This offseason has been mostly hideous for the Minnesota Vikings, headlined by trading away star receiver Stefon Diggs. Weaknesses on the roster have sprouted quickly and it does not appear that they will be fixed immediately.
Most football fans believe the Vikings are in for a setback in 2020. However, in looking at the landscape of the NFC North, the Vikings might not be in that bad of shape. In fact, they can still win the division in 2020.
Minnesota is still built to hover around .500 thanks to an above-average quarterback and several defensive playmakers. Could that be enough to win a division title? It’s happened before, and the NFC North doesn’t look scary at this point.
Let’s take a look at how the rest of the NFC North is managing free agency.
Green Bay Packers
Those who watched the Packers in 2020 saw a team that played with the caliber of a 10-6 record that somehow, some way, wound up with a 13-3 record. Green Bay was not a dominant team in any phase of the game and it would appear the Packers are due for a regression in 2020, especially considering they’ll play a first-place schedule.
Offensively, the Packers have failed to address perhaps the biggest concern entering the offseason. Outside of Davante Adams, Green Bay does not have a receiver that can consistently produce. Aaron Jones is the de facto No. 2 receiving option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. One would expect the Packers to hit this loaded class of wide receivers aggressively in the NFL Draft.
The Packers also signed Christian Kirksey, who has graded poorly in coverage the last few seasons, to replace Blake Martinez. Meanwhile, former Detroit Lions tackle Ricky Wagner will replace Bryan Bulaga. Fans who have watched any of the Vikings matchups against the Lions in recent seasons have watched Danielle Hunter absolutely obliterate Wagner.
Chicago Bears
The Bears are a lot like some of the past Vikings teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s that featured a solid overall roster, but lacked consistent quarterback play. Mitchell Trubisky is just not getting it done, which is an absolutely shocking development to nobody besides the Bears front office. Chicago traded for Nick Foles to compete with Trubisky for the starting job.
Foles is likely an upgrade over Trubisky. With that said, Foles has been very beatable besides two unbelievably historic playoff games in the 2017 postseason that included a Super Bowl MVP performance. He’s worked with head coach Matt Nagy before, so perhaps that could bring out more of Foles’ prime.
Chicago also signed Robert Quinn to a hefty deal to join Khalil Mack, forming what might be the new best pass-rushing duo in the NFL.
The Bears also signed Jimmy Graham, a declining tight end, to a questionable two-year deal. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Leonard Floyd, Nick Kwiatkoski and Prince Amukamara are among several key contributors that the Bears were unable to bring back.
Detroit Lions
The Lions are still the Lions — they haven’t won the NFC North once. The last time Detroit won this division, it was called the NFC Central. It doesn’t appear as if things will be changing for the better under head coach Matt Patricia. Cornerback Darius Slay demanded out and was granted his wish with a trade to the Eagles, furthering a trend of superstar players wanting to get out of Detroit immediately.
With all of that said, the Lions have made some pretty solid moves to make up for losing Slay. Cornerback Desmond Trufant has been brought in to lessen the blow of losing Slay. Jamie Collins is a nice risk to take at linebacker and could turn out to be a steal at $10 million per season. The Lions also traded for former Patriots safety Duron Harmon, who has quietly graded out quite well in coverage the past few seasons.
Detroit also gambled on tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who has been hit-or-miss in his four NFL seasons, with a five-year, $50 million deal. Hunter should pick up right where he left off when playing against the Lions.
Detroit did lose some other key contributors such as Damon “Snacks” Harrison and Graham Glasgow. Add in the Slay trade, and the Lions are probably lukewarm during this free agency period, which is more than the rest of the NFC North can say.
Can the Vikings win the NFC North?
The short answer is yes, they can. Not necessarily because they’ll be better, but because the rest of the division won’t be great.
Green Bay is due for a regression after an anomaly of a 13-3 season. Chicago still has major question marks at quarterback, and it’s fair to wonder if Nick Foles has all of those answers. Meanwhile, Detroit is Detroit.
This season is going to be similar to 2019 in that one of these teams will prove to be ever so slightly better than the rest and win most, if not all, of the divisional games by slim margins. This will create an inflated win total. Green Bay benefited from this in 2019.
But make no mistake about it — none of these teams are elite. Perhaps none of them are even good.
That is why the Vikings have a fighting chance to win the NFC North in 2020.
