Chicago Bears: Victor Cruz a solid move for youth development
The Chicago Bears signing Victor Cruz is a solid move that will help the young players on a rebuilding team develop moving forward.
There’s a growing sense of dread when it comes to the Chicago Bears in the 2017 season. They’re a team in rebuild-mode, which is expected. However, there are enough holes on both sides of the ball for this team that they are going to struggle to win most games. A big reason for that, for the most part, is the overall youth of the team.
When you look at the 2017 NFL Draft haul that included quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in addition to the likes of Kevin White, Cameron Meredith and even Jordan Howard and Mike Glennon on offense, there’s not a great deal of seasoning. This team is largely unexperienced, even if there is quality upside with those players. That’s not what the Bears are working for in 2017, though. They are looking to develop these players in hopes that they’ll be able to compete down the road.
Given the state of the offense and team, the Thursday announcement that the Bears signed veteran wide receiver Victor Cruz might seem a bit odd. Why would a team building for the future sign an aging wideout with little upside and that was notably poor in his performance last year?
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However, Cruz is the right type of addition as a complementary piece for the Bears. If he finds his way back into his prime form, that’s great. But the bulk of his value is going to come from his leadership and experience, both in the locker room and on the field.
Obviously having a player with Super Bowl experience like Cruz in the locker room and working with players like White and Meredith is a positive. He can help these young players to hone their craft and become viable threats in this league. While they may not be the slot weapons that Cruz is, he’s still been in the league long enough and has had enough success to impart wisdom to his new teammates.
More important than the receiver group in Chicago, though, Cruz will help both Glennon and Trubisky. Perhaps the biggest concern about both quarterbacks in need of more experience and reps is the lacking receiving corps. And again, there’s no guarantee that Cruz is going to be close to the player he once was. But having that veteran presence on the field and potentially a safety valve is huge for young quarterbacks.
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Ultimately, Cruz coming to the Bears isn’t going to have an effect on their win total. By most accounts, they’re still going to struggle to win games. However, as this team has eyes on a fruitful long-term future, having the veteran receiver in for one year will help the development of these young players. As a result, they’ll be able to move closer to that future and the success they hope it holds.