GM Ryan Poles isn’t the kind of guy to dance around subjects when there is no point. He had a conversation with ESPN about the current state of the Chicago Bears roster before the team’s preseason matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. He didn’t mince words, stating there was a genuine chance the current lineup could look a lot different before the opener on September 11th. It clearly indicated he might be active on the waiver wire next week.
Teams must cut their rosters from 80 players to 53 on August 31st. Most of those players will go on waivers, allowing other teams a chance to pick any they may like up before they reach free agency. Thanks to their bad record in 2021, the Bears have high placement in the waiver pecking order. So Poles should have a chance to land a player or two he and his scouts like. Adam Hoge of CHGO has a pretty good idea of where the primary focus will be. He explained in his most recent column.
“You can scroll down to my updated WR power rankings, but it’s not pretty. The No. 2 guy hasn’t caught a pass in the two preseason games. The No. 3 guy is struggling to stay healthy. The No. 4 and 5 guys haven’t practiced in two weeks. The No. 7 guy won’t be ready for the regular season. The No. 8 guy has never caught an NFL pass in the regular season.
I’m on record as saying the Bears’ wide receiver room could be more productive this year than last year, but that’s based more on the (vastly) improved scheme and the lack of talent they had in 2021. There’s still a lot to figure out between now and Week 1. I wouldn’t be surprised if more receivers are added.”
The Chicago Bears lack dependability at the position.
It is clear the only player at wide receiver they know they can trust is Darnell Mooney. He was excellent in training camp and looked the part in the preseason. After that, nobody else established themselves. Tajae Sharpe made a fantastic catch against the Chiefs but isn’t a viable top three option. Byron Pringle has proven unreliable already, thanks to his health and off-the-field antics. Velus Jones is talented but suffers from nagging injuries. As for Equanimeous St. Brown, he’s never been able to translate strong practices into good games.
I posted an article recently about several veteran options at receiver who could soon be available. Darius Slayton is one of them. He had two productive years in 2019 and 2020 for the Giants, but regime changes saw him fall out of favor. There is also Cyril Grayson, who was a pleasant surprise in Tampa Bay last year but is now trapped on a crowded depth chart. The odds are that at least one option will be available to the Chicago Bears.
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Pace will draft the WR’s this team needs. This is not a rebuild as much as it is simply a “build”. “Rebuild” implies there was once something there. Unless we are rebuilding the ’85 team, that is just not the case. Look for D-line, more O-line and some WRs in the next draft. BPA is the way to go or trade down and go BPA.
Watching the highlights just tells me how god awful this bunch in the booth was and how we dodged a bullet by not hiring Riddick !
I was really hoping we’d take a swing at DK Metcalf. 🙁
I also can see the Bears being active churning the roster after the final cutdown. Some may ask why the Bears didnt address the receivers earlier. A few reasons. Pace left the Bears with aging veterans on bloated contracts leaving little cap space, and few draft picks. Then the receiver market went crazy with insane contracts. With way to many holes to fill spending it all on 1 or 2 players wasnt going to work. Then in the draft when receivers were available, higher ranked players at other positions (secondary) had dropped to the Bears. The two 2nd round picks… Read more »
Why do we continually scrape the bottom of the barrel? WR is a skill position and very important in the new offense. Couldn’t we have signed a mid-tier guy and brought some stability to the position.