Packers‘ running back Rajion Neal has been impressive this preseason, but he must return quickly from injury if he wants a chance of making the team’s final roster, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Neal is currently behind Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and DuJuan Harris on the depth chart, even though a knee injury forced him out of the preseason opener and will cause him to miss this week’s game as well. He will have to come back and impress in the final two games if he intends to convince the Packers to keep a fourth back on the roster.
Here are some other links from around the NFC North:
- New Packer Julius Peppers saw limited action in the preseason opener, and failed to make his impact known, writes Demovsky. He has vowed to improve on his performance. “It matters, it matters,” said Peppers. “We all are going to need these reps to get ready for the season, which is going to be upon us pretty soon. It’s a chance to get better. We have a couple more opportunities to try to accomplish those goals.”
- The Lions have a running back who is also looking to make a 53-man roster, in George Winn, who has been impressive this offseason according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Winn has a reputation as a hard runner, scoring a touchdown from the one-yard line, and had two special teams tackles against the Raiders.
- The wide receivers competing to make the Lions‘ roster after Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate will likely come down to some extremely tough decisions, writes Twentyman. Jeremy Ross, Kris Durham, Ryan Broyles, and Corey Fuller have all made a case for a roster spot during the preseason thus far.
- The Bears have transformed from a defensive minded team to an offensive force over the years, but they could see an improvement on defense from linebackers Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times.