2024 NFC North Position Rankings: Defensive Line

Though Chicago Bears fans hope that the Caleb Williams era will change this perception, they are still famous for their defense. Some of the NFL’s greatest defenses of all time were Bears teams, and each of these teams had a dominating presence up front: from William “The Fridge” Perry to Tommie Harris and Akiem Hicks.

Will this vaunted tradition be upheld in 2024?

Let’s see how these Bears compare to the rest of the division.

Detroit Lions: Aiden Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Marcus Davenport

Few teams have understood the importance of the trenches more than the Lions. Just as they’ve done on offense, the defensive line has received significant investments. Stud pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson was the second overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, and between Reader and Davenport, the Lions doled out nearly $34 million this offseason.

McNeill has also quietly been a key piece to Detroit’s defensive line, earning an excellent 88.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Minnesota Vikings: Jerry Tillery, Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard

Tillery joins the Vikings after two disappointing years with the Raiders, accumulating just two sacks. In six seasons, he has a total of just 12.5 sacks overall. He joins Harrison Phillips, entering his third year in Minnesota, and Jonathan Bullard, who has bounced around the league for much of his eight-year career.

This defensive line is not exactly the most menacing you’ll ever see on paper. But we know that defensive coordinator Brian Flores can be a force multiplier himself with his complex schemes and blitz-happy philosophy.

Green Bay Packers: Preston Smith, Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary

The Packers parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Barry this year, a move welcomed by fans with open arms. In his stead, they’ve hired Jeff Hafley, the head coach for Boston College since 2020. This change of coordinators makes their defense difficult to evaluate, despite being very talented on paper.

Defensive Ends Smith and Gary are both household names but Smith is on the wrong side of 30 and Gary has never had a double-digit sack season. Clark, on the other hand, is an absolute game-wrecker. Any team facing the Packers needs to have a plan and a backup plan on how to contain this guy.

Wyatt, a first-round pick in 2022, had a vastly improved sophomore season. We’ll soon see if that was just the beginning of his career’s ascension or if it will be a flash in the pan.

Chicago Bears: DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter Sr., Montez Sweat

What a difference one pass rusher can make. The Bears were once again near the bottom of the league in most defensive stats for the first half of the 2023 season. However, once they traded for Sweat, they became a Top 10 unit. Sweat led both the Bears and his former team, the Washington Commanders, in sacks for the season, the first time that’s ever happened.

Billings has proven himself as a premier run-stopper in the NFL and earned himself a two-year contract extension in the middle of the season. Next to him, Dexter will try to carry over the momentum he built up over the second half of his rookie season when he was outplaying every other defensive tackle from his draft class. If he can take his game to the next level in his sophomore season, he’ll be on the superstar track.

Unfortunately, Walker is the weak link on the defensive line. Many Bears fans and NFL analysts expected the Bears to draft a premier defensive end with their 9th overall pick to replace him. That didn’t happen, so now he gets one more chance to prove he can be a starter in Chicago.

Chicago Bears outclassed in the division, but still a force to be reckoned with.

The Detroit Lions deserve commendation for how they’ve built this team. The old-school approach of building inside-out, starting with the trenches, has paid off in spades. They’re coming off their first NFC Championship appearance in decades. Heading into 2024, their defensive line is still the cream of the NFC North crop.

Next up is Green Bay, who may be better than Detroit on paper, but the uncertainty of a new defensive coordinator stops me from putting them first. This may change quickly once the season starts, but I’ll need to see it first. Chicago falls in third place. Had they drafted Laiatu Latu or Dallas Turner last month, I’d feel comfortable putting them in second. But they can’t advance higher than third without a second premier defensive end.

Finally, the Vikings are in last place. The talent just isn’t there on paper. Flores may be able to get more out of these players than most coaches, but once again, I’ll need to see it to believe it, especially with Danielle Hunter’s departure.