Chicago Bears: Slow start in preseason not what Kevin White needs
By David Mamola
Kevin White needs to start producing now if he wants to make the Chicago Bears 53-man roster.
The Chicago Bears second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals was supposed to be the first look at the new, dynamic Matt Nagy’s offense. However, the starting offense had a lot of trouble, including allowing a sack, a holding penalty, and generating four total passing yards. Since it was the first preseason game for the starters, it’s way to early to panic.
However, it’s too not early to panic about wide receiver Kevin White. The fourth-year wideout has done nothing in his NFL career. His numbers—19 catches, 193 yards, zero touchdowns—are abysmal for a former first-round pick. He’s only played in five games (finishing just three of them) and hasn’t looked great in any of them.
Against Cincinnati, White had a chance to kick-off his preseason on the right foot. On third-down, Mitchell Trubisky threw left to White. Although he was covered well, the ball hit White’s hands and he dropped it. For a receiver with the amount of disappointment that White has garnered, he could have used that nice play. Instead, he once again was left answering questions after the game about his subpar play.
White, a free agent after this season, needs 2018 to be a good year. His NFL future largely depends on it. However, it has not gotten off to a good start. Rookie Anthony Miller has already passed him by, and White’s spot on the 53-man roster is no guarantee.
He looks slow on the field and hasn’t shown the explosion he had in college. He was supposed to be a big-play threat for the Bears, but instead he has averaged only 9.2 yards per catch in the NFL and looks uncomfortable running deep.
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White needs a much better showing in the remaining three preseason games. It seemed like the Bears wanted to get him going early (the first offensive snap was a deep incompletion in his direction), but White hasn’t really shown anything to make coaches or fans feel confident. If White wants to continue being a Chicago Bear, he needs to make some noise on the field…now.