NFC North Round-Up: Ranking the EDGE Rooms for All 4 Teams
Josh Frey
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Training camps across the NFL got started last week, and the start of the 2023 season is officially right around the corner.
However, as camps continue to progress on, we will still be working through the remaining position rankings across the NFC North for this upcoming year. Here is a look at the EDGE rooms for all four teams in the division.
1. Green Bay Packers
The Packers have a strong duo at the top of their EDGE group in Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. While Gary was held to just nine games in 2022 due to a torn ACL, he seems to be on track to get back on the field at some point during training camp.
Additionally, the Packers have used some quality draft capital on more pass rushing talent in recent years. Lukas Van Ness has plenty of talent to join the starting lineup right away if Gary isn’t fully ready to go while both Kingsley Enagbare and Quay Walker showed promise last year.
2. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings may have traded away Za’Darius Smith this spring, but they still remain in the top half of the NFC North in terms of their edge-rushing talent. They managed to keep Danielle Hunter around for the 2023 season after handing him a new one-year contract worth $20 million.
In addition, they replace Smith with Marcus Davenport, who may have only recorded half a sack last season, but his win percentage (17.6%) was 12th-best in the league among EDGE players in 2022. Minnesota also has some promising depth pieces in Andre Carter, Patrick Jones, and Luiji Vilain.
3. Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson’s presence helps carry the Lions to the No. 3 spot after the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft recorded 9.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss during his rookie season. That being said, James Houston played well for the team in limited snaps.
Over just seven games, the 2022 sixth-round pick recorded 8 sacks and had 7 tackles for loss. He should be a contender to jump into the starting lineup this year, particularly after Charles Harris played just six games last season.
4. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are in the middle of a big rebuild, but they are yet to truly find a long-term solution at EDGE. In 2023, they did not draft a single player at the position, so we will likely see another rotating cast of characters at the spot.
Trevis Gipson, a fifth-round pick in 2020, started 10 games for the Bears last season and recorded 3 sacks. Meanwhile, the team added Rasheem Green during free agency, who put together 5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks for the Houston Texans last year.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. 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.