Where does the Chicago Bears roster rank in age vs. other NFL teams?
The Chicago Bears are the second-youngest team in the NFC North
Alright, once again, for any Chicago Bears fan who is concerned with these metrics, let’s take a look at how the Bears stack up in the NFC North. As you already know, the Bears are ranked seventh in the NFL with an average age of 25.7. Where do their NFC North opponents fall on this list, though?
Detroit Lions – 2nd (25.1)
Well, the Detroit Lions are the one team that is younger than the Chicago Bears at this point in the season. The Lions’ roster consists of plenty of young talent, but we all know they are the Lions and will find a way to not use that talent correctly. At the very least, the team will just find ways to lose football games. It is in the team’s DNA. I’m not sold by Dan Campbell as a head coach after watching a few episodes of Hard Knocks. Plus, I’m not a big fan of Jared Goff at quarterback.
Minnesota Vikings – 8th (25.8)
A team that also has a new general manager in place is the Minnesota Vikings. Apparently, Ryan Poles isn’t a fan of what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is doing up north. Scratch that, maybe he’s actually very happy with what the Vikings are doing because he feels as though the Bears have benefited by claiming both Armon Watts and Ihmir Smith-Marsette after the Vikings waived them. Watts could be a solid addition to the Bears since he is better suited for the Bears’ defensive front.
As far as the Vikings roster, it comes in tied for eighth-youngest with an average age of 25.8. This is nearly identical to the Chicago Bears roster at 25.7.
Green Bay Packers – 9th (25.9)
The Green Bay Packers are currently tied as the ninth-youngest roster in the NFL with an average age of 25.9. This means that the Bears roster was still the oldest in the division at 26.0 prior to their shake-up after waiver claims. Now, they find themselves as the second-youngest team within the NFC North and the Packers are the oldest. Swap Aaron Rodgers’ age (38) for Justin Fields’ (23) and that will be all the difference in the world though.
Outlook:
I do think a younger roster can help make a difference to some degree. In all honestly, the biggest benefit is that the team can hopefully grow and develop together — leading to sustained success. This is what is exciting about what we are seeing here with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. It’s not necessarily the specific number or where the roster ranks, it’s the amount of youth we are seeing have early success. Development is something the last regime lacked. It’s a small sample size and very early, but it looks like this team is on the right path, no matter how “old” it is.