There was a minor buzz when the Bears Kendall Wright signing went down back in the early part of free agency. If nothing else Chicago was getting a former first round. Clearly someone thought the guy had enough talent to be one of the top receivers in the league. For whatever reason though things just kind fizzled during his time with the Tennessee Titans. Just one of those things, right?
Well apparently not in his mind. Wright did not sound like a man who accepted the reality of him just having a bit of a regression over the past couple seasons. During the first Bears minicamp practice prior to the summer break before training camp, he was asked what motivates him. He had no issues calling out his former team for how they used him on offense.
“What motivates me the most is I was probably the best receiver on the Titans roster last year and I was playing like 10 plays a game.”
Shortly later he was asked why he was used in such a manner.
“That’s a question I can’t [answer]. Ask them,” he said. “They’ll feel it after this year.”
That’s a pretty loud boast to make, but is it well-founded? When examining some of the stats from last season, surprisingly Wright may have a legitimate complaint.
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Bears Kendall Wright allowed to carry chip on his shoulder
According to the numbers, Wright was targeted 42 times through the air in 2016. He caught 29 of those passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns. That might sound like he got some pretty decent action, but no. Turns out four other players got more targets than him including running back DeMarco Murray with 67. If that weren’t enough, Murray only had 377 yards receiving despite being targeted more. Rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe was thrown to 83 times, nearly double that of Wright, and yet managed just 522 yards and two touchdowns.
So in essence Wright was getting much more bang for his buck. It’s easy to understand his frustration now. It’s hard seeing other guys get the ball when you know you can do more with it. That would explain why he chose to sign in Chicago. Dowell Loggains was his offensive coordinator in Tennessee from November 2012 through 2013. During their subsequent 20 games together, Wright was targeted 165 times.
Bears WR Kendall Wright: "I haven't lost a step like people may think. I can go out there and do as well as anybody out there."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) June 13, 2017
"I would love for anybody to press me," said #Bears WR Kendall Wright. "I feel like I can beat anybody."
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) June 13, 2017
Early impressions from OTA practices were that Wright looked good. He was making a lot of nice catches. It would seem his love for the Loggains offense hasn’t changed. That could be a huge boost for the Bears. They need all the help they can get as they try to break in two new quarterbacks. One thing is certain. Wright sounds like a man dead set on proving his former team made a gigantic mistake.
That can only mean good things for Chicago.
