What Is The Bears’ Plan At Wide Receiver?
The number one goal for the Chicago Bears this offseason is to surround Justin Fields with enough talent to produce a breakout season for the second-year QB.
The backfield is the most set positional group on offense. David Montgomery is a No. 1 running back in today’s NFL. Behind him is Khalil Herbert, a sixth-round rookie in 2021 who impressed when he took over for Montgomery while he was injured. It raised questions on whether the Bears should give Montgomery a second contract, something that is becoming less popular around the league, paying a running back a substantial amount of money. But that’s another conversation for another day.
They also brought in Darrynton Evans who figures to be nothing more than a depth piece but could see the field in limited action.
Along the offensive line, there are a few pieces to work with. Teven Jenkins, wherever he lines up, is the most exciting prospect Chicago has up front.
Larry Borom played mostly at the tackle position last year but could move inside, depending on other moves the team makes. Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick will likely fill the other interior guard spots.
The unit as a whole needs some improvement, but general manager Ryan Poles, a former offensive lineman, will no doubt fix up the line before opening day.
Now let’s turn to the wide receiver room because right now, it’s not looking pretty.
Darnell Mooney is the building block on the outside. The 2020 fifth-round pick has outperformed many receivers taken ahead of him and had an immediate chemistry with Fields once he took the field. The two have continued their progress this offseason.
But outside of Mooney, it’s a supremely underwhelming group.
The biggest acquisition of the offseason in that group is Byron Pringle. After totaling 330 yards in his first two seasons, he had 568 yards and five touchdowns in 2021 for the Kansas City Chiefs as a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes. HIs numbers don’t jump off the page, but it was a solid depth acquisition.
Equanimeous St. Brown made the move over from Green Bay, but after seeing the details of his contract (1 year, $965,000) it’s essentially a training camp deal to see if he could make the roster as a special teams player or WR4 at best. Not exactly an earth-shattering move.
And that’s it. Right now the WR depth chart looks like this –
Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dazz Newsome.
Yikes.
It’s an underwhelming group. You can throw Cole Kmet and Montgomery into the mix as pass catchers if you like, but it’s still a work in progress. And it needs to change.
With that being said, there’s time left in the offseason. There are trades to be made, free agents to sign and the NFL draft is later this month. The Bears are not finished assembling their pass-catchers. But they need to get to work soon.
We’ve seen how much the WR market has changed this offseason, beginning with Christian Kirk. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a four-year $72 million deal which turned a lot of heads. Chicago had some interest in Kirk, but not for that price.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed with the Chiefs on a three-year $30 million deal, which seems like a reactionary signing after trading away Tyreek Hill. MVS is a nice deep threat that probably went to the only other team that could utilize his best attribute, but that’s a lot of money for a one-trick pony.
It appears the Bears will have to improve their pass catching corps through trades or the draft.
Draft
Chicago does not have a first round pick in 2022. Instead, they have two seconds (No. 39 and 48) and one third (No. 71). They only have three other picks, two in round five (No. 148 and 150) and one in round six (No. 186).
I would be surprised if the Bears package any of those picks to move up into the first round. If they do try to make a move into the first round, it will likely cost them a first rounder in 2023. For a roster and vision that appears to be set on the future, trading away future assets doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Thankfully, the 2022 WR class is a good one. As many as six receivers (maybe more) could go in the first round. There are also a couple players (George Pickens, Jameson Williams) that have injury concerns and could fall in the draft.
Both of those receivers could fall in range of the Bears in the early second round, but obvious injury concerns are something to note.
It would be surprising, assuming Chicago doesn’t sign any more receivers, if they didn’t take a receiver with one of their second rounders. Not only will this receiver play a big role right away, but will become one of Fields’ favorite targets and contribute heavily towards his development.
Targets: Christian Watson (NDSU), George Pickens (Georgia), David Bell (Purdue)
Trade
The other option to improve the WR room is through trades. We’ve seen a lot of trades go down this offseason, especially with star receivers. Amari Cooper, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Robert Woods, to name a few. That opens the door for other big names to move on. Here’s a look at a few possible options.
DK Metcalf: With Russell Wilson getting traded to Denver, the QB situation in Seattle isn’t great. Drew Lock projects to be the starter, and if they opt to draft a QB, it’s a fairly weak class so who knows how impactful they could be.
At 24 years old, Metcalf is the prime target for any team looking to add a star wide receiver to their ranks. He has over 900 yards in each of his three pro seasons. He’s 6-foot-4, 235 lbs and is an athletic specimen. He has played in 16 games in all three seasons and was a second team All-Pro in 2020. He deserves to be on a winning team.
A trade for Metcalf would likely come with an extension as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. He would be an ideal fit in Chicago, a big, physical receiver opposite of Mooney. The Bears also have tons of cap room starting in 2023, which would be very appealing to Metcalf.
DeVante Parker: His name has popped up recently due to Hill arriving in Miami. Parker is another physical receiver that would compliment Mooney and co. well. He doesn’t figure to mix well with Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, who now have Hill and Jaylen Waddle. He has 1,308 yards in the last two years combined.
This move would likely be a low-cost move. Parker is entering his eighth year and has only one season of playing all 16 games. His best year came in 2019 when he had 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. The former first round pick in 2014 hasn’t lived up to his high draft selection, but he’s a solid receiver nonetheless.
Brandin Cooks: Believe it or not, the eight-year veteran receiver has never hit free agency. He was drafted by the Saints, then traded to the Patriots, Rams and Texans.
Despite all this movement, he has been one of the steadiest receivers in the league in terms of production with six 1,000-yard seasons, with at least one on all four stops.
Once again, his name has popped up in trade rumors, possibly wanting to find himself in a better situation. His QB this season projects to be Davis Mills. Perhaps he would fancy a move to Chicago to have Fields throw to him.
A known deep threat, he wouldn’t be the big and physical receiver the Bears need, but he would be a productive one at least. At least someone in the Bears’ wide receiver room needs to show they can produce consistently for multiple seasons.
However the Bears decide to attack this problem, they can’t ignore Fields’ development. He represents the future of the organization, and what Chicago has assembled right now in terms of pass catchers, needs to improve.
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