NFL training camps open next week as veterans report across the league.
Here’s a look at the major storylines for the Chicago Bears’ NFC North rivals.
Camp site: Allen Park, Mich.
Key additions: RB David Montgomery, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Marvin Jones, TE Sam LaPorta, CB Cameron Sutton, DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Jack Campbell, CB Emmanuel Moseley, G Graham Glasgow, K Riley Patterson.
Key losses: RB D’Andre Swift, RB Jamaal Williams, WR DJ Chark, C Evan Brown, CB Jeff Okudah, S DeShon Elliott, CB Mike Hughes, DE Michael Brockers.
Key storylines: The Lions enter the season with the highest expectations they’ve had in years. They won eight of their last 10 games last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since 2017. They bolstered their shaky defense in free agency and the draft. Keeping QB Jared Goff healthy will be important because backup Nate Sudfeld has only six games of experience since being drafted in 2016. There will be a kicking competition with Michael Badgley trying to hold off Patterson to keep his job.
Fanduel Super Bowl odds: +2200
Camp site: Green Bay.
Key additions: K Anders Carlson, TE Tucker Kraft, S Tarvarius Moore, TE Luke Musgrave, S Jonathan Owens, WR Jayden Reed, OLB Lukas Van Ness.
Key losses: S Adrian Amos, WR Randall Cobb, K Mason Crosby, WR Allen Lazard, TE Marcedes Lewis, DL Dean Lowry, DL Jarran Reed, QB Aaron Rodgers, TE Robert Tonyan.
Key storylines: The Packers are entering a new era as they adjust to the absence of Rodgers, the four-time MVP now with the New York Jets. New starting QB Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round pick from Utah State, has made just one career start. The Packers have two separate weeks of joint practices in training camp — against the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots — giving Love more opportunities to work with a young receiving group that has second-year pros Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs as its most proven options. The biggest question on defense is at safety as the Packers try to identify who will start alongside Darnell Savage, who’s coming off a disappointing 2022 season.
Fanduel Super Bowl odds: +4000
Camp site: Eagan, Minn.
Key additions: Defensive coordinator Brian Flores, CB Byron Murphy, WR Jordan Addison, CB Mekhi Blackmon, OLB Marcus Davenport, DL Dean Lowry, TE Josh Oliver.
Key losses: RB Dalvin Cook, CB Patrick Peterson, OLB Za’Darius Smith, LB Eric Kendricks, WR Adam Thielen, DL Dalvin Tomlinson, CB Duke Shelley, CB Chandon Sullivan, TE Irv Smith.
Key storylines: Several salary-cap-driven subtractions have created opportunity and pressure for their replacements. Alexander Mattison is first in line for carries after Cook’s departure. Drafting Addison in the first round followed the jettisoning of Thielen, as QB Kirk Cousins tries to develop another trusted option to supplement superstar Justin Jefferson. Brian Asamoah takes over for the mainstay Kendricks, as Flores unfurls a faster and more aggressive scheme after a dismal 2022 for the defense. Davenport, a 2018 first-rounder coming off an underwhelming stint with the New Orleans Saints, has a big hole to fill as an edge rusher with not only Smith gone but Danielle Hunter’s status unclear. The three-time Pro Bowl pick, seeking a new contract, skipped the offseason program. The spotlight again falls on Cousins, who for the first time in his six years in Minnesota will play on an expiring deal.
Fanduel Super Bowl odds: +3500
