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NFC North teams added dozens of intriguing young players over the weekend. They filled glaring holes and added to already-established strengths. Some areas remain weak, of course, while other selections created new storylines we hadn't anticipated.

So here's my post-draft plan. We'll use this post to lay out the unfilled holes and new storylines and then circle back over the next days and weeks as needed. I'll also sprinkle in some interesting and/or offbeat stories that emerged from the draft but would have been buried if I had posted them over the weekend.

Issue: The Green Bay Packers continued signaling potential change at left tackle.
Analysis: Coach Mike McCarthy said in March that the team needed better play from its left tackle position, manned last season by Marshall Newhouse. Then the Packers went out and drafted Colorado's David Bakhtiari and Cornell's J.C. Tretter in the fourth round. Bakhtiari has played left and right tackle; Tretter played tackle as well but might project as a guard. Saturday, McCarthy left all options open at the position -- including moving right tackle Bryan Bulaga back to the position he played at Iowa. McCarthy also said he is "really counting" on Derek Sherrod, the Packers' top pick in 2011 who hasn't played since breaking his leg late that season, to compete for the job. Don Barclay, who started four games last season at right tackle (plus another two in the playoffs), is also in the mix. Suddenly, the Packers have six legitimate possibilities to compete for the left and right tackle spots if they want. Moving Bulaga isn't as easy as it sounds, and there is something to be said for leaving him at a position he has excelled at. But it's telling that the Packers are even considering it.

Issue: The Packers drafted 11 players, but none of them were safeties.
Analysis: General manager Ted Thompson said afterwards that he has faith in incumbents M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian, who will compete to play alongside Morgan Burnett. We'll see if the Packers feel compelled to kick the tires on a veteran. Among those available are Quintin Mikell, Kerry Rhodes and Gerald Sensabaugh. Historically, the Packers' approach has been to evaluate younger incumbents first before seeking veteran replacements elsewhere.

Issue: None of the Minnesota Vikings' nine draft choices play middle linebacker.
Analysis: We should note that the Vikings used a seventh-round pick on Penn State's Michael Mauti, who has been projected as a middle/inside linebacker by some. But Mauti is recovering from his third career ACL tear and can't be counted on to fill any sort of significant role. Internal candidates include Erin Henderson, the strong-side linebacker whom the Vikings have said could play inside if needed, and 2012 seventh-round pick Audie Cole. The elephant in the room is veteran Brian Urlacher, who was reported at one point this spring to have had conversations with Vikings officials. Urlacher isn't anything close to the profile of the player general manager Rick Spielman typically brings in, but this is an extenuating circumstance. Remember, the Vikings used their nickel defense on 58.9 percent of their snaps last season. Whomever plays middle linebacker for the Vikings could be off the field for two of every five snaps.

Issue: The Vikings used a fifth-round pick to make Jeff Locke the first punter drafted.
Analysis: In the past five years, four punters have been selected with a fifth-round pick or higher. All four became their team's primary punters in their rookie seasons. There is every reason to believe the Vikings plan for Locke to replace veteran Chris Kluwe, perhaps as soon as they get a look at him during their rookie minicamp this summer. I know that Spielman said Locke was brought in "to compete" for the job, but that competition will be short and one-sided. NFL teams don't use draft picks on specialists unless they are certain they want to make a change.

Issue: The Detroit Lions didn't draft an offensive tackle after the departure of both 2012 starters.
Analysis: Riley Reiff, the Lions' top draft choice in 2012, will start at left tackle. The Lions' right tackle could be Jason Fox or Corey Hilliard. That still leaves the Lions thin along the line, especially at right guard if rookie Larry Warford isn't ready to step in right away. Regardless, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew made clear the Lions need to add more depth. "We're really young there so we'll look at some veteran guys there I think over the next few weeks."

Issue: The Lions didn't draft a receiver until the sixth round (Virginia Tech's Corey Fuller), but they almost….
Analysis: According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Lions told Michigan's Denard Robinson that they planned to draft him with the No. 136 overall pick. Mayhew had spoken before the draft about Robinson's potential as a "slash" player from the backfield and/or slot receiver position. Robinson, however, was selected at No. 135 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eventually the Lions used the No. 166 overall pick to select Notre Dame's Theo Riddick, who is not as explosive as Robinson but is a good receiver out of the backfield in his own right. Ultimately, the Lions finished this draft thin at the traditional receiver position given the injury rehabilitations of Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles.

Issue: The Chicago Bears did not draft a quarterback, seemingly leaving Josh McCown as the primary backup to Jay Cutler.
Analysis: The Bears figured to be a candidate to draft a quarterback in part because of coach Marc Trestman's expertise in developing them and in part to end the cycle of searching for a veteran backup each year. In the end, the Bears couldn't justify drafting one given their limited number of picks. (They started with five and through trades finished with six.) Said general manager Phil Emery: "Things would have to line up perfect to take a quarterback with five picks." McCown was relatively impressive during a two-start stint to end the 2011 season, but overall he has played in a total of six games over the past five seasons. I wouldn't call this the Bears' most pressing need, and the Bears signaled as much with their draft results.

Issue: The Bears feel better about their tight end situation than most draft pundits.
Analysis: Many draft analysts thought the Bears would draft Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert if they had a chance, but they passed him up Thursday night in favor of offensive lineman Kyle Long. Eifert went one pick later to the Cincinnati Bengals. It's true that Eifert would have been a luxury pick given the free-agent acquisition of tight end Martellus Bennett, but in the larger sense he would have been another weapon for quarterback Jay Cutler's make-or-break season.

The Chicago Bears announced Friday they agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Josh McCown on a one-year deal to serve as a backup to Jay Cutler.

Read the entire story.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Welcome to Eight in the Box, an NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week's topic: How each NFC North team needs to address the quarterback position.

Chicago Bears: First, the new coach Marc Trestman must decide whether he thinks Jay Cutler is the team's long-term starter. Cutler's contract expires after the 2013 season, giving the Bears a chance to move on if Trestman is disappointed. Assuming he is not, the Bears must get Cutler signed to an extension over the next 12 months or be forced to use their 2014 franchise tag on him.

Of more immediate concern is Cutler's backup. Jason Campbell is a pending free agent, but the Bears might not want to devote the $3-$4 million in cap space it would require to re-sign him. Josh McCown, the 2012 third-stringer, could be an option.

Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford's $20.8 million cap figure needs to be lowered, and talks are underway on a contract extension. Regardless, he is the Lions' long-term starter. Backup Shaun Hill, 33, is signed through the 2013 season. He is a favorite of the coaching staff and is unlikely to be replaced by Kellen Moore, the 2012 third-stringer.

Green Bay Packers: Starter Aaron Rodgers' 2013 compensation of $9.75 million is well below market value and will lead to contract talks, but there is every expectation that he will play his entire career in Green Bay. Backup Graham Harrell played sparingly last season and could conceivably be challenged by 2012 draft choice B.J. Coleman.

Minnesota Vikings: Team officials have committed to Christian Ponder as their unquestioned starter, buoyed by his strong performance at the end of last season. Ponder will need a more consistent season in 2013 to generate "franchise" status, but the Vikings will give him every opportunity.

Backup Joe Webb will be forced to win his job back, probably in a training camp competition against a veteran to be acquired. Webb was thrown into an admittedly tough position as a surprise playoff starter, but his performance still cast doubt on whether he should be entrusted with the role moving forward.

There are two Chicago Bears quarterbacks under contract: Jay Cutler and Matt Blanchard. That will change at some point in the offseason when the Bears fill out the back end of the quarterback depth chart either via free agency or the draft.

The Bears could also decide to bring back one, or both of the veteran reserves they had at the end of last season in Jason Campbell and Josh McCown, both of whom are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents.

The Bears signed Campbell to a one-year deal last offseason worth a total of $3.5 million ($2 million signing bonus, $1.4 million base salary, $100,000 workout bonus) in order to better protect themselves in the event Cutler missed any time due to injury, which he did.

Campbell took over for a concussed Cutler at the beginning of the second half of the Bears' home loss to the Houston Texans, then got the call to start the following game in San Francisco. The 49ers game was a debacle, but it's difficult to blame it all on Campbell, considering his two offensive tackles spent much of the night on their backs. Campbell finished the season completing 32-of-51 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 72.8, not exactly the kind of numbers that will excite teams in need of a starting quarterback, although it is possible Campbell could find a better opportunity and more playing time elsewhere in free agency.

But the laid back and reserved Campbell certainly did not make any enemies during his one-year stint in Chicago, so if the Bears decide they can't upgrade the No. 2 spot, another season with Campbell isn't a horrible option.

McCown brings tremendous value to a roster because of his personality, experience and willingness to impart his wisdom onto others. There is no doubt in my mind that McCown will be an NFL coach one day when his playing career is officially over. But with any veteran back-up, the issue always comes back to money. It is much more expensive to pay the veteran minimum to a guy like McCown with 10 accrued NFL seasons than it is to carry a younger player on your roster, even if it would be more beneficial to the team to keep the older player. McCown can also still play if necessary, which he showed last season in the preseason finale versus the Cleveland Browns.

If the Bears choose to add another veteran quarterback, not named Campbell or McCown, here are some of the options expected to be available in free agency, in no particular order.

(Read full post)

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Chicago Bears released their list of inactives for Sunday's NFC North showdown against the Minnesota Vikings, and the lone surprise comes in starting defensive tackle Stephen Paea, who was officially listed as questionable.

(Read full post)

The Chicago Bears officially re-signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown on Tuesday to provide depth with starter Jay Cutler likely to miss Monday night's matchup at San Francisco as he recovers from a concussion sustained Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Read the entire story.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- With Jay Cutler's status in question, the Chicago Bears are expected to re-sign veteran quarterback Josh McCown, a league source confirmed on Monday.

Read the entire story.

CLEVELAND -- Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown received his most significant action of the preseason Thursday, when he threw for two touchdown passes in leading his team to a 28-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns to end the preseason season.

Instead of worrying about whether he’ll make the final 53-man roster, McCown chose to soak in the experience, knowing that “the reality is it may be the last time you put the pads on; you just don’t know.”

“All I know is they paint the field, and turn on the lights, you have to go play and play hard. That’s the only way I know how to do it,” said McCown, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards and a passer rating of 90.7. “I am proud of the guys that play with me. A lot of them were probably in junior high school when I started playing in the league, but they all play hard.”

McCown tossed both of his touchdown passes in the first half: a 30-yard TD toss down the seam to Dane Sanzenbacher, and an 11-yard touchdown to Armando Allen. At the end of the first half, McCown had racked up 137 yards through the air on 16-of-20 passing for a rating of 128.5.

McCown acknowledged that although the fourth preseason game isn’t “that big of a deal” for every player on the team, “but for the guys in there playing it is.”

“I am happy for those guys to have that moment, and play hard to finish that game.”

CLEVELAND -- Josh McCown made a strong case for the Chicago Bears to carry three quarterbacks on the active roster as the veteran completed 16 of 20 first-half passes for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns in leading the Bears to a 14-7 lead at halftime.

McCown threw an 11-yard strike to Armando Allen on a quick slant with less than five minutes left in the second quarter to give the Bears a 14-0 lead. He also connected with Dan Sanzenbacher on a 30-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

The Browns finally punched the ball in the end zone when Seneca Wallace hit Rod Winsor for a 3-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left on the clock to cut the Bears’ lead to 14-7 at halftime.

The Bears’ second quarter scoring drive began on Cleveland's 44-yard line -- thanks to an awful 24-yard punt by Browns kicker Reggie Hodges -- and was aided by a 23-yard pass interference penalty when McCown tried to hit Brittan Golden down the right side of the field.

McCown finished the half with a 128.5 passer rating.

Allen led the Bears with five catches for 51 yards as he battles veteran Lorenzo Booker for the No. 3 running spot on the depth chart. Booker displayed several nifty moves in the ground game where he picked up 48 yards on seven carries. Allen rushed the ball six times for only 10 yards.

CLEVELAND -- Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith has decided to rest quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell in favor of veteran third-stringer Josh McCown against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason finale.

The Bears also sat every offensive and defensive starter against the Browns.

McCown signed with the Bears last season in late November and appeared in three games, starting the final two games of the regular season. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 414 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Bears re-signed McCown to a one-year deal in the offseason to serve as the club's No. 3 quarterback. The team waived undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Matt Blanchard on Sunday.

» NFC Backup QBs: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Assessing the Chicago Bears' backup QB situation if Jay Cutler is injured and misses time.

With the beating Cutler has taken in a Bears uniform and the present state of the offensive line, I commend Chicago for adding Jason Campbell to the mix. He's one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Campbell has bounced around the league quite a bit thus far, and there could be an argument that he was never truly given a legitimate chance to thrive in one system. But Campbell plays the game slower than needed to be a true starter. He has a big arm and is a strong deep passer, which works well with the Bears’ now-bigger wide receivers. Campbell has started 70 games in the NFL, with his team winning 31 of them. The Bears also have the veteran Josh McCown and youngster Nathan Enderle, who could be the odd man out since both Campbell and McCown have starting experience. McCown has 33 starts at this level.

Confidence rating (out of 100) if Cutler is out for an extended period: 70.

CHICAGO -- The entire Chicago Bears 2012 draft class is scheduled to descend on Halas Hall beginning Friday for the club's annual three-day rookie minicamp, but second-round choice Alshon Jeffery recently got an introductory lesson to the offense courtesy of veteran third-string quarterback Josh McCown.

Jeffery ran routes and caught passes from McCown when the two worked out together last weekend in Rock Hill, S.C., a city about 30 minutes outside of Charlotte, N.C. Jeffery hails from St. Matthews, S.C., while McCown played quarterback for the Carolina Panthers from 2008 to '09 and maintained a residence in the area. McCown was a voluntary assistant football coach for a North Carolina high school before he signed with the Bears on Nov. 23, 2011.

McCown left the workouts impressed with the rookie wideout, whom the Bears moved up five spots to grab at No. 45 overall on Day 2 of the draft.

"He seems like a good kid," McCown said. "I was very impressed with him mentally. Great hands, too."

Jeffery was a first-team All-American at South Carolina in 2010 when he hauled in 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns. His numbers dipped his final season at South Carolina when the Gamecocks dismissed their starting quarterback and went to a more ground-based attack. But Jeffery wrapped up his collegiate career by taking home MVP honors of the Capital One Bowl after he managed to catch four passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in a rout over Nebraska.

"I had a chance to watch him play a couple games last year, and he's a big, physical receiver," Bears receiver Earl Bennett said Wednesday on ESPN 1000's "Carmen, Jurko and Harry Show." "A guy who is going to do very well in the red zone because of his height. I'm pretty sure he's motivated to come play in the NFL and prove people wrong that he should've been a first-round pick. I feel like he's got a chip on his shoulder to come out and prove people wrong."

The Bears worked to quickly sign Jeffery, who agreed to terms on a four-year deal May 2. Now that Jeffery is under contract, he and other signed draft picks (Evan Rodriguez, Greg McCoy and Isaiah Frey) are eligible to start participating in the Bears' official offseason workout program at the start of next week, following the conclusion of this weekend's rookie minicamp. Jeffery also turned down an invitation to attend the 2012 NFLPA Rookie Premiere, an annual event at which selected rookies are flown to Los Angeles to be photographed for their NFL player cards, in order to spend more time participating in the Bears' offseason program, according to a league source.

With free agency nearly two weeks old, let’s do a quick rundown of some of the contracts of Chicago’s new acquisitions in addition to a few of the deals of players who recently re-signed with the club:

QB Jason Campbell ($2M signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $1.4M ($100,000)
Note: Can earn up to $1M in incentives based on playing time.

LB Blake Costanzo ($400,000 signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $700,000 ($25,000)
2013: $715,000 ($25,000)
Note: $50,000 Pro Bowl incentives in each year of deal, and another $100,000 incentive in 2013 based on playing time.

TE Kellen Davis ($2.7M signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $700,000 ($100,000)
2013: $2.4M ($100,000)

DE Israel Idonije ($1.5M signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $900,000 ($100,000)
Note: Can receive another $250,000 in incentives for reaching certain sack numbers.

WR Brandon Marshall
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $9.3M ($200,000)
2013: $9.1M ($200,000)
2014: $9.1M ($200,000)

QB Josh McCown ($25,000 signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $825,000 ($25,000)

S Craig Steltz ($125,000 signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $700,000 ($50,000)
2013 base salary (workout bonus): $765,000 ($50,000)

WR/KR Eric Weems ($1.5M signing bonus)
2012 base salary (workout bonus): $700,000 ($25,000)
2013: $865,000 ($50,000)
2014: $1M ($100,000)

The Chicago Bears entered the 2011 season with two backups quarterbacks with zero NFL starts on their resumes and paid the price for it. A year later they have gone from the greenest corps of backup quarterbacks to one of the NFL's most experienced.

After the signings of Jason Campbell as the primary backup and Josh McCown as the third QB, the Bears have 103 career NFL starts behind starter Jay Cutler, a drastic improvement over Caleb Hanie and then-rookie Nathan Enderle a year ago.

"It's nice that [Campbell] has started 70 contests," Bears general manager Phil Emery said Thursday. "And it's nice that he's gotten six seasons under his belt and thrown for over 60 percent, he has 74 touchdowns and he has an 82.8 passer rating. Those are all extreme positives. It's also very positive that he has the size that he has. ... Arm strength is very important because of our weather and the division that we play in. You'll notice that Jay and Jason have big arms. That to me was a prerequisite moving forward."

Campbell, a first-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 2005, spent the past two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, finishing with an 11-7 record in his 18 starts there. His best season came in 2009 when he started 16 games for the Redskins, passing for a career-high 3,618 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Campbell, who will be introduced at a press conference on Friday at Halas Hall, knew heading into free agency that he would sign somewhere as a backup. Bears coach Lovie Smith is happy to have him.

"We did a lot of work on Jason Campbell when he came out of Auburn years back," Smith said Thursday. "Really liked him. I like the guy, the person, him being in the locker room. His size, his poise. His grandmother lives here in Chicago. He's got a lot of relatives here. We thought that he would be the perfect backup for Jay."

The Bears brought McCown back as the No. 3 quarterback after the nine-year veteran had a two-game stint as the starter at the end of last season with Cutler hurt and Hanie benched. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes and threw for two touchdowns and four interceptions in three games last season.

McCown, 32, has started 33 of his 50 NFL games played in nine seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2002-05), Detroit Lions (2006), Raiders (2007), Carolina Panthers (2008-09) and Bears (2011) after entering the league as a third-round selection by Arizona in the 2002 NFL draft.

"There's a reason we brought back Josh McCown," Smith said. "He did a super job in a tough situation last year. And our fourth quarterback, Nathan Enderle, gets a chance to learn from not only one good quarterback with a lot of experience but three. We feel real good about our quarterback position now."

A day after signing quarterback Jason Campbell to serve as Jay Cutler's primary backup, the Bears agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran quarterback Josh McCown on Wednesday.

McCown is expected to enter training camp as the No. 3 quarterback. Second-year quarterback Nate Enderle is also under contract with the Bears.

McCown appeared in three games for the Bears last season, starting the final two. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes and threw for two touchdowns and four interceptions.

McCown, 32, has started 33 of his 50 NFL games played in nine seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2002-05), Detroit Lions (2006), Raiders (2007), Carolina Panthers (2008-09) and Bears (2011) after entering the league as a third-round selection by Arizona in the 2002 NFL draft.