The NFC North Round-Up: Injuries, Trade Targets, and Justin Fields
Josh Frey
|
The preseason is officially over, so it’s time for a recap of the final week of exhibition games around the NFC North division. Here are all the biggest headlines from each of the teams as we head into the down-week before Week 1 begins.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1084087″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%20Can%20QB%20Joe%20Flacco%20possibly%20retain%20the%20starting%20gig%20over%20Zach%20Wilson%20″ duration=”76″ description=”Ian of JetsCentral joins Carolyn Manno to discuss all things New York Jets. Detailing the injuries plaguing the team during the preseason, whether veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has a chance to retain the starting gig, forecasting Coach Saleh’s future with the team, discussing whether star rookie Sauce Gardner is set to start, plus much more! ” uploaddate=”2022-08-25″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/1083721_sd_1661469739.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1083721/1083721.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Justin Fields Saves His Best for Last
Justin Fields’ preseason has been a bit of a rocky road to this point, but he gave Bears fans hope heading into the regular season. In the first half against the Cleveland Browns, he looked like the player Chicago was hoping for when they traded up in the 2021 draft to snatch him at No. 11 overall. He completed 14 out of 16 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. That was all the scoring Chicago mustered in the game, but it was enough to close their preseason schedule with a win, 21-20. The Bears might not be very good, but maybe they can be frisky in 2022.
Could the Lions Be Good?
There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Detroit Lions right now; a team that went 3-13-1 in 2021 and just had the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s the second year of the Dan Campbell coaching era, and many sportsbooks are looking at a big jump for this team. Looking at BetOnline, the Lions over/under is set at 6.5 wins, and they are favored to go over that total.
Not only that, but looking at the odds, the book believes the Lions are more than twice as likely to win 10-14 games (+260) as they are to have another season between 0-4 wins (+575). It’s certainly not unfathomable for them to win somewhere between 6-8 games but jumping from three wins to 10 would be an incredible leap in one year’s time.
Re-Opening Trade Discussions in Green Bay
When Davante Adams was on the trading block for Green Bay, one of the players that was rumored to be in a hypothetical return package was TE Darren Waller. Instead, the Packers got lucrative draft capital from the Raiders for their All-Pro receiver, but in recent days, the Waller trade rumors have re-emerged.
Waller recently fired his agent, and there is a belief that this is partly because of the lack of a new contract from the Raiders. Waller is also rumored to be signing with Drew Rosenhaus, who recently helped get a deal done to send Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. The Packers have a glaring lack of proven pass catchers in their locker room right now, and Waller would be an instant fix to help guarantee another NFC North title.
Bisi Johnson Out for the Year Again
Bisi Johnson has looked like the Vikings WR5 for the entirety of the preseason, but for the second year in a row, Johnson has torn his ACL and will miss the season. This creates a new roster spot at the wide receiver position for Minnesota, and it will be interesting to see who survives the chopping block when tomorrow’s deadline rolls around.
