NFL Key Performance Indicators: NFC North

Every spring, every NFL team looks to get better: they draft rookies, they sign free agents, they let underperforming players go. But when teams aren't being put to the test against each other, how can we know if they're really improving? Throughout July, VICE Sports will be identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each squad: the things fans should be watching in August for hints about how their teams might perform come kickoff time.

It's almost misleading that the Bears ended up in the NFC North cellar last year. In a division where the top three teams went a combined 28-20, Chicago improved from 5-11 to 6-10 despite a complete house cleaning in the off-season, revealing just how much talent there really is at the core of this Bears roster.

ESPN national NFL writer Matt Bowen, a former NFL safety who resides in Chicago and frequently covers the Bears, told VICE Sports which Key Performance Indicators fans should be keeping an eye on as the Bears open camp in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

• Speed Kills: "The first thing you should notice is speed on defense," Bowen said. "This should be drastically different than last year: a much faster defense just based on concept and personnel. Just look at who they added, with [linebackers Danny] Trevathan and [Jerrell] Freeman, and you draft Leonard Floyd, who I think is an electrifying player off the edge in terms of speed. Where he's at in development, I don't know—we'll have to see him in pads." All the young, athletic players the Bears have added should complement the strong, nasty veterans already in place, like Pernell McPhee. "Overall, in terms of athletic ability, speed, versatility, a much different defense than Bears fans saw last year."

• Young Defensive Backs Catching on Quickly: "I expect Adrian Amos to start at one safety position," Bowen said, "and they drafted three versatile players." Bowen notes the growing trend toward flexible defensive backs with the athleticism to match up with slot receivers and the physicality to play safety. Bowen sees Deiondre' Hall, the fifth-round rookie out of Northern Iowa, as the kind of player who can be an effective "chess piece" for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Bears fans should be watching where, and how often, Hall lines up.

• Kevin White Unboxing: On offense, Bowen said, "you want to take a look at Kevin White, see what you've got!" The Bears selected White with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, before surgery to repair stress fractures wiped out his entire rookie season. "In my personal opinion, I think he'll be a stud," Bowen said. "I do." He points to White's performance against Alabama as evidence; if White arrives in camp completely fit and pain-free, his talent should be impossible to miss.

• Replacement by Committee? With tight end Martellus Bennett going to New England and running back Matt Forte off to join the New York Jets, the big question for Bowen is: "How are you going to replace that production?" "I like Zach Miller at tight end," he continued, but Miller isn't as proven a scoring threat, nor anywhere near as dominant a run blocker. Bowen knows the presumption is that tailback Jeremy Langford takes over as the chair of the running back committee, but Ka'Deem Carey and Jacquizz Rodgers will definitely get touches, and fifth-round rookie Jordan Howard didn't get picked to do nothing in Chicago. As Bowen notes, even a quote-unquote "starting" tailback these days might get 15 carries a game over nine for a backup, but camp will be Langford's opportunity to secure the gig—or at least make clear which back will play which role in the offense.

The Lions are at a crossroads in franchise history as they transition from the Jim Schwartz/Matthew Stafford/Calvin Johnson/Ndamukong Suh Era to the Whatever Comes After That Era. Schwartz was fired after his Lions underachieved to a 7-9 record in 2013. New head coach Jim Caldwell impressively skippered the same talent nucleus to an 11-5 playoff run in 2014, but after losing Suh the Lions returned to 7-9 in 2015.

Caldwell kept his job, but Johnson's retirement eliminates any margin for error. The mid-season promotion of Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator was a huge success last year; Cooter will have to get even better overall execution out of Stafford without the crutch of Johnson's talent.

• Stafford is Jonesing for More Options: When Johnson was injured or unavailable over the past two seasons, Golden Tate was incredible. But when Johnson returned, Stafford locked back onto him and Tate's numbers suffered. Stafford will have to forge a connection with free-agent wideout Marvin Jones this camp, but without locking onto him before the snap. Stafford moving through his full progressions will be critical to the low-key Ewing Theory logic that's been floated about Johnson by everyone—including Johnson himself.

• Veteran Savvy from a Young Offensive Line: At this moment, the presumptive starting offensive line is a 2016 first-round rookie, a 2015 first-round rookie, a 2014 third-round pick, a 2013 third-round pick, and a 2012 first-round pick. That's right: 27-year-old Riley Reiff is the graybeard on the unit charged with giving Stafford enough time to get through those reads. I'd single out rookie left tackle Taylor Decker, underwhelming second-year right guard Laken Tomlinson, center Travis Swanson (for whom the Lions just drafted a competitor, Graham Glasgow), inconsistent right guard Larry Warford, or the position-switching Reiff, but all five will be under particular scrutiny as they collectively try to buy Stafford time against Detroit's big, talented defensive front at camp.

• When the Levy Breaks: Linebacker DeAndre Levy was on many shortlists for the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year, but a hip injury shelved him for almost all of 2015. With Levy expected to be full-go by the start training camp, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions fans should be rooting hard for no delays, no setbacks, and no apparent loss in agility for a player whose strength lies in his athleticism.

• Eric Ebron Catching the Ball: Lions fans may never forgive their athletic 2014 No. 10 overall pick for not being Odell Beckham Jr., but Ebron has flashed plenty of athleticism in between lots of drops. Ebron absolutely must prove to Stafford that he's a field-stretcher and a reliable option.

Last season, the Packers fell well short of avenging their 2014 NFC Championship Game loss. They struggled offensively, finishing outside the league's top ten in points scored (15th) for the first time since 2007. The Packers didn't win the division, finishing second in the NFC North for the first time since 2010. They didn't even beat the Lions at home, which they'd done every single year since 1992.

By most teams' standards, a 10-6 record capped with a playoff victory is a very successful season. For the Packers, it's a disappointing down year from which they're looking to bounce back.

• More than Potential at Wide Receiver: Explosive receiving threat Randall Cobb signed a massive deal just before hitting free agency last spring; it seemed especially fortunate when a preseason ACL injury felled No. 1 wideout Jordy Nelson. But Cobb was largely anonymous for most of last season, turning in career-as-a-starter lows for catch rate, receptions per game, yards per reception, and yards per game. Behind him, a position group that seemed miles deep with intriguing young talent came up completely empty. Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Jared Abbrederis, and Ty Montgomery produced little, while an off-the-scrap-heap James Jones finally gave Aaron Rodgers a trusty set of hands. Nelson and Cobb return as the top two, but betting on both to return to 2014 levels of production is an iffy gamble. One—or preferably more—of the young guys must show more promise in camp.

• Cooking with Gas: Tight end Jared Cook is the Packers' first significant free-agent add in forever, and he fills a gaping hole in the Green Bay roster. The potential of pairing his ability to fly down the seam with Rodgers' ability to throw that route is obvious—but the Packers have put exciting athletes in that role before, without consistent production. Cook needs to earn Rodgers' trust by learning the offense quickly and demonstrating reliable hands in camp.

• Outside Looking In: Clay Matthews has been the Packers' best linebacker, if not best defender, nearly from the moment he stepped on the field. In that sense, it's almost logical that Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers thought he'd improve his defense by trying to make Matthews play more than one position at the same time. According to Ryan Wood of the USA Today Network, Matthews spent all of minicamp at his natural outside spot, to his apparent relief. With freaky pass rusher Julius Peppers already defying Father Tim at 36 years old, savvy Packers fans will be watching camp closely, looking for signs that young holdover Jake Ryan and fourth-round rookie pick Blake Martinez can play at a high enough level to keep Matthews on the outside where he belongs.

The Vikings won 11 games! They beat the Packers in Week 17 to clinch the NFC North title for the first time since 2009! They came within an inexplicable Blair Walsh missed field goal of beating the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs! These are all good things.

But the Vikings got all-everything tailback Adrian Peterson back from Roger Goodell-imposed exile, adding league-MVP ability to an offense that was supposed to take a big step forward anyway. The Vikings offense finished 27th in yardage offense in 2014, and with All Day back in the fold last season they finished…29th. Clearly, there's still work to do.

• Treadwellcome to the NFL: Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson. Mike Wallace and Jarius Wright. With continuity being the acknowledged cornerstone of developing young quarterbacks, Teddy Bridgewater is about to start his third season with his third different pair of presumptive top two targets. Last season, Stefon Diggs emerged as Bridgewater's favorite; this spring the Vikings drafted Laquon Treadwell in the first round. If Treadwell arrives in camp as NFL-ready as advertised, he'll be a crucial part of helping Bridgewater take a much-needed step forward in 2016. If he suffers through the same rookie learning curve nearly all receivers do, Diggs and Wright will have to find the next level in their game.

• You're Kaliling Me, Smalls: A funny thing happened on the way to Matt Kalil becoming one of the best left tackles in the game: he started sucking. Kalil was drafted No. 4 overall, and played so well so fast he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. It's been downhill since then; during OTAs he was losing first-team reps to 2014 undrafted free-agent Jeremiah Sirles, according to Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Head coach Mike Zimmer refused to give Kalil a vote of confidence, meaning the Vikings are going into training camp with a huge question mark at a critical position. Vikings fans will need to either see Kalil flip the switch back on, or watch Sirles closely to see how he holds up against Everson Griffen and the Vikings pass rush.

• Finding a Home: Sophomore second-round pick Eric Kendricks is a natural weak-side linebacker, but he adapted to fill the Vikings' longstanding hole at middle linebacker last year. He got stronger as the season went on, finishing with a great personal effort in that division-clinching Week 17 win. But Zimmer admits that Kendricks' long-term future is "up in the air," per ESPN 1500. For the sake of his development, and the defense's continued improvement, the Vikings need to figure that out. Fans should keep tabs on where Kendricks is taking his reps.

Want to read more stories like this from VICE Sports? Subscribe to our daily newsletter.