Windy City Gridiron
In our second installment, we’ll take a deeper dive into the NFC North’s defenses. Last year was a mixed bag, but in the end, there was plenty to like. With all four teams projected to have quality offenses, the team with the best defense could end up as the division winner.
In our second installment of ranking the NFC North’s best units, we’ll switch over to the defensive side of the ball. Like the first installment, the primary coaching changes came from the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Each team within the division made their fair share of moves, but none of these units stand out as elite, as you’ll see in the rankings.
With all four teams projecting to have Top 15 offenses, the best defense(s) could make the difference in who wins the division this season. Who has the best chance to field a Top 10 defense in 2025? We’ll dive into each position group and give our thoughts on how we see things heading into the 2025 regular season.
In typical Brian Flores fashion, the Vikings will boast one of the more stacked defensive lines across the league in 2025. Just one year after spending three high-value resources on the edge, they decided to approach the interior in a similar manner. If Dallas Turner can make a big leap in Year 2, this might be football’s deepest and nastiest front four. Assuming they can stop the run, of course.
2. Detroit Lions
These last three spots get tricky. Aiden Hutchinson is one of the better young edge rushers in the league. Adding first-rounder Tyleik Williams to an interior featuring D.J. Reader, Alim McNeil, Levi Onwuzurike, and Roy Lopez gives them unreal depth at tackle. Edge rusher is the best question mark on their entire roster, but something tells me they’ll find a way to add a partner in crime for Hutchinson before the start of Week 1. The interior depth and star power at DE1 wins them the second spot.
The Packers have some name value on their defensive line, but they don’t have a player that I would rate as anywhere near elite. At one point, it looked like Rashan Gary would become that type of player, but he has since tailed off. Kenny Clark is a good player, but he will turn 30 during the season. Devonte Wyatt has turned into an excellent pass rusher on the interior, but has struggled mightily against the run. Green Bay is still awaiting a return on investment from Lukas Van Ness, who was taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft. There’s talent here, and maybe Year 2 in Jeff Hafley’s defense will return better results, but as of now, this group needs to prove it.
4. Chicago Bears
Credit where credit is due for the Bears. In recent memory, this was the first offseason where they didn’t completely ignore one side of the ball. Despite...
