During the month of August, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will be breaking down every division in the league by position. This article contains a position-by-position breakdown of the NFC North offenses. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each unit followed by “the rest” in descending order.
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2023 NFC North Offense Breakdown by Position
Quarterback
The Best: Vikings
The Rest: Lions, Bears, Packers
Ranking the NFC North quarterbacks is a fascinating exercise as arguments could be made for any of the top three being at the top of the class. Minnesota and Kirk Cousins get the nod at the top of this list due to Kirk’s consistent production and string of comeback victories a season ago. The knock on Cousins throughout his career has been his tendency to disappear with the game on the line. In year one under Head Coach Kevin O’Connell, Cousins finally was able to play big in big moments consistently. 2023 also marks the first time in a decade that Cousins will have the same play caller in consecutive seasons. Cousins may never reach the realm of elite quarterbacks, but his steadiness among constant change should be better appreciated.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff continues to be one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in the league. This guy started a Superbowl and famously outdueled Patrick Mahomes in a memorable Monday Night Football classic. Yet, when he was unceremoniously shipped to the Lions everyone wrote him off. Goff is incredibly still only 28 and has continued to show growth every season since coming over to the Lions. Sure, like Cousins, Goff will likely never be one of the NFL’s elites. He is however a proven quarterback that a team can win with, and that deserves a level of respect.
The Bears may come in third in these rankings, but they also have the only quarterback with All-Pro potential. Justin Fields made remarkable strides in his feel for the NFL game last season. It may not reflect in his passing numbers, but the tape showed a quarterback who was getting increasingly comfortable on an NFL field. Projecting Fields to make another ridiculous jump like last year is hard to do. However, even marginal improvements as a passer should have Chicago competing for the top of these rankings in a year.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was one of the most head scratching first-round quarterbacks in recent memory. Green Bay chose to overlook Love’s lack of production at Utah State and over-drafted his loud physical tools. Now four years later, it sounds and looks like Love still isn’t ready for the job. Typically, one would expect to hear either glowing reports out of practice or have some great preseason tape. Love has neither, which does not bode well for him in what will likely be his only prove it season.
Running Backs
The Best: Lions
The Rest: Packers, Bears, Vikings
The Lions overhauled their running back room with big investments in free agency and the draft. That investment should pay off in the form of the best running back room in the NFC North this season. Rookie first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs is a dynamic game breaker out of the backfield who should instantly add an element to Detroit’s offense. Detroit also poached veteran David Montgomery from division rival Chicago, and he shouldn’t be overlooked in the backfield rotation. He’s been consistently productive despite running behind a porous offensive line for most of his career.
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Packers running back Aaron Jones remains one of the most underused top-10 backs in the league. When he gets his touches, he produces. AJ Dillon has shown flashes as a change of pace back and should continue to spell Jones. Dillon likely won’t become the impact starter some thought he could be, but he can still be productive. Given the unknowns in the passing game, this group should be leaned on heavily this season.
Bears tailback Khalil Herbert has shown real flashes of playmaking ability in limited time early in his career. It feels like every time he touches the ball, he’s breaking big gains. The question will be, can he do that with an increased workload? D’Onta Foreman was signed after a nice season in Carolina, so it remains to be seen how they split touches. There is upside here if Herbert can stay productive and the coaches utilize this stable correctly.
The Vikings plummeted to the bottom of these rankings after moving on from Dalvin Cook in the offseason. To be fair, they likely still wouldn’t have topped the list given the step Cook appeared to lose last season. Alexander Mattison is the presumed starter going into week 1 and has been productive when spelling Cook in the past. Mattison is however a bit of a plodder that takes what the defense gives him and not much else. The hope for Minnesota is that their preseason hero backup Ty Chandler can add an explosive element to the backfield.
Wide Receivers
The Best: Vikings
The Rest: Lions, Bears, Packers
The Vikings have the best receiver group in the NFC North, and it’s not particularly close. Justin Jefferson has staked his claim as the best receiver in all of football. If anyone has doubts just point them to his unreal performance in Buffalo last year. Jefferson’s supporting cast of K.J. Osborn and first-rounder Jordan Addison won’t give opposing defenses any breaks. Osborn has come on strong and was likely to replace Adam Thielen in the pecking order even before Thielen’s release. Addison gives the Vikings another versatile receiver who can play any receiver role on the field.
The Lions separate themselves from the rest of the division with the presence of Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown has been one of the true surprises in the past few seasons. He’s knocking on the door of the top-10 receiver in football conversation, and he could break through that threshold in 2023. Jameson Williams is the biggest question mark for this unit given his injury history and pending six-game suspension. If Williams can get back and make an impact, this should further solidify Detroit’s placement here.
DJ Moore was Chicago’s big addition to the receiver room as part of the trade for the #1 overall pick. Moore has long been an analytics and PFF darling for his ability to separate, but it’s never quite led to elite production. That said, he’s still a huge improvement on what the Bears were working with. Opposite Moore, Darnell Mooney has shown upside in recent years while being miscast as a #1 option. Perhaps being less of a focal point for defenses will help him flourish. Overall, their recent additions were enough to keep the Bears out of the NFC North basement at receiver.
The Packers feel very reliant on Christian Watson continuing his incredible run in the second half of last season. Outside of Watson, the rest of the group is widely unproven. Their biggest question will be if Romeo Doubs is anything more than a #4 option as a pro. Green Bay will also be relying heavily on rookie Jayden Reed to step in as an immediate upgrade in the slot. It feels like Green Bay needs too many lucky breaks for this to be an impact receiving group in 2023.
Tight Ends
The Best: Vikings
The Rest: Bears, Lions, Packers
Thanks to a midseason trade with Detroit last year, the Vikings also top the tight-end rankings. T.J. Hockenson established himself as a complete tight end who was a net positive in the running game and a productive safety blanket. The Vikings also invested heavily in a TE2 this offseason by signing Josh Oliver to a big contract. Oliver might not be the receiver that Hockenson is, but he’s a dominant blocker in the run game.
One key player to watch for the Bears this season is tight end, Cole Kmet. He was Chicago’s leading receiver last year and the tape shows a guy who could be ready to break out. He’s a big physical tight end who can block and make plays over the middle. He has a chance to be well above average at everything tight ends are asked to do. Robert Tonyan and the ageless Marcedes Lewis give the Bears a solid top-to-bottom tight end room.
Despite jettisoning Hockenson out of town last season, Detroit manages to maintain a third-place divisional tight end ranking. The biggest reason is that rookie Sam LaPorta could be the best tight end in a stacked class. The Iowa graduate plays reminiscent of fellow Hawkeye alum George Kittle. He’s elite after the catch and plays with a tenacity that should make him a solid blocker as a pro. Brock Wright stepped in admirably last season and should be a solid TE2.
The Packers’ tight end situation is even more tenuous than what they’ve got at wide receiver. They are essentially relying on two rookies to make immediate impacts for them this season. Luke Musgrave has flashed playmaking ability at camp, but his college tape leaves questions about his ability to separate. Third-rounder Tucker Kraft is a much better blocker than Musgrave and projects as a solid TE2.
Offensive Line
The Best: Lions
The Rest: Vikings, Packers, Bears
Offensive line is the most stacked unit in the NFC North, with each time featuring above-average units. The best of the bunch belongs to the Lions who feature three former first-rounders on the offensive line. Penei Sewell has turned into one of the best tackles in the league to complement the always steady Taylor Decker. Frank Ragnow is also one of the most underrated interior linemen in the league and a stud center. This unit should get even better with another year of continuity in 2023.
Like Detroit, the Vikings have also invested heavily in the offensive line in past years. Their starting group is exclusively first and second-round picks taken in the past five years. The headliners of the group are the elite bookend tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neil. Garrett Bradbury has improved over the past few years and has become an above average center. The reason Minnesota falls behind Detroit in these rankings is the blackhole they have at right guard. They’ll need to find out by the end of camp if maligned second-year guard Ed Ingram truly is the answer.
Green Bay’s offense should once again benefit from the presence of a solid offensive line. David Bakhtiari and Elgon Jenkins make up an elite left side if they can stay healthy. Health has been a bit of an issue for the aging Bakhtiari in recent years. Center Josh Myers and guard Jon Runyan are also solid performers at the other interior spots. If there is a major hole it’s at right tackle where Yosh Nijman was a penalty machine in 2022.
The Bears coming last in these rankings shouldn’t be seen as a slight given the quality of the units above. The addition of rookie Darnell Wright to an evolving offensive line should give the Bears an above average unit. Left tackle Braxton Jones was a revelation as a fifth-round rookie last season. He and third-year guard Teven Jenkins should form an elite left side of the line. Cody Whitehair and Nate Davis are fine players to round out the rest of the unit. What a two-year turnaround for the Bears after years of terrible line play!
Main Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
