Biggest storylines in the NFC North revolve around the most important position, especially with the Vikings and Bears
The NFC North is set to begin training camp this week and there are some important storylines to monitor.
The 2026 NFL Season is still six and a half weeks from beginning, but it starts with training camp.
All four teams are reporting to training camp and it marks the unofficial beginning of the year. With practices set to commence, things will be interesting on multiple levels, and each team has a major storyline to monitor throughout training camp.
Minnesota Vikings: Quarterback competition
The biggest story in the entire NFL is unfolding at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. The Vikings will have a battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, with both players being given somewhat equal reps. What this competition isn’t is equal.
Murray is the runaway favorite to win the starting job due to his experience in Arizona. Now, they did move on from him, but it was a very complicated decision. It wasn’t because he can’t play anymore, but financials and a new head coach coming in are also big factors in it. What’s also evident is he’s more talented, accomplished, and ready to start in Week 1 than McCarthy is.
Where the big argument for McCarthy comes into play is with investment. The Vikings traded two day three picks to move up one spot to select him 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s also just 23 years old, and he still has a lot of room to grow. Even so, head coach Kevin O’Connell is getting close to being on the hot seat, as he’s 43-25 in his career but doesn’t have a playoff win. It will be very interesting to see how things evolve, but Murray is the expected
–Tyler Forness, A to Z Minnesota
Chicago Bears: Improvement for Caleb Williams
The Bears have multiple positional battles to watch unfold throughout training camp (LT, C, CB2, etc.) but the biggest storyline fans and the media will be following centers around quarterback Caleb Williams. And the storyline around Caleb Williams centers around his accuracy concerns going into Year 3 and that’s where we need to set some expectations.
Fans and reporters during training camp practices love to track every individual pass a quarterback throws. That’s okay because Ben Johnson is doing the same thing. The difference is Ben Johnson has the context and actually understands what he’s watching. The Bears will be throwing the kitchen sink at Williams defensively and Williams will be trying out different things with his footwork and ball placement during practice. Every play/pass is not always going to be perfect, and it shouldn’t be. The important thing is that Williams is making steady improvement, something that frankly only Johnson and Williams will be able to tell us definitively as camp progresses.
Green Bay Packers: Players returning from injury
Injuries cost the Packers the 2025 season, and there’s no way around it. Looking back, it’s essentially impossible for any team to keep a high enough level down the stretch after so many impactful losses. Therefore, entering 2026, getting some of those pieces back is the most important factor.
Edge defender Micah Parsons is the biggest name, and he’s expected to miss at least the first four games. Now, the question is when exactly he returns from a torn ACL. Maybe it’s early October, maybe it’s a little later.
The list of returning players also includes tight end Tucker Kraft (knee), right tackle Zach Tom (knee), and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle).
Green Bay had 17 players in its rehab group during mandatory minicamp, 11 of whom project as meaningful contributors this season.
–Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Green Bay
Detroit Lions: What’s going on with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch?
The biggest storyline for the Lions right now is the health of safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Both are starting camp on the PUP list. Joseph hinted on social media that he wouldn’t land on PUP, but it would appear Detroit is more interested in taking things as slow as possible with him. If I had to guess, he plays Week 1, plays all season, and the Lions are just being smart about it. They don’t want to rush him back if they don’t have to. That’s probably the best approach.
Branch is the more uncertain case. He’s coming back from a torn Achilles suffered in December of last year, and there’s a potential he could return about halfway through training camp. It depends on the specifics of the tear and the surgery. We don’t have all those answers right now. What we do know is that when Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked whether Branch could come back during training camp, he did not say no. Campbell went on to say Branch has had no setbacks in his recovery and was getting some work in after practices during mandatory minicamp and OTAs. He wasn’t practicing with the team, but he was out on the field doing some stuff with trainers.
There’s reason to feel good about it. If the Lions can have arguably the two best safeties in the division together, that makes their team significantly better.
a