Chicago Bears: Five NFC North stars to watch out for

3. Jordy Nelson

It took a while for Jordy Nelson to regain his form after tearing his ACL in 2016, but you wouldn’t know it just from looking at his raw stats from last year. 97 catches for 1257 yards and a career-high 14 receiving touchdowns? I’d say he’s back.

Then again, I don’t think the Chicago Bears need a reminder of that. He made sure to show them last December.

And assuming he stays healthy at age 32, Nelson looks ready to regain his place as one of the best players in the NFC North.

Though he doesn’t necessarily kill the Bears as much as you’d think (about 64 yards a game and six career receiving TDs), the state of Chicago’s secondary always makes him a threat to go off. While Amukamara is a solid player, I’m not necessarily enthused about him being the only thing between Nelson and another back-breaking long touchdown.

When Nelson injured his knee in 2015, the Packers’ offense simply wasn’t what it usually was, even with Rodgers at the helm. And it took multiple Herculean efforts from Rodgers to overcome their lack of speed and productivity at receiver. A year later, a less-than-100% Nelson helped get them back to the NFC Championship game.

Now that’s a difference-maker. And you’d better believe Aaron Rodgers loves having him back. Something tells me the Chicago Bears may not.