Vikings’ Contention with Bears Will Be Intriguing

The Chicago Bears hold the number one overall pick for the upcoming NFL Draft and will use it on Caleb Williams. Thanks to the Carolina Panthers, they also have a stockpile of other top picks, but how they build will be interesting to watch through a Minnesota Vikings lens.
Vikings’ Contention with Bears Will Be Intriguing
When the Chicago Bears gave, err, traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they were in an exciting spot. Despite his development down the stretch last season, it signified their intention to start over at the position, and now they will need to be right with Williams to spark their rebuild.

The Bears have long been an embarrassment and one of the worst franchises across the NFL. With the Vikings also in the doldrums of the NFC North Division, it will be a race for the two teams to get back to the top. Each will be ushering in a new quarterback, and while the Vikings rookie won’t immediately play, Sam Darnold has taken over for Kirk Cousins.
Regardless of Williams and the additional picks Chicago has, it’s worth wondering if they’re truly in a better position to make a leap than Minnesota. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has spent free agency replacing players like Danielle Hunter, and there has been an obvious focus on the defense. Coordinator Brian Flores has seen an infusion of new talent handed to him for his side of the ball, and the Vikings could take a sizable step forward with this group.

How well the Vikings play comes down to the quarterback position, but it’s hard to argue that there’s a better landing spot for the position. That player gets to work with the best wide receiver in football, a solid number two, a great tight end, a star running back, and do all of this while playing over half of their games indoors. While improved offensively, the Bears don’t have many of those luxuries.
Chicago will ask Williams to step in right away and be their savior. He has to make it work with D.J. Moore and an aging Keenan Allen. D’Andre Swift is a nice pickup at running back, but the Bears line doesn’t have a pair of bookends like Christian Darrisaw or Brian O’Neill. Williams could find himself struggling to stay upright, which also hampered Fields over the years.

Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus are in a similar position to Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell in that they will be judged in this draft. That has to be uncomfortable, but it still stands to reason that the Vikings have a better path forward than one of their top rivals.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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