Chicago Bears: Additions to wide receivers corps help improve the offense

There have been a number of changes to the Chicago Bears wide receivers corps. Those changes help improve the offense.

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of another rebuild. despite general manager Ryan Poles or head coach Matt Ebeflus refusing to say it. Poles shipped off bloated contracts and key veterans so he could not only overhaul the roster but also have the flexibility to bring in the assets necessary to have a consistent contending team.

In order to do that, Poles had to sacrifice the 2022 season. He had to keep the payroll down to a minimum so he could do what he wants to the roster.

After taking a sledgehammer to the roster this offseason, Poles showed he was not finished. He traded away two key veterans, defensive end Robert Quinn and linebacker Roquan Smith. In exchange, he received three valuable draft picks and added salary cap capital. The team with the highest salary cap space for 2023 increased it.

Poles showed that he wasn’t finished. While many experts expected other veterans such as running back David Montgomery to be shown the door out of Chicago, Poles actually brought a player in. He traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool.

Poles gave up one of his two 2023 second-round picks to acquire Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Justin Fields now has another target — a big, athletic, and speedy receiver.

The Chicago Bears wide receivers corps has undergone a change

Speaking of wide receivers, the Chicago Bears’ unit has undergone some changes. The unit has drawn criticism since the offseason. Poles brought in players like Equamineous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Dante Pettis, and N’Keal Harry. These players have either been buried in the depth chart or disappointed with other teams.

Other than Darnell Mooney, FIelds hasn’t had many dependable targets. The receivers have had a difficult time getting open. Additionally, there have been some key drops that could have turned the tide in some games.

Just last week, when the Bears started their comeback effort against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, Fields threw two pinpoint passes into the end zone. However, Pettis (who has had at least four dropped passes in key situations this season) and St. Brown were unable to hold onto the passes.

Fields is getting help, however. We will see how the Claypool deal helps him. He already has more touchdowns (12) in three seasons than any other wide receiver on the roster who played more seasons (Dante Pettis has 11 in five seasons).

Claypool should really help Fields feel more confident throwing to his receivers.

Fields has gotten more help, however. N’Keal Harry came off of injured reserved and is getting more comfortable in this system. In two games since he returned, he’s been targeted just three times but he caught them all for 38 yards and a touchdown.

As Harry progresses this season, he will be a bigger contributor. He and Claypool give Fields two big, athletic targets on the outside. Furthermore, if they both play well, Mooney can move to the slot, where he’s had a lot of success. He had some struggles early this season playing on the outside.

After playing in the first three games, Pringle suffered a calf injury. It required him to go on injured reserve as well. He recently came off the list and is close to returning.

Pringle had 568 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns last season with the Kansas City Chiefs. That was impressive considering all the targets Patrick Mahomes had at his disposal. Pringle was low on the depth chart yet was a dependable asset.

Fields has shown a big improvement in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense compared to how he started. With him leading the offense, the Bears have moved the ball. They average 384 yards of total offense in their last three games. In their last two, this offense that averaged 15.5 points per game just three weeks ago, averaged 31 points per game.

Now with additional help, Fields and this offense should experience more progression. It will be great to see Fields and the offense succeed. Then, when 2023 arrives, there will be even more help and the offense could go to higher lengths.