Trade deadline needs for EVERY NFC North team: Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Bears

Trade deadline needs for EVERY NFC North team: Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Bears

back here on HQ Spotlight. All right, let’s look at the situation for the NFC North. Every team 500 or better, the Packers currently sitting at the top where I still cannot get used to the four one and one record. It is really bothering me. Every time we talk about the NFC North or the NFC East or the Cowboys, I’m like that dang tie. Oh my goodness. But they are minus 115 to win the division. The Lions sitting there at 4-2 plus 155. And man, how about the Bears rattling off four straight wins. It feels like they have so much momentum and the Vikings still out of this thing despite dealing with injuries with JJ McCarthy. They are sitting there at 3 and three right at 500 16 to1 to win the NFC North. All right, so Rand is back with us here and we’re going to talk about team needs ahead of this trade deadline November 4th by the way for each team starting with the Packers as they’re sitting at 4-1 and one right now. The tie is working in their favor down the line and by not so much but what are their biggest team needs ahead of this trade deadline ran? I mean, this is one team that if you look at their roster from top to bottom, there aren’t very many holes on this roster. Now, I’m sure the the the astute Packers fan can point to a ton of things that they feel like the team needs help with, but just looking from a roster construction standpoint, I’m sure there are one or two people that you’d love to improve upon. Um, and whether it’s realistic or not, we don’t know. But so for me, I went with O line depth because their their top five O linemen are really good players, pretty good players. And um and I just think they’re one tough injury away from having some real concerns and being able to protect Jordan Love because pretty soon he’s going to be getting all his receivers back and they’re going to be some tough decisions that that are going to be made just in terms of whether they activate guys, what roster moves that they’re going to make to get those guys up on the on the team. And so to once those guys get back, you’re going to need Jordan Love to be upright so he can get the ball to all those guys. So I just went with O line depth. You know what? Honestly, I do feel like and maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like if depth is what you’re targeting at the trade deadline, I feel like that’s a pretty good place to be, right? Or do you agree with that or not so much? Yeah, I mean you’re again there are not again there there are few holes on this team because you can someone can argue that they would want a corner where you got to understand how Jeff Hafley plays that uh defense and what that position means and the style of corner. There aren’t very many tall long guys walking the um this earth that can play that style of corner and so you don’t necessarily need a top flight Patrick Satan. Although you would love to have a Patrick Sante in the second, you don’t need that for that defense because so much is predicated off of what they’re able to do up front. Yeah, of course. All right, let’s go to the Lions. A team that’s in action tonight against the Bucks in prime time, we’re talking edge rushers. Of course, we know with Aiden Hutchinson coming off an injury and it feels like week by week, he is coming into form in the player that we’re we’re used to seeing, right? But obviously having someone on the opposite side cannot cannot hurt. No. And this is again, this is another kind of depthish because this guy that I’m going to speak on, he doesn’t get the credit. And and shout out to Brad Holmes and uh Ray Agnu and Dwayane Joseph and their staff in Detroit for being able to sign this guy. I think they initially signed him to the practice squad and then elevate him and he’s played a role and that’s uh Alcad Muhammad. Uh he’s played a ton of ball for them and he is active. He is a high motor guy and he is full tilt to the ball every single snap. And so being able to find a player like that allows you to overcome losing a Marcus Davenport who you signed as a free agent who’s once again on IR. And so they they’re going to need another guy off the edge, right? Because Aiden Hutcherson is a complete baller and I think we’re seeing that and seeing that he’s healthy again. but having another guy off the edge and they they’ve been linked to a edge rusher going back to last year and I think they understand the importance of that position. So adding another guy there wouldn’t hurt them at all. Totally. All right. What about the Vikings? Because yes, they’re last in the division, but you’re still at 500, which isn’t a terrible place to be here at this point in the season, but what’s a hole that they certainly need to fill? Well, I think they need another safety, right? Because they have three safeties, I believe, on the roster right now. and Harrison Smith. I’m not that much older than Harrison Smith and he’s still playing. But I say that because there’s so much required of the safety in this defense, right? They move Josh Matelis around in a bunch of different places. And for Brian Flores’s defense, the safety is it’s almost like a linebacker just being able to get you lined up, make the adjustments, make the calls. And so they’re going to need a player that can handle all of that. My initial thought was a Kyle Duggar type guy from the New England Patriots, but Kyle Duggar comes with a high cap number that I don’t think the Vikings will take take on. So, is there a player on the street from a mental capacity that could take on everything that is required of a safety in Brian Flores’s defense? And I think that’s a spot that they should look at if they were looking for somebody. Yeah. And and I like how you point out to the mental aspect of it as well because we know that he’s certainly a very tough guy and is all business. The quarterback situation is very interesting, right? Because they haven’t had JJ McCarthy, you have Carson Wentz, and that experience watching Carson Wentz. It’s a little little bit of a roller coaster, right? We don’t really always know what we’re going to get. How do you feel about the quarterback situation right now when it comes to the Vikings? Well, I mean, when I saw the graphic of their records in the division, and the fact that the Minnesota Vikings are three and three to this point without their their week one starter, uh, in JJ McCarthy just talks about how great of a job Kevin Oonnell does preparing his football team to win every week. Here’s the thing. We know how this Carson Wentz movie is going to end, right? We we’ve seen seen this film before. We’ve seen it. It’s it’s so only only so many reboots of the of the Carson Winston uh movie that that we can see. Um but even kudos to him for the way he’s played and and his ability to keep them in games. But I respect the fact that the Vikings are allowing JJ McCarthy to get healthy before they put him back out there to see what he has. Because you also have to think about this too, Jacqueline. Uh Kevin Okonnell and Quio Adopmens were both rewarded with um extensions this offseason. So they’re pretty comfortable in knowing that there’s going to be a next year for them. And that is what’s allowing them to go with Wentz a little bit longer and allowing their guy JJ McCarthy to get healthy so when they put him back out on the football field they can properly evaluate him. Yeah. Because even though he’s technically not a rookie, he basically you know what I mean in terms of playing time and all of that stuff. finally want to get to the Bears because it’s been really fun, right? The last couple of games they won four straight. It feels like the momentum is there. They’ve scored 20 plus points in every single game this season. The offense is not what you’re worried about. We’re going to the other side of the ball for their need here at the trade deadline. Yeah, and it’s adding more depth for them at the corner position. Initially, I would have said safety. Um, but I like where the old man, and I’m KB, I’m calling you the old man, where Kevin Bard is playing. He’s amongst the uh league leaders in interceptions and he’s had a resurgence in terms of being able to take away the football, but you still don’t have Jaylen Johnson who is their cornerback one. Um, and Tyreek Stevenson has played well in spots, but he has to become more consistent. And Kyler Gordon is one of the better uh nickels in the game and was rewarded with a contract extension this offseason to say that. And so you have a guy like Nan Wright who’s come in and he’s been serviceable and has two interceptions on the season. But I think you need to continue to add depth there, especially with in this division, right? Because those um the the receivers that they’re going to face in Detroit and in Green Bay and in Minnesota, they there there’s going to be a lot coming at them. So you better have some depth at that corner position that’s going to help you out down the stretch of the season. Absolutely. You got guys like Justin Jefferson that you got to add. uh all the guys in Green Bay, Matthew Golden, um we again uh it’s just a bunch of guys in this division in terms of the receiver position. And we didn’t even say the Detroit guys. Think about that. And so that’s coming. And then how are you going to play uh Sam Leaporta? Like yes, he’s a tight end, but he runs routes like a receiver, he has hands like a receiver, and he’s fast like it. So you’re going to have to be creative in how you do that. And that’s another reason why Minnesota could go with another safety because of the way you play Josh Matelis and put Matelis down in the box near that and you could potentially play him as a big nickel and have another safety out in the post with Harrison Smith. Absolutely. So it feels like obviously the margin for error all across the league is slim, but in this division especially when it’s already this tight here as we’re going into week eight. So out of all of these teams, Ren, which to you do you think the trade deadline is most crucial for that they really, you know, make the right moves in terms of still being in it in terms of the of the playoffs? I think for me, if we’re looking at it and we see the graphic here with the standings, I think the biggest team here just in terms of being able to be able to bolster their roster down the stretch is going to be Detroit. Okay, Green Bay already did it with with the Michael Parson trade coming into the season and we’ve seen the dividends that’s paid. Michael Parsons had three sacks yesterday, but I think Detroit can really help themselves in their defense because the one thing that I didn’t mention with this Detroit team, uh, when they play tonight, they’re going to be without their starting corners. Their Well, excuse me, not just starting corners. Their starting secondary from week one is not playing right. So, Brian Brian Branch is suspended. Kirby Kirby Joseph’s injured. Um, DJ Reed’s on IR and Terion Arnold’s hurt. And so being able the best thing to help a secondary that’s that’s young that’s inexperienced is a pass rush because that’s going to force the ball to come out quick. And so I think moving forward because I don’t know how long these guys are going to be out. We know Brian Branch is just one game and he’ll be back but we don’t know where Kirby Joseph is. DJ Reed’s got to miss at least another two games. Terion Arnold it’s a shoulder so you don’t know and he’s a physical player. And so being able to get that uh that pass rushing forces the ball to come out quick would take a lot of pressure off the quarterbacks and have to cover for a long time. And it’s kind of ironic because Tampa Bay, they’re almost having the opposite problem where all of their white outs are are dealing with injuries, right? Um we’re going to get Mike Evans back tonight and potentially a Mecca Ibuka back tonight. Yeah. Hopefully for Baker Mayfield, man, because he’s just putting his life out on the line with wide receiver 567, right? Um, Rand, we certainly appreciate it talking with us about the AFC North, the NFC North, and the biggest needs that these teams should target at the trade deadline, which by the way, again, is November 4th. All right, the NFC North, the week eight slate, the Vikings. They are in prime time against the Chargers, the Bears and the Ravens. A reminder again, you can watch that on CBS where the Ravens are hopefully going to get Lamar back in that game. Then we have the Steelers and the Packers the Sunday night game, 8:15 Eastern. [Music]

Ran Carthon joins CBS Sports HQ with trade deadline needs for every NFC North teams.

(0:00:00) NFC North standings
(0:00:47) Packers trade deadline needs
(0:02:36) Lions trade deadline needs
(0:03:51) Vikings trade deadline needs
(0:06:35) Bears trade deadline needs
(0:08:46) Pick to win NFC North
(0:10:25) NFC North Week 8 slate

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