The X Factor for Each NFC North Team in 2024

The NFC North has quickly become one of the most exciting divisions in football, and the 2024 season should be filled with great play from each ball club as a result.

From rookie quarterbacks stepping into their organizations to establish themselves as the future, to teams hoping they can take their next step toward contending, and everything in between.

An NFL season is stacked with variables that impact the outcome of each season. This division is no different. When taking a closer look, there is one standout player that could have major implications for how the year ahead will go for all four franchises.

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Chicago Bears: Ryan Bates, C

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It appears that the Chicago Bears have reached their final former up front, adding the last piece to the offensive line reclamation project that Ryan Poles has emphasized since arriving in the Windy City.

Perhaps the 2024 season could open a spot or two back up, but four pieces return from 2023, with the new center being acquired this offseason via trade from the Buffalo Bills in Ryan Bates. The 27-year-old played a prominent role on the Bills’ 2022 offensive line, stepping in at right guard and starting 15 games. But in 2023, he was on the field for just over three percent of offensive snaps.

Operating as the final piece of the protection puzzle and doing so in an attempt to keep top pick Caleb Williams’ jersey clean brings plenty of pressure. However, this Bears offense is filled with explosive pieces and potential. If Bates can hold down the middle and the offensive line is as good as expected, this Chicago team will be a surprise playoff contender.

Detroit Lions: Carlton Davis III, CB

The Lions are putting the pieces together for a Super Bowl run

In 2023, the Detroit Lions allowed the sixth most passing yards per game to opposing offenses. Part of it was due to the fact that the cornerback room didn’t have enough talent. So instead of sitting on their hands, content with reaching the NFC Championship, general manager Brad Holmes attacked this offseason and made some big additions to the secondary.

The most notable acquisition was trading a third round draft choice to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Carlton Davis III and two sixth rounders. The 27-year-old defender played a key role in the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run in the 2020 season, and has been a reliable defender when healthy for Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay defense. Now with the Lions, Davis will be expected to operate as the veteran leader for their pass defense.

Incoming rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will be key parts of the team’s success, but Davis taking on number ones and providing a veteran presence on the boundary will be huge for the team’s success as they push through the regular season.

If, instead, the cornerback misses large chunks of time in his seventh season like he did last year, when he was on the mend for five games, there could be issues of consistency still plaguing the Detroit pass defense.

Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB

Injuries plagued Stokes’ 2023 campaign, but can he bounce back?

With Eric Stokes battling injuries, the Green Bay Packers pass defense was one of the few issues on this young and improving roster through the back-half of the season. While the team put emphasis on adding talent at safety, they showed confidence in the current cornerback unit, only adding a couple of Day 3 picks to provide depth to the group.

With Stokes playing in just three games in 2023, and nine in 2022, it’d have been easy for Green Bay to justify adding a cornerback with one of their five picks in the first two days of the draft, but instead they gambled on the current group figuring things out and bouncing back in 2024.

Opposite of Stokes, veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander, who is looking to embrace a leadership role in this young team, also missed 10 games on the year.

Both players are talented, but availability is the best ability, and both have had issues showcasing that recently. This Packers team has legitimate Super Bowl potential if they play their best football, but that includes Stokes and Alexander being out there on the field contributing.

If injuries continue to linger for Stokes, the team will be forced to turn to Carrington Valentine, who was thrust into a prominent role last season as a rookie.

Minnesota Vikings: Jerry Tillery, DL

Can the former first round pick ease doubts on the defensive line?

It’s hard to ever doubt a defensive mastermind like Brian Flores, but the Minnesota Vikings defensive line has to be one of the most suspect positional groups heading into 2024. Harrison Phillips has been a dependable run-stuffer for years, but surrounding him are Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery. Both have posted fine years, but seem better as depth options instead of starters.

Tillery has been through the ringer to begin his NFL career. Initially drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, the defensive tackle was expected to be an exciting pass rushing prospect with the potential to evolve into a great interior defender. Instead, he never produced over five sacks in a season and was a huge liability in the run game.

At the midway point of his third season, Tillery’s time with the Chargers came to an end, and he was shipped to the Las Vegas Raiders. While he hasn’t been stellar, the fifth-year veteran has shown some improvement to play a large part in the rotation of the Raiders’ front seven in 2023, and even started in six contests.

Now, the 27-year-old joins the Vikings defensive line as a projected starter. If he can continue to iron out his game and maybe surprise with a productive season in 2024, he could be a huge boost to the defense, and help the team’s overall performance through the expected rebuilding year.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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