There is no doubt the Chicago Bears wide receiver position is under the microscope. Most agree how this ragtag group plays in 2017 will be a huge factor in the fate of the season. Especially given the massive turnover at quarterback. There are plenty of question marks. Kevin White has his health issues. Is Cameron Meredith a flash in the pan? Markus Wheaton wants to show his ascent in 2015 wasn’t a fluke. Does Victor Cruz have any gas left in the tank?
All valid concerns. If they can step up to overcome them, then the Bears are in business. As it turns out though, none of those guys have garnered much attention in practice. At least not from head coach John Fox. The 62-year old has seen some great receivers in his time from Steve Smith to Demaryius Thomas. He knows what good ones look like.
That’s why it was a little surprising when he singled out Kendall Wright. During an interview with the Daily Herald, Fox wasn’t bashful in his praise of the former first round pick.
Kendall Wright a surprise positive in Bears wide receiver position
“Kendall’s had good production in this league, primarily as a slot,” Fox said. “He’s got outstanding quickness. He’s blended in pretty well with us. He’s got a good feel for the game. He’s had good production in our league, albeit not real recently. I like what I’ve seen from him.”
Wright started out strong in his NFL career. He posted 1,000 yards in just his second season back in 2013. Then he slowly started to regress, unable to top 500 in each of the past two. The 26-year old wasn’t shy putting much of the blame for that on how he was used by the coaches. Not trying to get him the ball enough and such. That explains why he came to Chicago. His best run came when Dowell Loggains was offensive coordinator in Tennessee.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
It would make sense that he’d want to recapture that chemistry. The two just seemed to fit together. That much was evident both from the tape and the stat sheet.
Nobody is saying that Wright should morph back into an emerging superstar. At the same time, he’s still young. The guy was drafted in the first round for a reason. He has talent. If put in the right situation there’s reason to believe he can produce. That would be most welcome for sure.
