All-NFC North Team, Part I: Who's King of the North?

Bob McGinn chatted at length with four NFL execs. The Lions hope this is only the beginning, while Green Bay's on the cusp of a Favre-Rodgers-Love quarterback reign. Today: Offense.

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We’ve spent a lot of time writing and podcasting on the NFC North this season.

In that vein, here is Bob McGinn’s All-NFC North Team, based on conversations with NFL execs.

First up? The offense.

Two developments surpassed all others in what has been a memorable season in the NFC North Division.

First, the Detroit Lions (12-5) ended a 29-year drought since their last divisional title. None of the five teams that have been members of the division since its inception in 1967 ever toiled longer without claiming a championship banner.

Second, the Green Bay Packers (9-8) quite possibly have unleashed a third dominant quarterback after a continuous stretch of 31 seasons with either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers under center.

Both the Lions and Packers posted exhilarating victories Sunday in the wild-card playoffs, marking just the 11th time in the 56-year history of the NFC Central (1967- ‘81, 1983- ‘01) and the NFC North (2002-present) that at least two division teams will be playing in the divisional round.

Should the Packers defeat the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon in Detroit, the Green Bay-Detroit finale at Ford Field would be only the second NFC Championship Game between so-called Black and Blue division teams.

In 2010, the Packers slipped past the Chicago Bears, 21-14, at Soldier Field. No NFC North team has played in the Super Bowl since those championship Packers of coach Mike McCarthy.

When the Lions hired general manager Brad Holmes in mid-January 2021 and coach Dan Campbell six days later, they were coming off three straight last-place finishes. Since Wayne Fontes coached the organization to its last division crown in 1993, the Lions had cycled through seven head coaches (Bobby Ross, Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Rod Marinelli, Jim Schwartz, Jim Caldwell, Matt Patricia), three interim head coaches (Gary Moeller, Dick Jauron, Darrell Bevell) and four GMs (Chuck Schmidt, Matt Millen, Martin Mayhew, Bob Quinn).

“Detroit’s got a really good roster,” a seasoned NFL executive in personnel said. “Their front office has done a hell of a job. They got really good players. They should make sure they keep the old GM from the Browns (John Dorsey, senior personnel executive) in the building as long as you can because he knows football players and will help you keep drafting really good ones. They have them all over the field.”

Besides improving the defense, which had the lowest ranking in the NFC North this season at No. 19, the personnel man wonders how far the Lions can go with Jared Goff at quarterback.

“He’s an unbelievable timing and anticipatory thrower so when it’s clean he can look good and put up unbelievable numbers,” he said. “But he’s only good when it’s good around him. That’s why he looks so bad when he looks bad. I don’t trust that guy at all to go on the road, and if they’re struggling blocking guys up front he is not a high-end quarterback.”

Another scout expressed concern over what impact the loss of one or both of their coordinators (Ben Johnson on offense, Aaron Glenn on defense) to head-coaching jobs would have on the Lions’ resurgence.

“I like Detroit,” said the personnel man. “Young team with a chance to grow. (Aidan) Hutchinson. (Penei) Sewell. (Jahmyr) Gibbs. (Sam) LaPorta. (Brian) Branch. (Alim) McNeil. (Jack) Campbell. Their challenge will be to pay those guys. They won’t be able to spend as much on free agents in order to pay those guys plus the quarterback. He (Goff) isn’t Patrick Mahomes, but not many guys are. They want to surround him with good talent, which they’ve done. The future looks bright.”

Thirty years ago, the Lions followed up their division title by letting quarterback Erik Kramer walk in free agency and signing the Dolphins’ Scott Mitchell to replace him.

“Not to put a monkey on his back,” Fontes said of the immobile, left-handed Mitchell at the time, “but this guy is hopefully the missing piece of the puzzle that one day will take the Detroit Lions to the Super Bowl.”

The Lions made the playoffs four times in the next six years before Barry Sanders walked away and the Fords hired Millen from the Fox TV booth. A largely painful 25 years would follow.

All the scouts interviewed for my All-North Division team made their remarks between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, or before the start of the playoffs. The results in the postseason had no bearing on the selections.

From the perspective of one executive, the NFL is a “head coach-quarterback league.”

“I know Detroit’s the sexy team right now but I’ve seen Jared Goff play way too many football games to ever make me feel like that’s a real team,” he said. “You see teams rise. You see the Chiefs in Year 2 with (Patrick) Mahomes and you’re, like, ‘The next 15 years. Holy f--k.’ I don’t see that at all with this Detroit team because they don’t have a special quarterback.

“Detroit has a coach. I don’t know he’s an elite coach by any means, but I know Detroit doesn’t have a quarterback.”

He continued: “Who has a special quarterback in this division? Who has that combination of an elite head coach and an elite quarterback in this division? There’s not. That’s why it’s wide open. Wide open.”

The Vikings (7-10) fell six games in the standings after a division-winning season in 2022 under rookie coach Kevin O’Connell. Whereas the Lions and Packers had their quarterbacks available for every snap this season, the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in Game 8 and the Bears’ Justin Fields missed four games with a thumb injury.

“I’d make the argument that he probably is a pretty good head coach,” one scout said of O’Connell. “It’s too early to tell. To do what (Brian) Flores did on defense this year — their personnel on defense is average as hell — was amazing. But they don’t have a long-term quarterback.”

The Bears (7-10) came within a whisker of sweeping the Lions. Coach Matt Eberflus was retained after a 4-2 finish but questions remain.

“Chicago has a roster that’s setting up to be really good,” said one executive. “It will only be as good as the head coach and the quarterback. Right now, those two things are completely unsettled.

“They’re going with this head coach for another year but I don’t think he’s going to be there that long, and they don’t know who their quarterback is going to be. Now they do have the (draft) capital to get one.”

Which brings us to Green Bay, where a source said Packers GM Brian Gutekunst expressed serious reservations about Love at midseason before the fourth-year quarterback did an about-face to erase almost every doubt.

“If I had to pick one team to be the lead in the next five years I would say Green Bay because I think they have the smartest head coach and the quarterback with the most upside,” said one executive. “And, organizationally, they have so much continuity because they don’t fire guys. They keep guys. They know from an organizational standpoint exactly what kind of guys they want to draft on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball.”

When Favre got his chance following Don Majkowski’s ankle injury in Game 2 of 1992 the Packers hadn’t been to the playoffs in a non-strike season since 1972. The Packers missed the playoffs at 9-7 (losing on tiebreakers the Packers and Love won this year in an expanded playoff system) but Favre joined Steve Young and Troy Aikman on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.

On the eve of the 1993 season, GM Ron Wolf said, “I don’t think the Packers are a Super Bowl contender. There is a maturation process here. Everybody wants to go back to the Lombardi era. All those guys were in the Hall of Fame. Who can you say on our roster is a Hall of Fame player?”

Wolf was right. The Packers would go 9-7, 9-7, 11-5 in the next three seasons before overwhelming the NFL in 1996 for Super Bowl supremacy. Reggie White, who had yet to make his debut as a Packer when Wolf spoke, would be the first player inducted from those 1990s teams before being followed by Favre and LeRoy Butler. Wolf made it to Canton as well.

In a path eerily similar to Love’s, Rodgers waited in mothballs for three seasons before taking virtually every snap in Year 4. Statistically, Rodgers was fine (93.8 rating) in 2008. But the Packers plunged a franchise-record seven games in the standings (13-3 to 6-10) largely because Rodgers was 0-8 in fourth-quarter comeback opportunities.

Minnesota, with journeyman Gus Frerotte at the helm, finished atop the division four games ahead of the third-place Packers. Nevertheless, Rodgers was a unanimous selection as the top quarterback in the division ahead of Frerotte, Chicago’s Kyle Orton and Detroit’s Dan Orlovsky.

“We’ve got three of the four teams trying to stabilize the quarterback position,” one NFC North executive said in late December 2008. “I think Green Bay is in the best position with the quarterback. With the exception of a few games, for a first-time starter, I think Rodgers is pretty damn good.”

Two years later, Rodgers was both Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP.

The Packers won this division seven times with Favre (he also won one with Minnesota) and eight times with Rodgers.

Now it’s time for Love, 25, to see if he can own the NFC North as well. Those upwardly mobile Lions, in particular Hutchinson, intend to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“They’ve seen a lot of years of bad football,” Hutchinson, 23, said in reference to Lions fans on Fox after the wild-card squeaker over the Rams. “I think this is just the start of something for a very long time.”

Based on extensive interviews last week with four executives well-versed on the Lions, Packers, Vikings and Bears, the following is Bob McGinn’s All-NFC North team. By the way, the NFC North finished with a 35-33 record, tied with the NFC West for the second-best mark in the NFL behind the AFC North (43-25).

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Icymi: Go Long’s two-part series on the truly unique Romeo Doubs is live.

• Part I: 'You’ve got to see who I am'

• Part II: 'Perspective game'

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ALL-NFC NORTH TEAM

OFFENSE

Wide receivers: JUSTIN JEFFERSON (Minn), D.J. MOORE (Chi) and AMON-RA ST. BROWN (DET). Others, in order: Jordan Addison (Minn), Jayden Reed (GB), Romeo Doubs (GB), Josh Reynolds (Det), Dontayvion Wicks (GB), K.J. Osborn (Minn), Christian Watson (GB), Kalif Raymond (Det), Jameson Williams (Det), Darnell Mooney (Chi).

Jefferson totaled 1,074 yards in his season shortened to 550 snaps due to a hamstring injury. “He is (incredible),” one scout said. “As talented as they come in the modern game, but (Randy) Moss was better. Works at his craft. Good route runner. Makes the tough catches in traffic. Just an all-around playmaker. But this whole quarterback thing showed that the focal point of that offense is really on him. And they won a lot of games when he didn’t play. It’s kind of an enigma.” Moore, the ex-Panther, finished with 1,364 yards in 1,029 snaps. “Only thing he’s lacking is height (6-0) and catch radius (31 5/8-inch arms),” another scout said. “Not a true jump-ball guy but everything else is above plus. Strength, explosive, getting in and out of routes. Can catch through contact. What makes him unique and changed their offense is the ability to run after the catch. That’s what separates him. Is he a top-5 receiver? No, but he’s in the next 10.” St. Brown had 1,515 yards in 1,010 snaps. “He’s awesome,” a third scout said. “Probably one of the most underrated guys. People say, ‘He’s not that fast (4.60).’ But he is so tough and driven. Great hands, can get open, feel for the game, great run blocker. Really a complete player.” The drop-off begins with Addison, the 24th player drafted in April. “Made plays all year long,” said one scout. “Just has to get stronger so he can make plays in traffic. Has hands and concentration. He’s just lean.” Reed led the Packers in receiving yards (793) and the division in rushing yards by a receiver (119). “Special talent,” said one scout. “Brought something they didn’t have. Not a pure receiver. He’s that slot guy that can shake and they can do all kinds of s--- with him.” For the second straight year Watson (nine games) was limited by injury. “He’s the one they need to be healthy but he hasn’t been in college or the pros,” said one scout. “He has a chance to be special if he can stay healthy and develop.” In Watson’s absence, Doubs, Wicks and others emerged. “Interesting — like him,” one scout said of Wicks, a fifth-round choice in April. “Lot of upside. Developing his releases. Catches the ball. Not a speed guy (4.60). Does a nice job working zones. I don’t know if he’ll be a great player but he’ll be a solid player.” Reynolds and Raymond were reliable veterans in Detroit. The speedy Williams, the 12th player drafted in 2022, had merely 24 receptions and two receiving touchdowns in 444 snaps. “Obviously, he’s going to be around and get as many chances as possible because he has the most coveted skill that there is,” said one scout. “It’s a matter of him being consistent. He’s had the (four-game) suspension and everything else but I would not give up on that guy because he can roll.” Osborn and Mooney remain just OK after four seasons.

Left tackle: TAYLOR DECKER (Det). Others, in order: Christian Darrisaw (Minn), Rasheed Walker (GB), Braxton Jones (Chi), Yosh Nijman (GB), Larry Borom (Chi).

Darrisaw received a slight edge over Decker at mid-season but down the stretch Decker surpassed him. “Decker had some issues with power rushers at times but overall he played well,” said one scout. “He is getting older (30). Obviously, he’s not as spry as he was earlier in his career. Darrisaw is very talented. Not a good finisher. That’s an issue with him.” Injuries also affected Darrisaw. “He had some ankle problems that bothered him a lot of the year,” said another scout. “It was like you were watching a different guy. He just wore down as the year progressed. He’s close to (David) Bakhtiari. He’s not as mean as Bakhtiari, which shows up more in the run game. But it’s hard to evaluate him in the run game because they don’t run the ball.” A chronic knee injury reduced Bakhtiari’s season to 55 snaps in the opener. “Darrisaw is an immense talent but I think he gets sloppy,” a third scout said. Walker, a sixth-round pick in 2022, hadn’t played a snap from scrimmage as a rookie before starting 15 games. “He was a little bit better down the stretch,” one scout said. “There’s raw skill there. It’s a matter of getting a little bit stronger in the run game and becoming a little more consistent in pass pro. I do think the movement skill could potentially lead him to being a starter.” Jones, a fifth-round pick in 2022, is a two-year starter with 35 3/8-inch arms. “Just got enough to be a starter,” one scout said. “You want better but you love you got a left tackle that’s super cheap and you can use your resources elsewhere. He plays extremely upright and narrow, and the bull-rush stuff is always going to get him. Most teams probably see him as a third tackle that can start. He’s got a lot of mobility. Plays hard. But because of that lower-body linear build it’s just not ideal in pass pro.” Nijman, with his 21 starts in 2021-’22, was beat out by Walker. Ditto for Borom by Jones. “Based on this year Borom looks like a third tackle at best,” said a scout.

Left guard: ELGTON JENKINS (GB). Others, in order: Teven Jenkins (Chi), Jonah Jackson (Det), Dalton Risner (Minn), Cody Whitehair (Chi), Colby Sorsdal (Det), Royce Newman (GB).

Elgton Jenkins, a four-position starter during his five seasons in Green Bay, missed Games 3-4 because of injury. “Had a good year,” said one scout. “Not quite what it was in his prime but he’s solid.” Said a second scout: “He disappoints me every time I see him. I don’t know if his body’s beat up but he doesn’t have the same pop to his game.” Jenkins fought hard to make 15 starts. “Played hurt most of the year,” a third scout said. “He’s been a little bit off this year because of it.” Drafted No. 39 as a tackle in 2021, Teven Jenkins has settled in at guard. “He doesn’t have the lateral mobility to play tackle,” another scout said. “He doesn’t recover as quickly as you would like because he’s high playing inside. But run blocking, I’m telling you – there’s a reason why they were top three (No. 2) in the run game. He just moves bodies. His biggest issue is himself. Total hypochondriac. If he could stay on the field and play 17 games a year he could be an All-Pro guard.” Jackson probably will enter free agency coming off a so-so season. “One of the more talented, physical guys in the free-agent market,” one scout said. “It’s a little bit just not finishing plays. He has the physical ability. It’s just sometimes you go, ‘He shouldn’t have given up that pressure.’ But when he’s on the move and pulls he can do it all.” Risner, the Broncos’ second-round pick in 2019, was a smart signing as the replacement for the traded Ezra Cleveland over the last 11 games. “He’s a scrapper,” said a scout. “He’ll know where to go. He figures out a way to wrestle with his opponent. He was OK. He’ll probably be back just because he won’t cost a whole lot.” Whitehair, the veteran starting center, logged 790 snaps at center and both guards. His errant shotgun snaps almost limit him to guard in the future. “As soon as he f--ks up a few snaps it gets in his head and he’ll start making wrong calls,” one scout said. “It’s a shame he can’t play the game between his ears. He actually would be a really, really good center.”

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Center: FRANK RAGNOW (Det). Others, in order: Garrett Bradbury (Minn), Josh Myers (GB), Lucas Patrick (Chi), Austin Schlottmann (Minn).

Ragnow has been the best center in this division and one of the best in the NFL for several years. “He’s clearly No. 1 here,” said one scout. “After that, there’s a real big dropoff. The (others) all suck, really. What separates Ragnow is he’s so strong. He has the ability to really handle guys. Most centers are undersized. He’s big (6-5, 309) and strong and smart (Wonderlic score of 26). He’s what you want. His injuries will catch up to him at some point.” Bradbury, a first-round selection in 2019, is weightlifter strong (34 reps on the bench press) but plays smaller than his size (6-3, 300). “Kind of always the same,” said one scout. “Smart and tough but not big enough or strong enough. He can win the quickness battle but just can’t win the strength battle. Almost all the centers are like that. Middle of the pack is about what he is.” Myers was drafted 62nd in 2021, one slot before All-Pro center Creed Humphrey went to Kansas City. “That will always be an albatross around his neck,” said one scout said. “Third year starting, he came along. He’s big but I don’t think he plays strong.”  Added another scout: “He’s feisty and tough. Always competes, but limited as a power guy. Kind of gets edged a little bit, especially as a pass protector. I was hoping he’d take the next step this year and it didn’t happen. He’s a bigger center (6-5, 310), which you like, but you see the deficiencies that kind of limit him.” Patrick ended up playing too many snaps (958) and got exposed in his eighth season. “Lot of bad tape,” one scout said. “I wouldn’t call it a disaster but it was well below. I thought he was a good signing (in spring 2022 as an unrestricted free agent from Green Bay). His run blocking just wasn’t there this year.”

Right guard: GRAHAM GLASGOW (Det). Others, in order: Nate Davis (Chi), Ed Ingram (Minn), Jon Runyan (GB), Sean Rhyan (GB), Halapoulivaati Vaitai (Det), Ja’Tyre Carter (Chi).

One of the NFL’s best free-agent signings of 2023 occurred March 20 when the Lions added Glasgow as the replacement for Evan Brown, their departing center-guard spare. Cut by Denver the week before, Glasgow returned to Detroit on a one-year contact worth $2.76 million ($2.5M guaranteed). When Vaitai was hurt after two games and center Frank Ragnow later missed two games, Glasgow ended up starting 15 games and logging 1,061 snaps. “He played better than they anticipated,” said one scout. “Limited athlete but tough. Really smart. He gave up more ground than you would like at times.” Davis came from Tennessee in unrestricted free agency to start at right guard. Family issues and injuries limited him to 11 starts. “Because of all his major off-the-field stuff and being injured early in camp he came in really out of shape,” said another scout. “First game (against Green Bay), he was the worst lineman in the league. By the time he settled in he was a solid starter. Not special by any means. He gets beat every game. If you grade 60 plays, 50 are good.” Ingram started for the second season. “Good feet,” said one scout. “More athletic body than a strong body. He’s got a little attitude to him. He has to get stronger.” Runyan started every game for the last three seasons but down the stretch was in a job-sharing arrangement with Rhyan. “Runyan’s just so limited movement-wise,” said one scout. “I think he’s tough but he’s just not physically strong and finishing enough.” Rhyan, a third-round pick in 2022, didn’t play a snap from scrimmage as a rookie before getting 183 this year. “I think he played a little bit better at the end of the year than Runyan,” said one scout. “He’s bigger and stiffer (than Runyan). Tries to be a tough guy. Has strength. Kind of the opposite of Runyan. Not quite as aware and refined but probably a bigger, stronger player.”

Right tackle: PENEI SEWELL (Det). Others, in order: Zach Tom (GB), Brian O’Neill (Minn), Darnell Wright (Chi), David Quessenberry (Minn), Dan Skipper (Det).

From top to bottom, right tackle was the best of the offensive-line position in the division. Sewell and the Eagles’ Lane Johnson rate as the NFL’s premier right tackles. “Sewell’s so talented,” said one scout. “He does things people wish they could do. He’ll be a highly-paid man in another year or so. Probably set the market at the position. He’s superfreakish. It’s a joy to watch.” Tom, a fourth-round pick in 2022, started four games at left tackle and another at left guard as a rookie before taking over on the right side from Yosh Nijman this year. “He was the best guy on what’s generally thought of as a pretty good O-line,” another scout said. “Crazy consistent for a second-year guy. Very athletic.” Said another scout: “Smart player, pretty aware in pass pro, stays connected. Little bit lacking in the size (6-4, 304) and length (33 ¼-inch arms) department. At times in pass pro that will show up a little bit. There’s something there. He uses angles and is smart and aware, all that stuff. I don’t know if he’s special but he’ll be a good, solid player for a long time.” O’Neill’s sixth season was another good one. “He’s athletic,” one scout said.  “Not the biggest guy (6-7, 310). Usually he’s tough enough and strong enough to anchor when healthy. He started off hurt, then finished the year hurt. That’s two years he finished the year hurt.” Wright, the No. 10 pick in April, led the Bears in snaps played with 1,133. “Freakish talent,” one scout said. “Can easily be talked about in the same breath as the right tackle in Detroit. They’re not that dissimilar. His run game is special. He just moves bodies. But he was wildly inconsistent. It’s all technique. He gets super lazy. He’s a head ducker. He’s not consistent with his hands. When he does it right — when he sits back and shoots his hands and keeps his head up – he can stone anybody.” Quessenberry is a capable swing tackle.  “He actually played well in spurts,” said one scout.

Tight end: SAM LaPORTA (Det). Others, in order: T.J. Hockenson (Minn), Cole Kmet (Chi), Tucker Kraft (GB), Luke Musgrave (GB), Josh Oliver (Minn).

LaPorta and Hockenson, both former Iowa Hawkeyes, were hard to separate. “He’s better overall than Hockenson because he’s a better blocker,” one scout said. “Hock had more production.” In 790 snaps, Hockenson had 960 yards. In 981 snaps, LaPorta had 889. “Hockenson is a little bit more of a down-the-field weapon than LaPorta is,” the scout said. Regarding Hockenson, another scout said: “Very good year. Big target, scramble-adjusts well. Not a great speed athlete per se but he runs fast enough. His competitive edge kind of takes him to another level. Good blocker, not great.” Kmet, a fourth-year player, gained 719 yards in 878 snaps. “I’d be shocked if there’s a better ‘Y’ tight end that can do everything as consistently as him,” another scout said. “He has one major weakness: he does not separate consistently from man coverage. He doesn’t have great feel and instincts at the top of his routes. He understands zone coverage. (Great) hands. Gotten better at that (in-line blocking). He’s not dominant. For what’s playing in the league right now it’s better than good. You would call it win-with. He’s not an ass kicker.” When Musgrave, the 42nd pick, sat out six games with injury, Kraft, the 78th selection, took off. “Kraft is going to be a hell of a player and he’s a pretty damn good one now,” one scout said. “I look at him as more of a complete tight end than Musgrave. Musgrave can run like hell but he’s built more slenderly. The stuff it takes to be that in-line blocker, I don’t see much of it.” Inconsistent as a receiver, Oliver got after people as a blocker.

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Quarterback: JARED GOFF (Det). Others, in order: Jordan Love (GB), Kirk Cousins. (Minn), Justin Fields (Chi), Tyson Bagent (Chi), Joshua Dobbs (Minn), Nick Mullens (Minn), Jaren Hall (Minn).

Cousins was third in passer rating at 103.8 followed by Goff (ninth at 97.9), Love (11^th at 96.1) and Fields (22nd at 86.3). Of the backups, Mullens led at 88.4 (244 snaps) followed by Dobbs (76.4 for Minnesota, 319 snaps) and Bagent (71.4, 305 snaps). “When Goff is protected and has time he can absolutely tear you apart,” one scout said. “The issue with him is always going to be, he’s not very mobile. When the pressure gets to him that’s where he will have some issues. Not from a pocket standpoint. It’s escaping and all that. I admire what he’s done there. Will he ever be a top, top, top quarterback? No. Just because of his inability to escape. But when he gets hot he sees it really well and he can fling it. You can’t say you don’t have a chance to win with him at quarterback.” Love, with just one start in his first three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers, looked like a different player in the second half of the season compared to the first. “I’d have to put Goff No. 1 but I’m putting Love right on his heels,” said a scout. “He’s got a ton of throwing talent. He’s starting to feel confident and comfortable as a starting quarterback. The sky’s the limit with him, really. He can be really good.” Added a second scout: “I think he’s improving. He still has to tighten up his accuracy throwing into windows but he’s definitely improving. His overall command of the offense has improved. He’s one they can build around.” Cousins was having an outstanding season when he suffered a torn Achilles in Game 8. “Still a top-15 quarterback,” one scout said. “You see the age (35). When protection’s not perfect he’s not quite the same movement guy he used to be. Smart (Wonderlic of 33), well-liked by his team. Still throws a good deep ball. You’d take him over a bunch of guys in the NFL. If he’s out there, whoever needs a quarterback would take this guy. Still a good player.” Said another scout: “They’re bringing him back. Seems like that’s what this whole end of the year was about. Making sure everybody sees we really need this guy. It looks like he still should be a winner but they don’t win. He can still throw the deep overs and get the ball to (Justin) Jefferson. The question is, can you win games with him? How do you give him $50 million?” An even thornier question concerns the Bears’ decision to stick with Fields or use the No. 1 pick in the draft on another quarterback. “When you have to sit back in the pocket and play quarterback that’s where he has shown some development but I don’t know it’s where you can say he can win a Super Bowl,” said one scout. “He did play better the second half of the year. I’ll give him that. It’s still the same thing we’ve said all along. It’s the processing. You take the first guy away and he’s not comfortable sitting in there. That’s why the other guys are ahead of him. He’s by far the best athlete, the most exciting wow plays you can make.” Added another scout: “He’s good, but not a guy you pay a lot of money to. You’ll be disappointed. I love him. But he has three or four red flags that I don’t see him improving enough that will keep him from being a top quarterback in the league. He’s got enough to be a starter somewhere but he can’t lift an average (team).” When Fields suffered a right thumb injury and missed Games 7-10 the undrafted Bagent started, ran for two touchdowns and the Bears went 2-2. “I like the confidence he plays with,” one scout said. “He’s got the natural instincts to play the position. He gets rid of the ball pretty quick. Accurate short to intermediate, does well on the boots. When he has to throw the ball down the field he really, really struggles.” The Vikings replaced Cousins by trading with Arizona for Dobbs, whose four starts ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. “It looked like the more he understood the offense and because of how smart he is and the more he processed it kind of froze him up with his mind and his cleats,” one scout said. “He reads 1,2,3,4 where Mullens processed reads 1 and 2. It wasn’t fair to Dobbs. He never got a chance to get back on the field. He was the only choice to beat Green Bay and Detroit. He’s got a calming personality.” Mullens, the former 49er, replaced Dobbs and produced yards (1,306) and interceptions (eight). “He ain’t afraid,” another scout said. “He’ll throw it out there. He’s going to make some rockhead decisions but he can throw for 400 yards.” Hall, a fifth-round draft choice in April, looked overwhelmed in two abbreviated starts. “He still has to work on his accuracy and grasp of the offense,” said a scout. “But he can make plays with his legs when needed and can throw the ball down the field. He won’t get any taller (6-0).”

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Running back: AARON JONES (GB). Others, in order: Jahmyr Gibbs (Det), David Montgomery (Det), Khalil Herbert (Chi), Alexander Mattison (Minn), Ty Chandler (Minn), Roschon Johnson (Chi), D’Onta Foreman (Chi), AJ Dillon (GB), Craig Reynolds (Det), Patrick Taylor (GB), C.J. Ham, FB (Minn), Khari Blasingame, FB (Chi), Josiah Deguara, FB (GB).

Jones finished fourth in the division in rushing-receiving yards with 889 but that was due largely to his six-game absence due to injury. When healthy, he earned a razor-thin margin over the two Lions. “When he was getting hurt all the time I was getting worried he had reached that running-back neverland,” one scout said. “Since he’s come back he’s looked like a million bucks. It’s not often a guy comes back and suddenly they have a pretty good offense. Suddenly, they had a running game.” Gibbs, the 12th choice in April, played 596 snaps (142 more than Jones) and accumulated 1,261 yards from scrimmage. “He was everything they hoped for,” one scout said. “Home-run hitter. Catches the ball. Has dynamic speed. Developing in the other areas. His pass-game stuff will really come on. He’s a guy you really have to account for on defense.” Montgomery, the former Bear, finished with 1,132 yards from scrimmage in 453 snaps. “He complements Gibbs really well because he’s like the bruiser,” one scout said. “He’ll only get 6 yards but it’s tough yards. He grinds it out where Jahmyr can bust it for 26. Really good pass protector. His mentality is exactly what their team is.” Herbert missed five games with injury. “Really good feet – doesn’t have the best vision,” said one scout. “He’s in the bottom tier of three-down starters. OK in pass protection, OK in the pass game. He’s got a very sneaky, slippery feel in the box where he can squeak out some impressive runs after contact. He’s got really good speed.” Mattison, with 892 yards from scrimmage, became a starter for the first time after Dalvin Cook’s departure. “Like him better as a second back than the first,” said one scout. “He can handle pass pro. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. Doesn’t do anything flashy. Just a solid back.” Chandler, the first of the top six backs to escape injury and play every game, came on late. “Not as big, not as strong (as Mattison) but fast, quick, good hands,” said a scout. “Not a real good pass protector. More of what used to be third-down back. You like to get him isolated so he can use his athleticism.” Johnson (395 snaps) and Foreman (269) played extensively for Herbert. “Johnson played more than Foreman because he can play on special teams and offers more on third downs,” said one scout. “Good in pass protection. He’ll be a good No. 2. Just kind of good in every area but not special in any area. Foreman is better than Johnson as a first- and second-down back. Bigger and stronger, has a better feel.” Jones’ injuries allowed Dillon to start six games and log 494 snaps. He scored two touchdowns, caught 22 passes and averaged 3.4 per carry. “He had a disappointing year for me,” said one scout.  “Looked like he just wasn’t seeing it well this year. He’s bound for free agency this year. I would be surprised if someone paid him a lot.”

Next week: Defense/special teams.