Chicago Bears Roster Review: Brandon Marshall

Nov 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace has quite a rebuilding project on his hands.  In the next phase of our Chicago Bears Roster Review, we look at the players who are currently on the Bears roster.  We’ll look back at their 2014 season and look ahead to how they might fit into the team’s plans in 2015.

People say the 2014 season was a ‘down’ year for ex-Bears (it hurts my heart to type that) receiver Brandon Marshall. Well, according to him, a ‘down’ year is finishing with 721 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. If we’re going by that logic, I’m sure every receiver in the league would okay with having a ‘down’ year. But, tape doesn’t lie. Marshall was hurt for most of the season, and when you combine that with bad play calling, a quarterback that isn’t getting the protection he needs, and the fact that most of the team wasn’t mentally present for the entire season, I’d expect production to dip.

A few weeks ago, I posted an article clearly stating my contempt for the media-driven hate campaign against Marshall. I am now admitting publicly, that I may have taken my stance too harshly. I’m changing my tune a little bit. Look, Marshall’s career in Chicago was phenomenal. He was Jay Cutler’s safety net, and he played with passion and intensity. He loved Chicago, and desperately wanted to retire a Bear, but where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire.

It’s just, unfortunate that all three times that Marshall was traded away, the theme has remained the same- he was a distraction in the locker room. Marshall chose to be a leader because no one else did. Marc Trestman lost control of the team. I can’t fault him for attempting to right the ship. But here’s the thing, we have absolutely no idea what went on in Halas Hall. Maybe it’s all true, maybe it isn’t.

When he was traded to Jets, my heart sank because I knew the chatter that angered me so much a few weeks ago had some validity to it. The Bears only received a fifth round pick in exchange for Marshall, and that should tell you something. Ryan Pace does his homework, and when he was shopping Marshall, and he took the best offer.

Marshall will go down as the best receiver in Bears history.