Chicago Bears: Five Most Important Offensive Backups
By Andrew Poole
Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Marquess Wilson (10) looks to get around Detroit Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis (31) during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Marquess Wilson, WR
I’ll be honest: I’m not on the Marquess Wilson bandwagon.
I never bought the stories that Wilson was going to prove to everyone in 2014 that he was a solid, if not better, third receiver option. Preseason stories are always filled with that kind of junk, and I can’t remember the last time I saw one come true. Mainly, I just didn’t think the Bears would be lucky enough to find a valuable, non-lineman offensive player in the seventh round of the draft.
Then he broke his collarbone, and was largely ineffective (like the rest of the Bears offense) when he came back.
And I’m still not on the bandwagon, but here’s the catch and why he’s on this list: He’s not going to be the third wide receiver option for the Bears this season, like he was expected to be last year. He’ll be the fourth — with Alshon Jeffrey, Eddie Royal and rookie Kevin White ahead of him – and has no real competition for the position. If anything happens to Jeffrey, Royal or White, Wilson will be the only choice to step in for the Bears. Playing time by default is still a chance for Wilson to have the breakthrough everyone seems to expect.
Royal has missed a game or two per season for much of his career, and White, despite being physically talented, is still an unknown. Wilson has a great chance at stepping in for either of them if the injury bug strikes or if White struggles to transition from college to the pros.
I can see Wilson being a valuable underneath option for the Bears when he does get in the game. At 6-feet-3-inches tall, Wilson doesn’t have the size or the speed to be a reliable deep threat, but he seems to have good hands. With so many pass catching options on the Bears roster, though, he’ll need to capitalize on any opportunity to secure more playing time.
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