The NFC North didn't have a single team with a losing record in the 2025 season, and they might be even more talented across the board in 2026.
This is not just one of the best divisions in football in terms of the overall teams, but this division boasts some of the best star power in the NFL as well...especially on the offensive side of the football.
The NFC North might include multiple league MVP candidates, a variety of NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidates, and plenty of All-Pro candidates at the skill positions. Picking the best skill players offensively out of this group of four teams is no easy task, but we're going to give it a shot.
If we were to assemble the "Avengers" of NFC North offensive skill players, what would that group look like?
Top 4 offensive weapons in the NFC North heading into the 2026 season
Quarterback: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
We're starting this thing off with a bit of a controversial pick, and maybe even somewhat of a hot take. But Caleb Williams took a big enough leap in his 2nd NFL season to be considered the best quarterback in the NFC North, even if we're doing a little projecting.
If this were based purely on prior production, Jared Goff would pretty easily be the pick. Jordan Love has shown stretches of MVP-caliber play in the past as well, but nobody has the combination of talent and upside quite like the #1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
If we're talking about best arm talent in the division, Williams is at the top. If we're talking about the best dual-threat at the position in the division, Williams is probably at the top as well.
He cut down on the turnovers and sacks taken last season significantly. His 27-7 TD/INT ratio was a huge progression from the 20-6 he had as a rookie, plus he added another four touchdowns as a runner/receiver last season. There are many reasons why Williams is already on the cover of the Madden video game, and why he's considered one of the brightest young stars in the league.
Running Back: Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Over the course of his first three NFL seasons, Jahmyr Gibbs has proven himself to be one of the most dynamic weapons in the league. He's made three straight Pro Bowls to start off his NFL career, and more importantly, he's been a finalist for NFL Offensive Player of the Year in two of those seasons.
He's racked up over 1,800 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back seasons, he's got 49 career touchdowns already, and at 5.3 yards per carry, he's already on pace to challenge Jamaal Charles for being the most efficient running back in league history.
Even though Gibbs has been utilized for the Lions heavily over the last three seasons, it's going to be fascinating to find out how much more productive he can be without David Montgomery eating up snaps and touches. This could be a year with easily over 2,000 yards from scrimmage for Gibbs, the best running back in the NFC North.
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
The best wide receiver in the NFC North is Justin Jefferson, and it's not particularly close.
And this is a division that includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, who would likely be WR1 on a lot of other teams around the league. Jefferson is just that special of a player, and he's proven himself as the league's WR1 time and time again since he was drafted in 2020.
Jefferson has averaged 1,534 yards per 17 games played, along with 14.6 yards per reception and 8 touchdowns. He's only had one season in his career up to this point where he's missed significant time due to injury, and if the Vikings can get some stability back at the quarterback position this season, he can get back to the level of dominance we saw in the 2024 season.
In pretty much every possible category at receiver -- route running, hands, after the catch, dependability -- Jefferson is the example for the rest of the league.
Tight End: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
If it wasn't for an injury that knocked him out after just 8 games played last season, Tucker Kraft probably would have solidified himself as the best tight end in the NFL right now.
It wasn't mandatory to include one player from each team in the division on this list, but it really worked out great. Kraft is the Packers' representative and a worthy one, at that. Even in just 8 games played last season, he put up numbers that rivaled some of the top tight ends in the NFL.
He had a whopping 489 yards on just 32 receptions and six touchdown catches, nearly matching the 7 TDs he had the season prior. Kraft has averaged 14.6 yards per reception over the past two seasons, pretty comfortably the most for a tight end in the entire league.
Even though he missed 9 games last year due to injury, he's still got the 10th-most receiving yards among tight ends in the NFL since the start of the 2024 season.
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