The NFC North has a lot of variability entering the coming season. One of those involves players who might not be meeting expectations and could lose their status with the teams.
In the latest of a series of posts previewing the division ahead of the 2023 season, Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire answered the question: Which players are on the hot seat in 2023?
Chicago Bears: WR Chase Claypool
Claypool’s short time in Chicago has been a bumpy ride since the Bears traded their 2023 second-round pick (No. 32 overall) to the Steelers. Right now, it’s a trade that doesn’t look good for Chicago.
Last season, Claypool failed to make an impact during his seven-game stint with the Bears. He totaled just 14 catches for 140 yards. In his defense, Claypool was thrown into the fire in a system that took players months to truly grasp. But with an offseason to develop a better understanding, Claypool has a chance to carve out a role for himself in this offense. Although it hasn’t helped that Claypool has missed a good portion of the offseason due to a soft tissue injury.
Detroit Lions: DB Ifeatu Melifonwu
Melifonwu enters his third season with the Lions in real peril of not even making the team. The 2021 third-round pick started out at cornerback and fizzled as a rookie. In 2022 the Lions moved him to safety and he struggled even more. A series of minor injuries has complicated his development. The team is trying to find any position in the secondary where the physically gifted Melifonwu would be one of the two best options. The early returns from minicamp showed some progress at free safety, but Melifonwu will need to keep it up.
Green Bay Packers: Remaining 2020 draft class
I’m going to cheat here and pick a bunch of players because the Packers’ entire 2020 draft class is entering 2023 on the hot seat. Can Jordan Love prove he’s the long-term answer in the post-Aaron Rodgers era? Is A.J. Dillon going to bounce back from a self-described disappointing 2022 season? Can Josiah Deguara carve out a bigger role? Can Jon Runyan Jr. go from steady to great and earn a new deal? Will Jake Hanson and Jonathan Garvin even make the 53-man roster? Love is auditioning for one of the biggest jobs in sports, and the rest are going into the final year of rookie deals. The heat is on the 2020 draft class.
Minnesota Vikings: S Lewis Cine
There are quite a few players that could be put in this spot for the Vikings, but none of them will be scrutinized as hard as Cine. The first draft pick of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era, Cine only played two defensive snaps before suffering a broken ankle that required season ending surgery. So far during OTAs, Cine hasn’t done much and it’s not known right now how much of that is due to his injury. Cine has said himself that he is “full go,” but the Vikings training staff is one of the best for a reason and could be keeping things very cautious.
Since the Vikings traded down with division rival Detroit Lions and passed up on Kyle Hamilton, who has been really good for the Baltimore Ravens. If Cine doesn’t do much early on, there will be a lot of concerns discussed amongst fans and media.
