Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles didn’t rule out adding to the team’s defensive line room but seemed like he was comfortable with the roster as a whole.

“We’re going to investigate any opportunities to get better,” Poles said, via Bears Wire. “But at the end of the day, we got to make sure we know our team. So we’ll evaluate on a daily basis and see what we need to do. We can cross that bridge if we ever need to go across it, but we’re looking for competition, guys coming to compete and really fall into the role to help us win football games.”

• Bears CB Kyler Gordon will miss his eighth practice on Thursday due to a calf injury, and HC Ben Johnson had no update. (Brad Biggs)
• Johnson doesn’t think they need to move RT Darnell Wright to the left side despite making him the highest-paid right tackle in league history: “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. I think pass rushers are equally good on both sides these days. I don’t subscribe to that viewpoint necessarily (that you need your best tackle playing at LT). I think he does a really good job on the right side. He’s very comfortable over there, and we’ll continue to find that left tackle that helps complement our offense and does great things. I go back to: what do we look for first and foremost in our tackles? They need to be able to block a defensive end one-on-one on a consistent basis. That’s the starting point, and then everything else is really gravy on top of that.” (Courtney Cronin)
• Bears OT Braxton Jones has taken first-team reps at left tackle during practice this week, and Johnson hopes to have clarity by the middle of next week. For now, Johnson said they still will rotate Jedrick Wills, Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet in: “This is not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. We’re going to continue to cycle guys through.” (Cronin)
• Per Biggs, the initial thought is Jones avoided a significant injury at practice. Biggs says Jones will need to be checked out more but it sounds positive after he left the one-on-one pass drill with an injury. 

Lions

The Lions took CB Ennis Rakestraw in the second round two years ago with visions of him becoming a long-term starter. Instead, he’s played eight games in two seasons with injuries the major limiting factor. He has an opportunity again with a void in Detroit’s secondary following the release of CB Terrion Arnold, Rakestraw’s draft classmate taken the round before him. He just has to grab it. 

“I’ll say with (Rakestraw), the talent was always there. As far as getting his body ready to take on and endure what he’s about to have to endure this year, again, the stretch of 21, 22 weeks,” Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard said via Tim Twentyman of the team site.

“And then mentally — that’s where I think you guys are going to see him take the biggest jump. Understanding, recognizing formations, what do we need him to do on this call?” Sheppard added. “Not just going out thinking, ‘I got this guy. I got my man.’ No, learn to play with leverage. Understand where the safety is at. Understand where your help is. That’s where I’ve seen the biggest jump. We’re in it, so far as we’ve started off in camp.”

• The Detroit Lions announced that they have named Richard Haddad their new Team President and CEO.

Packers

There was some speculation about the Packers moving on from HC Matt LaFleur this offseason, but he wound up signing a contract extension. Green Bay CEO Ed Policy explained their decision, saying they felt continuity is most important for players like QB Jordan Love. 

“We had 10 head coach openings throughout the league this past offseason, and that caused a tremendous amount of chaos in a lot of organizations,” Policy said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “I believe that players — especially quarterbacks and championship-caliber teams — develop best in an environment of continuity, not chaos.”

• Per Gutekunst, they need to wait a certain period of time before re-evaluating TE Luke Musgrave‘s neck injury, and there are no updates yet. (Weston Hodkiewicz)
• Gutekunst had high praise for second-year OL John Williams: “What he’s done so far in a week is pretty impressive.” (Matt Schneidman)
• Regarding LB Zaire Franklin, Gutekunst likes how well he’s taken to the middle linebacker spot and thinks he still has burst at 30 years old: “He’s really decisive. His instincts are very good. He reacts really well, he’s a downfield player, he plays with an edge.” (Ryan Wood)
• Gutekunst was asked if he’s open to keeping WR Skyy Moore on the 53-man roster even if his main role is as a return man, and he believes he has value on offense as well: “I expect him to be part of our squad moving forward.” (Wood)
• LaFleur said S Carrington Valentine won’t practice this week: “Not long term but I’m not gonna give you a timeline when he’ll be back. It’s a shame because he was playing really good football.” (Hodkiewicz)

Vikings

The Vikings are still in the process of deciding their starting quarterback between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. Dan Graziano of ESPN cites an anonymous NFC front office executive who thinks Minnesota’s best-case scenario is for McCarthy to win the job because he’s under contract for up to two more years. 

“You could make the case that the best thing for the Vikings would be if J.J. beat out Kyler in training camp,” the executive said.

Another NFC executive isn’t sure how McCarthy can redeem himself after last season. 

“Kyler isn’t perfect, but I don’t know how you get past what [McCarthy] did last year,” the executive said. “The players in that locker room know Kyler has done some things in the NFL, and they’ll respect that.”

• Vikings president Mark Wilf is happy with the early returns of the relationship between HC Kevin O’Connell and new GM Nolan Teasley. Wilf said “patience isn’t infinite” but expressed full support for the duo. (Kevin Seifert)