Chicago Bears: Back to looking for a wide receiver?

After letting Cameron Meredith walk away, does the Chicago Bears’ plan at wide receiver change?

The 2018 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. While waiting for the excitement of the draft, a lot of information (and misinformation) is flying around. The rumor mill concerning the Chicago Bears is churning at full power. Who do they draft in the first round? Do they trade Jordan Howard and replace him with someone they draft?

Last week, the Bears made a move that added to the questions. They decided not to match the offer the New Orleans Saints made to wide receiver Cameron Meredith. Many people felt that Meredith would be an integral part of the Bears offense this season, even coming off ACL and MCL tears. The team surprised many by letting him walk away.

After doing that, do the Bears’ plan at wide receiver change? They did go ahead and sign Bennie Fowler, recently of the Denver Broncos. Will he replace Meredith, or is he just a space taker, just a body to have for training camp?

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I believe the Bears always wanted to draft a wide receiver. Having a dependable receiver under control for the next four seasons is advantageous. Additionally, they’ve had trouble with having a stable receivers corps and now they have a good shot at changing that. As noted before, the Bears are all in on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and giving him a stable group of receivers is very important for his development.

So the Bears are still in on a wide receiver, but where? Do they spend a first round pick on one, or do they go late in the draft?

This is where general manager Ryan Pace’s penchant for trading comes in. In his previous three drafts, he’s made a number of trades. He traded up twice in the first round and traded up and down in the other rounds. Expect more wheeling and dealing by Pace.

The Bears have seven draft picks this year. They have one in each of the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds. They have two fourth-round picks and no third round pick.

Not having a pick in the third is something that Pace might want to change. The Bears need some help on defense so they probably don’t spend a first or even a second-round pick on a receiver. Also, the receiver class has some good prospects but not good enough to pick in the first two rounds. There are players like D.J. Moore, D.J. Chark, Christian Kirk and Dante Pettis who project as third round picks. The guy Pace wants might not be available in the fourth round.

As a result, I think Pace looks for and finds a trading partner to get back into the third round. As I mentioned, there will be some very good prospects on the board there who could step in and contribute.

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The Bears need someone dependable to play on the opposite side of Allen Robinson. Kevin White could also be that guy but with his medical history, you cannot depend on him until he proves otherwise. However, if he does prove it, and you draft another receiver, the Bears are even stronger at that position.

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