Biggest remaining needs for each NFC North team

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With the major parts of free agency and the draft in the books, I decided to take a look at each NFL roster, to see where each team could still use some help. This can be a need for a starter or some more depth at a specific position.

We are starting with all four NFC divisions over the next few days and I will come back with the AFC teams next week.

Chicago Bears – Defensive line depth

It is time to stop ridiculing the Chicago Bears. Offensively, they have a strong running game and a promising young quarterback who they have surrounded with weapons on the outside, plus a creative play-caller. On defense, their young talent might be even more impressive. The starting D-line of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Bullard seems to have a chance to really control games up front, but the Bears don’t have much depth behind them.

With Mitch Unrein down in Tampa Bay now, their next guys up seem to be John Jenkins and Roy Robertson-Harris, with the former having taken the field in only half the games since 2016 and the latter barely cracking a hundred NFL snaps. Taking on those double-teams and plugging up those lanes is exhausting in a 3-4 defense and they will need to rotate those guys through to some degree.

I loved watching Roquan Smith run around like a maniac and light up people for Georgia, but the reason I had him lower than a lot of other people on my draft board is the fact he can not stack blockers whatsoever and big bodies swallow him up in the run game. I cannot put into words how pivotal it will be for the rookie backer to stay clean. It could be the difference between him being Defensive Rookie of the Year and the Bears not being able to stop the run. Therefore, adding beef in front of him will be crucial to building a dominant front-seven up there in the Windy City. This team could surprise some people next year.

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