The Chicago Bears are never short on surprises. After beating the Detroit Lions last Sunday, it appears the team wasn’t entirely satisfied with their state of affairs. So GM Ryan Pace decided to make a surprise move. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, they traded a 6th round pick in 2023 for the rights to wide receiver Jakeem Grant. A move that figures to shake up both the offensive room and especially special teams.
Chicago has had serious problems getting their punt return position fixed since Tarik Cohen went down with his knee injury last year. Nsimba Webster was supposed to help with that when the team claimed him off waivers before this season began. That hasn’t worked out. Grant should be an instant upgrade in that regard. He averaged 11.4 yards per punt return last season and scored a touchdown. The guy is dynamite with the ball in his hands.
Trade! The #Dolphins are sending WR Jakeem Grant to the #Bears for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 5, 2021
The Dolphins nearly traded Jakeem Grant to Carolina this summer but contract terms held it up. So instead they kept him on restructured contract and now he’s headed to Chicago.
Bears get one of NFL’s best returners in Grant and Dolphins can turn to Jaylen Waddle as a returner. https://t.co/HLSBOHt54h
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 5, 2021
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This move can’t be called surprising.
Not only is Webster a poor option at punt returner, but the injury to David Montgomery also may have had a hand in this. With him likely out for a month, it means Khalil Herbert should see more time at running back. That will take him away from kick return duties. This opens the door for somebody like Grant to become the Bears’ full-time return man. He did average 25.1 yards per kick return with a TD in 2019.
This is a calculated move for the Bears. Jakeem Grant can be a nice spark plug for them in an area of need. He also might be able to help out on offense if they can get him the ball in space. That is where he is most dangerous. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Grant is a free agent in 2022. So paying a 6th round pick for a rental seems somewhat iffy given how short the team already is on them. Then again it’s not like Pace and head coach Matt Nagy can afford to worry about the future.
