NFC North Owners Meeting Notes: Ben Johnson plans to help Caleb Williams get the ball out of his hands faster

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The NFL Owners Meeting took place last week, and I had the privilege of attending to hear what the head coaches and general managers said. With that in mind, here are some relevant quotes about players who matter to you.

We're breaking this down by division, and here is the NFC North. Ben Johnson has a plan to help protect Caleb Williams in Chicago, while Kevin O'Connell is excited to pair Jordan Mason with Aaron Jones in Minnesota. Matt LaFleur is hopeful several players can help Green Bay replace Christian Watson (knee), and Brad Holmes said Jameson Williams is "still scratching the surface" in Detroit.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get updates on every player. But here are some notes that could help you prepare for your Fantasy leagues this season.

Bears: Ben Johnson has a plan to protect Caleb Williams

Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie in 2024, and Johnson knows that can't happen again. The new head coach in Chicago got help on the offensive line with the additions of guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman, but the whole offense has to help protect Williams.

"It takes a village," Johnson said. "I don't know what the number was in terms of seconds that he held on to the ball before releasing it. But we would certainly like to bring that number down. Part of that is how well can we scheme No. 1 or No. 2 in the progression open for him? The protection up front can get better. The route runners get to their spots faster. We can move the pocket a little bit more. There's a lot of things that we have at our disposal that can help with that process."

Williams has plenty of upside, and Fantasy managers should consider him a low-end starter heading into the season. He's worth drafting with a late-round pick.

In 2024, Williams averaged 17.3 Fantasy points per game. He had 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions and added 81 carries for 489 yards. But the sack total was a tremendous problem, and we hope Johnson can fix that to bring out the best in Williams in his sophomore campaign.

"We've got to protect the quarterback. To me, that's number one," Johnson said. "I just talked about how important the passing game metric is in modern football. That's a huge deal for us, and naturally, those two go hand in hand. If you're able to protect, generally, you have a good offensive line. If you have a good offensive line, generally, you're able to run the ball. The backs have a lot to say with that as well. I think those two metrics really do tie together to a degree."

Vikings: Kevin O'Connell excited about the addition of Jordan Mason

Aaron Jones set career highs in touches (306), carries (255), and offensive snaps (700) in his first season with the Vikings in 2024. He played all 18 games with the playoffs, even while nursing hip, rib, and quadriceps injuries, and had the most rushing yards (1,138) and second-most yards from scrimmage (1,546) in his career. He averaged 14.7 PPR points per game.

But O'Connell felt like Jones, who turned 30 in December, had too much work. And that's why O'Connell is excited about the addition of Mason, who was acquired via trade from San Francisco.

"We wanted to make sure we were using Aaron in a way that allowed him to be his most impactful self," O'Connell said. "When he has historically had that 1A, 1B backfield structure, he can be a total game changer every time he touches it."

Mason did well for the 49ers in 2024 with Christian McCaffrey out early in the season with an Achilles injury. Mason scored at least 17.4 PPR points in three of his first four games, including Week 2 at Minnesota with 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 4 yards on one target.

"We really felt what we were looking for was right before our very eyes," O'Connell said. "He's tough to tackle when he gets in space, and he has burst and explosion to finish runs."

Jones is worth drafting as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy running back in Round 6 at the earliest. I like Mason as a sleeper, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 9 in the majority of leagues.

Packers: Matt LaFleur hopes to find Christian Watson (knee) replacement

Watson suffered a torn ACL in Week 18 last season, so he could miss most of the 2025 campaign. LaFleur is hopeful the rest of the receiving corps steps up to help replace Watson, including Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks.

"Obviously, it doesn't help when you lose a guy like Christian Watson, and who knows when we'll get him back," LaFleur said. "Just his physicality, his speed, he's an intelligent player. You could move him from position to position within a game and not everybody can handle that, so that is a big loss for us, but those other guys are gonna have to pick up the slack."

The Packers could also add another receiver in the NFL Draft, but right now Reed, Doubs, and Wicks should all benefit with Watson hurt. Reed is the one to target first in Round 7, but he's just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, while Doubs and Wicks are late-round fliers.

LaFleur also said tight end Tucker Kraft will play a big role this season, and he should be considered a breakout candidate in 2025. Last year, Kraft averaged 10.1 PPR points per game with 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 targets. He had seven games with at least 10.6 PPR points, and hopefully, that production will become more consistent this season.

Kraft is a great late-round tight end to target in all leagues.

"When Tuck gets the ball, usually good things happen," LaFleur said. "He's a powerful dude. He runs extremely hard. I love how he finishes. One thing I think he's got to learn, just in terms of when he does finish, he doesn't have to try to take somebody's head off every time. He gets a little out of control at times. But I think that's a balance, but the mentality is exactly what you want."

Lions: GM Brad Holmes says Jameson Williams "still scratching the surface"

Holmes said the Lions are "most likely going to be doing that" when asked about the team giving Williams his fifth-year option, which makes sense. It allows Detroit more time to work on a contract extension for Williams, who averaged 14.1 PPR points per game in 2024 when he had 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns and 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.

"He was a tremendous player for us last year," Holmes said. "He's still scratching the surface. I do think he's got more in him as well, so I just think it just makes sense for us to do what we can to keep him around."

Williams should be considered a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 6. We hope, as Holmes said, he has more to offer in 2025 and can build off what he accomplished last year.