6 free-agent moves from NFC North rivals that should concern Bears fans

Minnesota Vikings

1. Sign Jonathan Greenard

Losing an All-Time great franchise player like Danielle Hunter is tough, unless you're the Vikings, apparently. They more-or-less swapped out Hunter – who signed with the Texans – with Houston edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. And while Hunter has a much longer track record of elite consistency, Greenard's three years younger and coming off a breakout season of sorts: his 12.5 sacks in 2023 were a career-high. It was also the first time he's played in at least 15 games, which Vikings fans probably don't love hearing. Still, Greenard showed last year that he's an elite pass-rusher, and anytime elite pass rushers join the NFC North, Bears fans should be a little concerned.

2. Overhauling their LB room

With two signings, the Vikings suddenly have one of the scarier groups of linebackers in the division. Signing Blake Cashman was an underrated signing – he ranked as Pro Football Focus' 8th best linebacker last year, and immediately slots in as that defensive front's best run-stopper. In fact, the only player currently on the Vikings' roster who had a better overall defensive grade last year was their other free agent signing Andrew Van Grinkle, who was the 7th-highest rated linebacker last year. Casually bringing in two of the 10 best linebackers alongside Danielle Hunter is scary stuff, especially considering that 2nd-year linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. had a great rookie year in his own right.