NFC North Roundup: Kenny Clark, Bears Look Bad, & Geoff Schwartz Cut

There is plenty of action regarding the Vikings new cycle in recent days, and we’re keeping up with it all, but my love for weekly schedules dictates that now is the time to take a look around the NFC North to see what our biggest enemies are up to.

Packers First Round Pick Falling Behind

The Green Bay Packers used the 27th overall pick to select UCLA defensive lineman Kenny Clark earlier this year. Since then, circumstances have prevented him from getting fully caught up on the rigors of life in the NFL.

First, the NFL rule preventing draft picks from attending team activities while school is still in session prevented Clark from reporting to Green Bay’s offseason program in June. He attempted to utilize technology such as Skype, according to ESPN‘s Rob Demovsky, to keep up with what his coaches wanted him to know.

Then came the back injury.

Clark was unable to play in the team’s last preseason game in San Francisco and is in question for the preseason finale in Kansas City. If the decision not to fly to San Francisco with the team is any indication of how things are going, the trip to Kansas City might be in serious question and end Clark’s preseason with a snap total of just 39.

“I just didn’t want to sit on that plane and get my back even tighter,” Clark said. “I thought the travel would mess it up a little bit.”

The Packers are thought to be very thin on the defensive line, so the sooner they can get Clark up to speed and ready to play, the better they will feel about their situation. Until then, however, the Packers have little more than a question mark out of their first round investment.

Good Thing For Chicago That Preseason Doesn’t Count

The Chicago Bears have given their fans nothing to be optimistic about this preseason. They have been very bad in some really important areas, such as scoring points, and the in-depth evaluations have not provided any relief to the Windy City folks that think the sky is falling.

The Bears are dead last in preseason scoring, with just 29 points amassed in three full games, and their defense has allowed the fourth most yards (365 per game) of all NFL teams. This has prompted Yahoo! Sports to ask the ominous question “Are The Chicago Bears Really This Bad?

How did they answer that question? Well, by calling their preseason a “horror show,” of course.

Detroit Cuts A Former Vikings Lineman

The Detroit Lions trimmed their roster on Monday, making a wave of cuts and injured designations, and former Vikings offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz was among those released.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Schwartz was expendable with Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson secure in the starting guard positions. He played 11 games with the New York Giants last year before landing on the injured reserve with a broken leg.

I continue to think that the Lions are a team on the rise and one to wary of as soon as the 2016 regular season.

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