better scheme fit with new HC Matt Eberflus.
• All three also agreed LB Roquan Smith is the Bears’ best player, but they also understood why Chicago was hesitant to give him $20 million a year: “Your best player is a stack linebacker, and he doesn’t have the opportunity to impact the game like players at other positions. It’s hard to make an impact at that position. By definition, his job is to make tackles 3 yards down the field.”
• The Bears have another potential building block in CB Jaylon Johnson: “He’s an upper-level starter in the league. They have traveled Johnson in the past, and he can handle that.”
• Chicago will be relying a lot on second-round CB Kyler Gordon and S Jaquan Brisker, and the scouts noted that while the two look talented, it’s hard to transition to the NFL in the secondary. They might have to rely on CBs Lamar Jackson and Kindle Vildor, which the scouts found worrisome: “[Vildor] was abused outside last year.”

Lions

Lions HC Dan Campbell said they are still determining who will start at right guard following Halapoulivaati Vaitai being placed on the injured reserve. 

“If I’m being honest, it’s up in the air right now,” Campbell said, via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “I don’t think I’m swayed one way or another. I think we’re going to give it a go with a few different guys and what feels right is where we’ll go.”

Campbell praised OL Tommy Kraemer for his development throughout the offseason and thinks he’s “pretty dependable.” 

“What I like about Tommy is you know exactly what you’re going to get,” Campbell said. “We know exactly who the player is, what he is. He’s a consistent player, and he grew through the spring and through training camp. So he makes the most of what he has, he’s pretty dependable and he’s smart.”

Kraemer said he is excited about the opportunity to start. 

“No doubt, it’s everything,” Kraemer said. “I’ve been practicing and playing all camp for this opportunity, so if I get it on Sunday, I’m going to make the best of it and show what I got.”

• Lions OL Logan Stenberg went on injured reserve last year to repair a torn MCL. Stenberg had surgery in early November and was back at full strength by March. (Justin Rogers)

Packers

• Packers OL Elgton Jenkins didn’t commit to playing in the team’s opener, adding that he’s still recovering from his pectoral and knee injury: “I want to play. But I think it takes time.” (Tom Silverstein)
• Packers WR Sammy Watkins is ready to take over the team’s number one wide receiver role if WR Allen Lazard is still hindered by his ankle: “I’ve never been this sharp. Just to be this sharp, it feels good to go out there and play freely and play fast.” (Rob Demovsky)

Vikings

The arrival of new HC Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota brought up questions about Vikings FB C.J. Ham‘s role. The Rams, O’Connell’s former team, didn’t use a fullback at all in 2021 while the Vikings were fifth in two-back usage. So far this preseason, the Vikings have had a fullback on the field for just three snaps. But O’Connell says that’s because they’re trying to keep secret their big plans to use Ham during the regular season. 

“I think what I like to do offensively absolutely fits with having a player like that for, really, two reasons,” said O’Connell via the Athletic’s Arif Hasan. “C.J. can handle a lot. He’s really able to take much more on his plate than the traditional fullback: A.) Because he mentally can handle it, but then B.) he’s a dynamic player. To have the strength he has in the run game, the understanding to be able to do some unique run-game concepts with him and then ultimately use him as a weapon in the pass game.”