NFC North Round-Up: Free Agency Grades for All 4 Teams
Josh Frey
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The biggest wave of NFL free agency has now come and gone with a number of the biggest names finding new teams. Each of the NFC North teams made new signings during the initial waves of free agency, and today, we are going to go through all 4 teams and give them free agency grades.
Chicago Bears: B+
The Chicago Bears went into this offseason with the most cap space in the NFL, and boy, did they use it. They handed out four contracts with a total value of over $15 million, and most notable among those was LB Tremaine Edmunds’ 4-year/$72 million deal.
Chicago’s defense was one of the most inexperienced groups in the league last season with multiple rookies taking on large roles. Because of that, it’s hard to knock them for any of the moves they made. That being said, they may have spent a little too much time focusing on the linebacker spot when other positions had needs. The only direction for the Bears is up, though.
Detroit Lions: A
The Detroit Lions are not only the winners in the NFC North, but they might be the overall winners of free agency in the NFL. They went from having one of the worst secondaries in the league to a group that looks daunting by grabbing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Emmanuel Mosely, and Cameron Sutton.
In addition, they also kept Alex Anzalone at the linebacker position, maintaining a veteran presence in that room, and they added David Montgomery on a cheap contract to pair with D’Andre Swift in the backfield. Keep in mind, they also have a pair of top-20 picks in the draft, so they are far from done.
Green Bay Packers: D+
It’s never a good sign when the most notable moves for a team are departures rather than additions. Until Green Bay moves on from Aaron Rodgers, though, there isn’t much they can do to build their roster. The Packers lost wide receiver Allen Lazard to the New York Jets, presumably meaning he and Rodgers will remain teammates in 2023 and tight end Robert Tonyan joined the Bears.
However, they did retain one of the more explosive return men in the league by re-signing CB Keisean Nixon to a one-year deal. Their most notable addition is Tarvarius Moore, who should provide some help at safety.
Minnesota Vikings: B-
Initially, I gave the Vikings a “B” for their free agency grade, but now that we’ve seen the Duke Shelley contract with the Raiders, I had to dock them again. The Vikings made a few solid moves, including the signing of CB Byron Murphy to bolster their secondary, but as of now, the room is still largely an inexperienced bunch. Shelley would have been a terrific depth piece to keep around.
Admittedly, I am still a bit wary of the Marcus Davenport signing as well, especially if he is meant to be a true replacement for Za’Darius Smith. I could certainly be swayed if he looks more like the 2021 version of himself rather than the 2022 version, though.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.