Chicago Bears: 5 Offseason moves that must be made to improve in 2021

Chicago Bears offseason move No. 3: Wide receivers corps needs improvement

One of the problems with the offense was the play of the wide receivers. Sure, Allen Robinson had another stellar season. He became the fifth Chicago Bears receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Also, in his three seasons in Chicago, he has 3,151 yards, catching 64 percent of his targets and 17 touchdown catches.

The problem the Bears have is that there isn’t much behind him. This season, he received about 25 percent of the team’s total targets. The next highest targeted receiver had just 16 percent.

That receiver who finished second behind only Robinson in targets was rookie Darnell Mooney. Mooney was the 173rd pick of this year’s draft and looks to be a steal. He has great speed and runs great routes.

The Bears had trouble trying to get Mooney involved in the offense. He received 43 targets for 305 yards in the first eight games. In his last eight games, he had 55 targets for 326 yards. Both Trubisky and Foles had trouble taking advantage of Mooney’s speed.

They tried going deep early on but missed a few times. He averaged about 12 yards per catch in the first half. In the second half, he was targeted more but averaged about nine yards per catch. They eased him in with shorter pass attempts.

The offense needs a deep threat to free up space underneath. Mooney is that threat but the offense needs to get him the ball. The quarterback needs to find a way to find Mooney deep, but who gets him the ball is a story for later.

After Robinson and Mooney, there just wasn’t much from the wide receivers. Anthony Miller was a disappointment again and, with his inexcusable ejection from the playoff game, his days as a Chicago Bears receiver seem over.

Now that the season is over, the Bears need to shore up the wide receivers corps. That involves re-signing Robinson. Negotiations took a bad turn when the Bears stopped talks and it appears as if his return is doubtful. The Bears really need Robinson back, though. He means too much to this offense and he proved his worth. If a deal can be made the Bears need to get it done. Then they can look at the draft and perhaps a mid-level free agent signing.

Whoever helms the quarterback position needs weapons to throw to. The Bears need to add to the corps, not delete.