The Chicago Bears have some interesting decisions to make at wide receiver. They have a good idea of who their top three guys are with Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, and Velus Jones Jr. After that, it gets murky. Various names have taken turns making some nice plays this preseason. Tajae Sharpe had an outstanding catch in the opener against Kansas City. Isaiah Coulter has been the most consistent producer for the past month. Much of this comes down to what the coaches are looking for, but do not ignore Justin Fields.
He is the starting quarterback. His opinion carries a lot of weight in that building. Don’t forget he put in a good word for Jones before the draft in April. So when he has something positive to say about a receiver, it should not be ignored. That is why his comments regarding Dante Pettis were noteworthy following the Bears’ 21-20 victory over Cleveland in the preseason finale. The two connected three times for 37 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Fields sounds like a fan of what Pettis brings to the table.
“One high zone. Kind of a one-on-one matchup. The only other defender was the underneath flat defender, so pretty much one-on-one. I think the corner had a little bit inside leverage, so he stayed patient on his route and, of course, ran a good route. He’s a great route-runner. Probably one of the best ones we have on the team. So he executed the route perfectly.”
Justin Fields gravitating to Pettis isn’t a surprise.
The Bears quarterback tends to like receivers that are reliable route runners. It’s why he and Darnell Mooney clicked right away last season. It’s why Chris Olave was his favorite target at Ohio State. He wants pass catchers he knows will be in the right place at the right time. Pettis has always been a sharp route-runner. He wasn’t a 2nd round pick in 2018 by accident. For whatever reason, things never clicked for him in San Francisco.
After a quiet run in New York, most people wrote him off as a draft bust. The Bears were willing to give him another chance. He was quiet most of training camp, but as injuries mounted, he began to see more opportunities. A light seemed to go on for him after a big 4th down conversion against Kansas City. His confidence surged, and Pettis started making more plays in practice. Now he has the eye of Justin Fields.
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It will be quite a story if he becomes a serious contributor in 2022 after all he’s been through.
If he is left one on one he can burn you. Defenses will have to account for him which is good news for Mooney and da bearzz.
Pettis and Sharpe: yes. Not sure about ESB. Coulter to the PS. He’ll probably play B4 it’s all over
i like pettis and sharpe a lot i think they can be a very good WR4, WR5 combo