Chicago Bears Wide Receiver Depth Needs to be Addressed
Oct 20, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Eric Weems (14) runs with the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Weems
5’9″, 195 lbs
8th year
2013 stats: 1 catch for 8 yards
I thought Eric Weems was a goner on the Bears with a big cap hit and limited productivity. The Bears asked Weems to take a pay cut, but unlike former teammate Earl Bennett, Weems agreed and will return under a more manageable cap figure, assuming he can beat out some of these other guys. Weeks has some experience in the return game, but even with that and his lower price tag, he’s going to have a tough time earning a roster spot.
Chris Williams
5 ‘ 8″ 175 lbs.
1st year
Here’s a dark horse be the next return specialist and slot receiver now that Devin Hester has moved on to the Atlanta Falcons. No, not the former Jerry Angelo bust offensive tackle, but a little speedster out of the CFL who drew strong praise from Bears coach Marc Trestman:
"“When he touched the ball, everybody was on the edge of their seat and to beat the team he was on, you had to neutralize him,” Trestman said."
Williams was also a productive wide receiver in the CFL, leading the Hamilton Ti-Cats in receptions the last two seasons in Canada before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. Could he be a Wess Welker-type the Bears envisioned Hester might be?
When you look up and down the rest of the wide receiver group, there’s not a lot there that inspires confidence if one of the big two went down. Don’t forget the Bears so also have Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte as strong offensive weapons, but with Marc Trestman’s offense you can’t have enough ammo. Don’t be surprised if the Bears look to add another piece either through the draft out of the streets before all is said and done.