The Bears made another move to boost the wide receiver position by signing wide receiver Brandon Lloyd from the Washington Redskins. Lloyd has shown flashes of talent in his six year career but has never translated it into big success. However, his presence allows the Bears to have a speedy, talented wide receiver on the field to force defenses to keep a player back to prevent a big play.
The Bears only signed him to a one-year deal, showing that Lloyd is more of a temporary fix, mostly likely an insurance policy at wide receiver if Devin Hester requires another year to fully develop. Lloyd is essentially filling the void made by Bernard Berrian and not yet ready for Hester. If Hester is ready to step up to full-time duty, the Bears won’t be stuck with a big contract and Lloyd can go elsewhere.
This signing is a good move for the Bears to make sure relying on Devin Hester and Mark Bradley doesn’t blow up in their faces. The addition of Lloyd and Marty Booker brings an experienced and talented duo to complement the youth and talent the Bears have at wide receiver. I’m still not sure that Mark Bradley will develop into a big threat, but Devin Hester and the wide receiver the Bears should take in the first three rounds of the draft will benefit from their leadership.
The only drawback with Lloyd is his ability to draw attention with his big mouth. He has already caused an uprawr by saying Rex Grossman is the quarterback after coaches promised there would be a competition between Grossman and Kyle Orton in training camp. I’m sure this won’t be Lloyd’s only blunder and will certainly create some interesting headlines during the season.
The move allows the Bears to make a more aggressive move in the draft for lineman and running backs, with the option to look for a more talented wide receiver next year. The Bears have never shown a true talent for drafting wide receivers so the more attempts they make, the better chances they have to land a true impact player. Bringing in Booker and Lloyd gives the Bears a one-year flexibility to concentrate on a long-term solution for offensive line and create some competition at running back.
As a result, we could be in for a season of Rodman-like behavior from the boisterous Lloyd.