By: Jake Rajala

The Chicago Bears will have a challenge becoming a potent NFC team with their second-year QB Justin Fields. The Bears don’t have the sexiest roster, especially without Khalil Mack. There is no reason that Justin Fields can’t be a star in the league, but he will likely have growing pains in 2022. With that said, the Fields-led Bears would really benefit from a few profiles that could turn heads next season. Here are three Bears that could surprise the NFL world in 2022-2023.

Cole Kmet

Cole Kmet will not only improve his tool-kit entering his third season but there’s strong potential with the Fields-Kmet connection. Fields routinely hooked up with his TE1 in his starting reps as a rookie. Per PFF, Fields also thrives as a medium passer (78.1 passing grade), and Kmet is quite impressive as a pass-catcher in the middle of the field (94.8 receiving grade). I expect him to be a fine security blanket for Fields amid an offense that doesn’t have a lot of proven success from the WR spot.

Teven Jenkins

The Bears 2021 second-round pick Teven Jenkins had his feet wet in his rookie (six games). He will be getting prepared to unveil his first season as a 17-game starter this off-season. According to Sports Mockery, the OL coach Chris Morgan is already impressed by the work he’s shown this offseason. It’s safe to say that Jenkins is expected to be a big part of the Bears young offense.

Kyler Gordon

I believe it’s obvious that the Bears were gifted a steal in round two with Kyler Gordon. Bears Wire gave the Bears an A- for the selection of Gordon. He definitely has excellent man-to-man coverage skills and he should be an immediate impact player on the outside. Bears Wire has even stated that he has been “lighting it up” during practice. It seems like CHI may have found a true gem in round two.

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By: Andy Davies

The NFC North is a division with tremendous history. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are two of the three oldest franchises in NFL history, with the Detroit Lions not far behind. We have seen the Packers and Bears lift a Super Bowl but the Minnesota Vikings have failed to win a Super Bowl and the Lions have yet to even make the big game.

The division has been predominately the Packers’ in recent years, winning 7 of the last 10 division titles. Can anyone dethrone Green Bay this season?

Here is a preview of the NFC North

Chicago Bears (2020 Record: 8-8. Lost in Wildcard Round)

The Bears fans have reason for optimism and are going to the season with plenty of excitement. However, there is also distaste from the fanbase as to who is their starting quarterback is in week one. Andy Dalton will start against the Rams as first-round pick Justin Fields is made to wait, despite his impressive preseason. He was taken eleventh overall in the draft, with Chicago trading up to select him. Perhaps head coach Matt Nagy is wary of not putting a rookie QB up against the excellent Rams defense on their debut. Maybe he is honouring the tweet the Bears made that Dalton was QB1, a tweet made before they drafted Fields. 

Offensive lineman Tevin Jenkins was taken in the second-round in the team’s best attempt to protect their quarterback. Wide receiver Allen Robinson was franchise tagged this offseason, which keeps him there for one more year. Darnell Mooney will want to build on an impressive rookie season. Alongside Free Agency signing Marquise Goodwin, there is a quietly good receiver room in Chicago. 

Defensively, Khalil Mack’s numbers have declined since his career year in 2018 but the linebacker is still a threat. Along with defensive end Akheim Hicks, these are two defensive studs at the Bears’ disposal. There is not just Mack and Hicks. Safety Eddie Jackson as well as linebackers Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn are three great options for the Bears on the defensive side of the ball. 

Can the Bears get back to the playoffs? This is something many felt the team didn’t deserve last year despite starting the 2020 season 5-1. A schedule featuring the Rams, Cleveland Browns, Packers twice, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Seattle Seahawks is a tough ask for anyone and this is likely to be nine losses. This would mean they would have to win all the other games just to end the season 8-9. Fields has the chance to come in mid-season and make a difference. However, this may be late not only for the Bears’ season but also for Nagy’s job.

Prediction: 2^nd in NFC North.

Detroit Lions (2020 Record: 5-11. Missed out on playoffs)

When Jared Goff is your biggest headline offseason addition, there is something wrong. There has been something wrong for many years in Detroit. Only the Cincinnati Bengals have waited longer for a playoff win than the Lions. 

Goff was the first overall pick for the Rams in 2016 but with the exception of the 2018 season that saw them reach the Super Bowl, he has been nothing more than an average quarterback. He is going from throwing to Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods to now passing the ball to Free agency signing Tyrell Williams, fourth-round selection Amon-Ra St.Brown, and Kalif Raymond, who arrived as a free agent from the Tennesee Titans. They also brought in tight end Darren Fells as backup to T.J. Hockensen, who scored 6 touchdowns and recorded 723 yards from 67 receptions. The Lions did add Penei Sewell seventh overall, who can be a gamechanger between the trenches. However, the offense will still have plenty of issues. The Lions also lost wideouts Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones in the offseason, further adding to Goff’s woes. He does not feel like the type of player that new head coach Dan Campbell would like, considering Goff’s quieter personality and Campbell talking in his first press conference that he wants to bite people’s kneecaps. 

Detroit were 32^nd in total points and total yards allowed (30^th in passing yards allowed, 28^th in rushing yards allowed). They have not done enough in the preseason to address this. The Lions have a lot of troubles ahead this season and Campbell has a tough task on his hands. 

Prediction: 4^th in NFC North.

Green Bay Packers (2020 Record: 13-3. Lost in NFC Championship)

The Packers offseason was dominated by talk of Aaron Rodgers leaving the franchise, for either retirment or another team. Both he and wide receiver Davante Adams, who were so exceptional in 2020, posted the same post which referred to the Michael Jordan Netflix documentary ‘The Last Dance’. It is likely that Rodgers, last season’s MVP, will spend just one more season in Green Bay. Can he go out with a second ring? 

Rodgers requested a trade on draft day, which dominated the media that day. The boyhood 49ers fan is likely to have done this with the hope of San Francisco trading for him. Taking Trey Lance third overall put an end to these hopes. The Denver Broncos were often seen as the team with the best chance but after months of speculation, he decided to stay put in Green Bay. Many Packers fans were extremely frustrated during last year’s draft, when the team selected Rodgers’ replacement in Jordan Love instead of a wide receiver. This is a position that Rodgers and the Packers fanbase have wanted for a while now. A true WR2 is something that Rodgers has missed, playing a big role in why they have lost in back-to-back NFC Championship games. 

Running back Aaron Jones resigned, with a four-year $48 million deal agreed. Tight end Robert Tonyan, who scored 11 touchdowns in 2020, was initially placed on a second-round restricted free agent tender, before signing the tender for $3.4 million. The Packers also traded for former player Randall Cobb, who will want to improve on the three touchdowns he scored in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Amari Rodgers was taken in the third round to add some depth to the receiver room that also features Allen Lazard and Marquez Vantes-Scantling. Lazard impressed at times last season, with 3 touchdowns and 451 yards but injury meant he played just 10 games in 2020. Vantez-Scantling continues to struggle for consistency.

The offensive line could be an issue for the Packers and Rodgers. Cory Linsley, widely considered one of the NFL’s best centers, departed in Free Agency for the Los Angeles Chargers. Left tackle David Bakhtiari will miss the opening 6 weeks of the season at least, after being placed on the PUP list. Can the line protect Rodgers, who was the 25th most sacked quarterback in the league? This shows what impact the losses of Linsley and Bakhtiari could be. 

Defensively was where Green Bay struggled in the playoffs. Cornerback Kevin King had a poor game against Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship. Eric Stokes was taken in the first round to add some competition and depth to the position. In their 3-4 scheme, nose tackle Kenny Clark, Za’Darious Smith are both brilliant at what they do. Cornerback Jaire Alexander is one of the best shutdown corners in the league, with the Rams’ Jalen Ramsey arguably the only player to do it better than Alexander.

The Packers will win this division with ease but it is the question of whether their defense can take them any further than the NFC Championship. Rodgers will be on a mission to end on a high with the Packers. However, with the strength of the Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and the potential surprise outfit of the Washington Football Team, they may find it hard to even make the NFC Championship game this year. 

Prediction: 1^st in NFC North.

Minnesota Vikings (2020 Record: 7-9. Missed out on playoffs) 

The Vikings began the 2020 season horribly, starting 1-5 before winning 5 of their next 6 games and ending the season 7-9. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson recorded 1,400 yards, breaking the record of most receiving yards recorded by a rookie. He scored 7 touchdowns, with fellow receiver Adam Thielen recording 14. Their offense developed last season, with Kirk Cousins throwing over 4,000 yards, 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, his vaccination status may detriment his and their season.

Players not getting vaccinated may affect several teams, but Cousins’ stance is the biggest headline maker along with Lamar Jackson and Cole Beasley. If he is not careful, they may not be scared to put third-round pick Kellen Mond in the starting role during his rookie season. Cousins, a fourth-round pick in 2011, knows more than anyone how a late draft pick can make the most of their opportunity. 

Running back Dalvin Cook will hope to continue on from his impressive 2020 season. He had career-best numbers in both yards (1,557) and rushing touchdowns (16), stats only beaten by Derrick Henry last season. He will be excellently protected by 2021 first-round selection Christian Darrisaw, who is said to be an “animal in the run game”. He will hope to be fit for week one. 

Minnesota was 27^th in total yards allowed in 2020 (25^th in passing yards allowed and 27^th in rushing yards allowed), with only three teams allowing more total points than the Vikings. The top three players for the Vikings for sacks recorded were Yannick Ngakoue, Ifeadi Odenigbo and Eric Wilson. They are all no longer with the franchise. Even with them in the roster, the most any player got in 2020 was 5.

Eric Kendricks missed time last season and the Vikings also lost Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr, and Michael Hughes to injury. Michael Pierce opted out due to COVID-19. All of these players except Hughes are returning for 2021. This will surely make a huge difference to the defense, something that will be hugely welcomed by head coach Mike Zimmer. 

An opening six games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Seahawks, Browns, Lions, and Carolina Panthers gives the Vikings the chance to start 4-2. They then face the Dallas Cowboys, Ravens, Chargers, Packers, 49ers and Lions. There is likely to be one or two wins out of these next six games. This would have Minnesota at either 5-7 or 4-8. The Vikings then face a tough end to the season, where they face the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rams, Packers as well as twice facing the Bears. They could lose four out of these five. Looking at the schedule, the prediction here is that their 2021 record will be either 5-12 or 6-11.

Prediction: 3^rd in NFC North

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Daniel Racz @Danny___Dimes 

Introduction

The Chicago Bears made waves on draft day when they traded up for Ohio State signal-caller Justin Fields. The Bears traded up from the 20th pick to the 11th pick, giving up extra first, fourth, and fifth-round picks in the process. The Bears clearly plan on offering Fields the chance to become their franchise quarterback for years to come, but they are not giving him the keys yet. The Bears signed ex-Bengal and Cowboy Andy Dalton to a one-year, ten-million-dollar contract. 

With Dalton’s contract came a promise: the role of starting quarterback. During Dalton’s initial press conference with Chicago, he said, “The Bears told me I was the starter.” What Dalton did not expect was added competition in the form of a heralded prospect like Fields. Nevertheless, coach Nagy has reiterated that Andy Dalton is the Bears’ starter for the foreseeable future. Nagy is pleased with Fields’ progress, but will not rush him into NFL action. The Bears have dealt with a fiasco at their quarterback position for years, so it is possible that Nagy does not want any details to reach the public. While Nagy has said that Andy Dalton will be their week one starter, when will we see Justin Fields earn the starting job?

Nagy’s Process

Prior to the Bears giving Nagy the head coaching job, Nagy worked as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2016-2017. During the 2017 NFL draft, the Chiefs traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes. Though they gave up significant capital to acquire Mahomes, he sat on the bench for his rookie season. Nagy and Reid trusted Alex Smith to lead their offense in 2017, and he rewarded them with a playoff berth. The Chiefs made it clear that Mahomes would not be their day one starter, and the team was better off because of it. 

With the Chicago Bears, Nagy has had a continuous quarterback carousel. Prior to the season, Nagy never committed to either Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky as the full-time signal-caller. During the season, Nagy went back and forth multiple times between Foles and Trubisky, with no quarterback cementing themself as the full-time starter. While the Bears made the playoffs as the seven seed, the organization knew they needed change, hence the additions of Dalton and Fields. Even with two new quarterbacks on the roster, Nagy believes that naming one the starter will have a better outcome than holding an open competition. 

Need to Win-Now

Unlike the 2017 Kansas City Chiefs, the 2021 Chicago Bears do not have as great of a supporting cast. Though the Bears defense gets Eddie Goldman back from his 2020 opt-out, the Bears cut star cornerback Kyle Fuller. The offensive line stays relatively unchanged, with rookie Teven Jenkins slated to take over from released veteran Charles Leno Jr. Allen Robinson will play on the franchise tag, but the rest of the Bears’ weapons group is somewhat lacking. An Andy Dalton-led Bears team is a .500 team at best, with the assumption that Aaron Rodgers is playing for the Packers.

Chicago can not afford to waste 2021, as time is of the essence. Both head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace are on the hot seat, and a lackluster season could cause both to lose their jobs. To further compound the urgency, the Bears do not have their 2022 1st round draft pick, as they traded it to the New York Giants when they moved up to select Justin Fields. The Bears are set to play at the Rams, against the Bengals, and at the Browns to open the season. Chicago is staring down a 1-2 start and may be forced to start Fields, even in the unlikely event that he is not ready.

Fields’ relentless work ethic

Justin Fields is a special prospect. I have never seen a quarterback with his blend of athleticism, arm strength, and accuracy. In high school, Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence were neck and neck for top recruit and each earned the title on different sites. While Lawrence went on to lead Clemson to a national title in his freshman year, Fields sat behind Jake Fromm. Georgia decided that keeping Fromm as their starter was optimal, so Fields transferred to Ohio State. Fields won the job immediately, putting up a record-setting season. Fields had a touchdown to interception ratio of 41-3, and he led the big ten records in yards per attempt (9.2) and adjusted passing yards per attempt (11.2). 

Fields came into college a heralded recruit and exited a top fifteen selection. Those that have been around him have constantly given rave reviews about the young man’s desire to get better every day. Fields said that he plans to get back to Chicago to train two weeks before the start of training camp. Though comments like this inspire confidence in Justin’s future, it will ultimately be how he plays during camp, preseason games, and practices that determine when Justin becomes QB1.

Conclusion

There is a reality where Justin Fields starts on Sunday night of week 1 for the Bears, and there is also a reality that has Fields sit on the bench for the entire 2021 season. The most likely outcome is somewhere in the middle. 

The Bears’ early schedule is intimidating, but not impossible. If Andy Dalton manages two wins in the first three games, he faces winnable games against the Lions and Raiders during weeks four and five respectively. Even if Justin is as good as promised during practice, the Bears will only make changes if they have to. Nagy has rested a quarterback (Mahomes) for an extended period because there was no urgency, so Chicago will stay with Dalton until they can’t anymore. The most likely outcome is Justin Fields starting between 15 and 11 games. Andy Dalton’s past few seasons have been below average, and, likely, he has not magically got better. If Dalton plays like a bottom-tier quarterback, Justin will get a shot at the job early in the year and is a potential rookie of the year dark horse.

Projected Stat-line: 14 games started, 434 attempts, 282 completions, 3,211 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 643 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 16 turnovers.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

Around the NFL currently, there are quite a significant amount of preseason and starting battles that have yet to take place.  It happens at every position, from quarterback to punter, almost every year throughout the NFL, as rookies look to take veterans spots, or veterans look to rejuvenate their career and prove themselves against younger competition.  As the 2021 preseason looms closer and closer by the day, we see more and more of these battles shaping up through signings, and these will only continue to become more common as the remaining free agents get signed.

In this article, I will be focusing on some of the QB battles around the league, attempting to project who will be the day one starter, as well as if the starting role may change mid-season as rookies and younger players develop more.

Jameis Winston Vs. Taysom Hill

One of the most prominent quarterback battles almost everyone saw coming after Jameis was signed last offseason, we have the New Orleans Saints battle.  Attempting to replace the production of Drew Brees is hard enough for the coaching staff, having to decide between two quarterbacks vying for that spot is even harder.  Each of these quarterbacks has their own perks, and as a Saints fan myself, this is not as easy of a decision as some fans may see it being.  

On one hand, Jameis has the deep ball potential, is much more of a pure passer, and has been purely a passer since day one.  Taysom on the other hand brings the dual threat capabilities and is relatively accurate from short to medium range passing, as well as being in the Saints system longer.  I believe Jameis should be the day one starter all things considered for now, as he has been a passer this whole time and only is used there, which allows Taysom to continue in his role of playing all the skill positions essentially.  If Jameis struggles after the first quarter of the season or so, then Taysom should get another stint of being the starter like last season.

Teddy Bridgewater Vs. Drew Lock

Another quarterback battle that has formed due to moves made this offseason is the one in Denver with the Broncos.  After trading a 6^th round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Teddy Bridgewater, the Broncos have created an ideal scenario where a veteran can teach a younger player, however, it also has created a pretty interesting battle.  

The differences between the two QBs here is noticeable but frankly is not extremely prominent, Teddy is much more of a game manager who lets the receivers and backs do the work, while focusing on placing accurate passes against defenses and not taking many risks.  Lock on the other hand is a little more risk-taking at times, throwing the ball deep and attempting to make bigger plays, but is less of a game manager and is a little less safe in the turnover department.  

With that, Teddy Bridgewater should probably be the starter, at least early on in the season, as he will be less turnover prone, and will likely game manage the team better considering they have a ton of receiving weapons and backs.  If Lock can take this time to develop and learn from Bridgewater on ball security and not turning it over as much, then a mid-season transition could be made to start Lock, provided Bridgewater is not having an exceptional year.

Andy Dalton Vs. Justin Fields

In the next quarterback battle coming from Chicago, we have another case of a young QB against a veteran QB, in which the younger is much more explosive and the older is much more ball security-oriented.  This instance is relatively different, however, as Justin Fields has a lot more potential as of now compared to Lock, and is a dual-threat QB, and had significantly more draft capital invested into him.  While Andy Dalton was paid a pretty good amount and pushing him into a backup role for that much cap space seems relatively ill-advised.

The best scenario would be Andy Dalton takes a restructure to pay most of his cap hit up front in a signing bonus of sorts as we have seen many times in the NFL.  Starting Justin Fields is probably the most logical scenario right now, as giving him some time to start at the NFL level and get adjusted to it through playing time seems like the way to go.  Since he performed exceptionally well in college and has proven his ability to avoid pressure at the CFB level, he should be able get away from most of the heavy contact at the line with his feet.  

Cam Newton Vs. Mac Jones

To wrap up the list, we have probably the most interesting of the four battles, which takes place in New England with the Patriots.  This one has intrigued me, even prior to the Patriots taking Mac as it was so heavily rumored.  Cam Newton had a tough year last year, throwing ten interceptions to only eight touchdowns while starting 15 games during the season.  Obviously, we have come to expect more of a rushing focus from the former MVP, but if you start that large of a portion of the season you should at least get a significantly higher TD number.

Mac Jones on the other hand is a relative unknown, he produced at Alabama without a doubt, but did so with an enormous amount of high end weapons surrounding him.  However he does have a lot of traits that are seeming viable at the NFL level, and his accuracy is absolutely phenomenal from what we have seen so far.  Right now the verdict is 50/50 between who should start, some think Cam should start immediately due to being in the system a year longer and in the league for much longer, allowing Mac to sit and develop some.  Some think Mac should start immediately due to the sort of “win now” mentality of the Patriots after a huge offseason filled with signings, and believe Mac has the higher ceiling as a passer.

Right now, I believe Cam Newton should start in the short term, however Mac will likely take over a few weeks into the season.  Giving Mac a few weeks to develop and learn the Patriots playbook, as well as conforming to the NFL style of play, seems like the best option right now for New England. 

The post Predicting the winner of each QB competition appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Team Defenses are usually drafted in the last round of redraft leagues if at all. Many leagues wait until waivers begin, before adding a defense, but every team will have to make their choice before week 1. Each year there seems to be one defensive unit that averages close to 20 points, but it’s usually difficult to predict which team that will be. Beyond the top defense, there are about 4 or 5 others who aren’t likely to hit waivers all season. The rest will often be dropped to waivers early or at least during the team’s bye week. There are several things to consider when choosing a defense, but one of the most important things is their strength of schedule. In this article we’ll look at the defenses in two divisions, to avoid based on their strength of schedule.

AFC North 

In 2020, the AFC North was the only division with 3 teams in the playoffs & their defensive units were no small part of that success. Taking a closer look at recent roster changes, this division may be the most offensively diverse in the league. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were already tough to prepare for & now they’ve upgraded with several new receiving options. The combination of Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt has more than opened up the Browns passing game, which includes big names at Receiver & Tight End as well. The Steelers already have a very talented WR room, which is difficult to predict for even fantasy purposes & likely more so for opposing Defensive Coordinators. The addition of Najee Harris & Pat Freiermuth in the draft will add more options for a team that likely still needs to get the ball off quickly. 

Though the Bengals finished 2020 with only 4 wins, they shouldn’t be overlooked as an offensive threat with the return of Joe Burrows & Joe Mixon, as well as Rookie WR Ja’marr Chase. 

On top of playing each of these teams twice, every defense in the AFC North will have to face the NFC North & AFC West. This unfortunately includes the Packers, Chiefs, Vikings & Chargers. These common opponents will mean that every AFC North team will have an unfavorable matchup in at least 10 of their 17 games. If anything, the Ravens may be worth picking up for the first 4 weeks, as they will face the Raiders, Lions & Broncos during that stretch, however they should likely be dropped or traded afterwards. While 3 of these AFC North defenses should be very good, these matchups put them into the category of letting someone else deal with them in 2021 redraft leagues. 

NFC North:

One thing that has been fairly consistent during the Aaron Rodgers era is that Half of the offenses in the NFC North are especially concerning for defenses & the other half just isn’t. This year it appears Green Bay & Minnesota should once again be on the right side of the division. As for Detroit, there are always an abundance of unanswered questions involved with a rebuild. This rebuild comes with a new Head Coach, Quarterback, several new running backs & receivers, as well as a promising rookie left tackle. While the Lions’ have youth on their side, this isn’t likely to be a top 20 offensive unit in 2021.

The Bears drafted their Quarterback of the future in Justin Fields, though he isn’t expected to start early & not much else has changed for this offense. 

Outside of the division, each team in the NFC North will face the whole of the AFC North & the NFC West. As noted above, the AFC North includes 4 tough offensive opponents. A pairing with the NFC West means the NFC North will have to face Russell Wilson & Kyler Murray, as well as the offenses of Sean McVay & Kyle Shanahan. These division pairings almost guarantee 8 tough matchups for the NFC North Defenses. Add 2 more tough division games for the Vikings & Packers defenses (making at least 10 of 17), or 4 more for the Lions & Bears defenses(12 of 17). The shared opponents alone on this difficult schedule are more than I want to maneuver as a fantasy manager. 

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