NFC North Round-Up: X-Factors for Each Defense in 2023
Josh Frey
|
Every year, NFL teams have players that play major parts in their success while others suffer disappointing outcomes due to lackluster play from players that they were expecting more from when the year began. These ‘X-factors’ will be big reasons why defenses within the NFC North either bask in success during 2023, or they will linger near the bottom of the division.
Chicago Bears: S Jaquan Brisker
After being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Jaquan Brisker had a bit of an up-and-down rookie season last year. Pro Football Focus gave him defensive grades of 70.0 or higher on five separate occasions, but he also dipped below 60.0 in nine other games.
Chicago spent a number of resources this offseason towards improving their defense in 2023, including the signings of T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds to man the linebacker spots, but in order to truly take the next step, their pass defense must be better. Much of the spotlight here will be on whether or not their second-year safety can become a more consistent player.
Detroit Lions: CB Cam Sutton
In 2022, the Detroit Lions employed a truly putrid pass defense, ranking 30th in passing yards allowed, 31st in yards per attempt, and 29th in EPA/pass. As a result, Detroit completely flipped their secondary on its head this offseason, including handing out contracts to Emmanuel Moseley, Cam Sutton, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
However, neither Moseley nor Gardner-Johnson can really be viewed as long-term solutions seeing as they are on one-year “mercenary”-type contracts.
As a result, Sutton is going to need to truly be a CB1 for this group as they look to improve this defensive unit. He certainly has the talent to do so, earning pass overage grades of 70.0 or higher in three of the past four years, via Pro Football Focus.
Green Bay Packers: LB Quay Walker
With one of their 2022 first-round picks, the Green Bay Packers selected LB Quay Walker out of Georgia after the program saw a historic season on the defensive side of the ball. Walker put together a solid season during his rookie year, racking up 75 solo tackles which led the team.
He was also a very physical presence for Green Bay’s defensive unit, forcing three fumbles over the course of the season. However, he was not quite as much of a pass-rushing force as he was with the Bulldogs, recording just 12 pressures over 17 games compared to 25 in 15 games for Georgia in 2021.
Additionally, there were a few instances where Walker played a bit out of control and let his emotions get the better of him. Playing alongside De’Vondre Campbell, 2023 could be a very big year for Walker, but he needs to hone in his focus and skill in order to help Green Bay’s defense.
Minnesota Vikings: LB Jordan Hicks
The hope when the Vikings brought in Jordan Hicks last offseason was that he could be the Anthony Barr replacement: a physical, run-stopping linebacker that would muck things up in the trenches.
Instead, we saw Ed Donatell’s defensive scheme play very conservative football that often saw both Hicks and Eric Kendricks dropping back into pass coverage. Now, in 2023, the Vikings look to get much more aggressive on that side of the ball with the hire of Brian Flores as defensive coordinator.
In 2022, Hicks blitzed just 17 times compared to 86, 89, and 49 times over his final three seasons in Arizona. Expect this number to go back up in 2023, and if it does, it will be interesting to see if the veteran can help take some pressure off a very young secondary.
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.