Ranking the NFL’s 5 best deep-ball wide receivers
By Dustin Baker
5. Ted Ginn Jr., Chicago Bears
40+ Yard Receptions in 2017: 8
Percentage to Total Targets: 5.12
Ted Ginn Jr. enters his 14th NFL season in 2020, and it is fair to assign him the “journeyman” title. This season he will compete for playing time as a member of the Chicago Bears, his sixth NFL team. Presumably, he will receive passes from either Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles. Neither man is heralded for deep-ball throwing prowess, but perhaps Ginn Jr. can assist in changing that narrative.
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Since entering the league in 2007, Ginn Jr. has gone up to grab 25 catches of 40 yards or more. In these 13 years, this ranks 20th in the NFL. Impressively, about one-third of such receptions have occurred within the last three seasons. Not bad for an aging vet.
This perk is a result of two things — playing alongside Pro Bowl wideout Michael Thomas and being on the receiving end of passes from future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Although three consecutive seasons have ended in utter heartbreak for the New Orleans Saints, the twilight of Ginn Jr.’s career was enhanced by his stop in The Big Easy.
All told with the Saints, he had third-most receiving yards on the roster since 2017 behind the aforementioned Thomas and tailback Alvin Kamara.
In the next month or so, Ginn Jr. figures to battle fellow speedster Cordarrelle Patterson for the WR3 spot on the Chicago Bears 2020 roster.