The Chicago Bears have watched the wide receiver market go insane this offseason. Multiple big names were traded over the past two months, including Amari Cooper, Robert Woods, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill. If that weren’t enough, the buzz continues to rise that San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel could be on the move shortly. Former New York Giants 1st round pick Kadarius Toney as well. It seems there is no end to the possibilities.
Now another notable name has entered the picture. According to insider Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, there is a belief the Carolina Panthers are ready to move on from receiver Robby Anderson if a decent enough offer is made. The 28-year-old was excellent in 2020, going for 1,096 yards. Things tapered off in a big way last season, though with only 519 yards. Much of that can be blamed on the team’s ugly quarterback situation, which has Anderson frustrated.
"I think if someone made an offer for Robby Anderson, Carolina would deal him"@CharlesRobinson right nowhttps://t.co/PpLVTXrAt0
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 25, 2022
Carolina may just be tired of him.
They have D.J. Moore in place and lots of optimism for Terrace Marshall, their 2nd round pick from last year, taking a big step forward. Anderson has two years left on his contract with a $10.9 million cap hit in 2022. That isn’t too bad for any team looking to acquire him. Especially if he can regain the form he showed two years ago. There is no question he exhibits the attributes Chicago is looking for. Lots and lots of speed.
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Anderson timed in the mid-4.3 range coming out of Temple. That shows on the field. He is arguably one of the most overlooked deep threats in the NFL, having been saddled with rough quarterback play most of his career. It started with Ryan Fitzpatrick, then Josh McCown, then Sam Darnold. His only decent option to date was Teddy Bridgewater and that was the year he finally cracked 1,000 yards.
Chicago Bears may love Justin Fields throwing to Anderson.
If there is one thing the young quarterback does really well, it’s throwing the ball deep. He has the arm strength and accuracy to hit targets 40-50 yards down the field consistently. Try to imagine the idea of Anderson and Darnell Mooney on the field together with Byron Pringle as the third option. If the offensive line could be fixed, Chicago would be able to go bombs away on defenses all year long.
Everything lines up. Compensation to get Anderson likely won’t be huge. A Day 3 pick is the ballpark. His contract isn’t too expensive for this year. He turns 29 in May and is still in his prime. They could do worse if the Chicago Bears were looking for a quick jolt to their passing game at a reasonable price.
It comes down to how the draft plays out.
GM Ryan Poles said he’d prefer to focus on homegrown talent. That means he’d likely want to draft a receiver instead of trading for one. However, if the board doesn’t fall his way in the early round, he might be convinced to spend a later pick to grab somebody like Anderson. It would at least bring a little more credibility to the passing game.
