Chicago Bears Thoroughly Impressed with Kevin White

One of the more under-the-radar stories of the Chicago Bears 2016 offseason is the return of Kevin White. White was Ryan Pace’s first ever draft selection as Bears’ General Manager. Pace selected him seventh overall in the 2015 draft. White was a raw talent out of West Virginia that had explosive ability and an extremely high ceiling.

[Kevin White] reminded me of Andre Johnson… He has hands similar to Reggie Wayne.

But unfortunately for White (and the Bears) a stress fracture that required surgery sidelined him for the entire 2015 campaign. The Bears ended up with a very strong rookie class last season, even though no one has even seen what White can do on the football field.

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This week the Bears opened up their offseason workout program with their rookie camp. Plenty of Bears’ brass addressed the media and the topic of Kevin White came up multiple times. Clearly the front office and coaching staff could not be more pleased with White and what he brings to the table. If White is half as good as the Bears are talking him up, he will be a massive addition to the offensive unit.

According to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com, Pace had this to say about White’s progress:

"Just watching him over the last couple weeks, he’s 100 percent full speed. He’s got great acceleration off the line. He’s got great leaping ability to go attack the ball; all the things that we saw in college. But in addition to that, he’s an outstanding worker. He’s got a great personality. He’s kind of infectious to be around and I couldn’t be more proud of how he approached his rehab and how hard he’s working now and the chemistry that he already has with Jay Cutler and our other receivers. It’s exciting to see. We’re all just pumped up going forward. It is like having another first-round pick this year."

Pace is exactly right. After missing all of 2015, White is an additional 2016 first round pick. The most important thing Pace mentions is that White is currently 100% healthy. That’s extremely important. Of course Pace is going to speak highly of what White is doing on the field, but to know that White is healthy and to see Pace beam about him is good to see.

Bears new wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson also addressed the media on Friday and gave White a very complimentary comparison.

"Kevin White was one of the better receivers I’ve seen coming out. He reminded me of some of the guys I had in Miami. He reminded me of Andre Johnson. He’s very similar to him. They’re both big and physical and fast. That doesn’t all go together sometimes. But when you see a big guy who is physical, fast and athletic, you just wonder how good this guy can really be?"

While a comparison to Andre Johnson would be complimentary enough, he didn’t stop there in his comparisons.

"He has hands similar to Reggie Wayne, so he was one of those guys where when you looked at the draft and watched television, you say this guy is going to be a bona fide player."

Curtis Johnson would know. He worked with both Wayne and Johnson at the University of Miami when he was the receivers coach there from 1996 to 2005. He also held the same position with the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2011, which is the obvious tie-in to Pace and how he became the top choice to replace Mike Groh who left after the 2015 season.

Other than Johnson, Dowell Loggains addressed the media for the first time since being elevated from quarterbacks’ coach to offensive coordinator and he too had similar praise for White:

"He’s everything we expected. He’s a hard worker. His attitude is contagious because he is very positive. He doesn’t have bad days."

Loggains continued his praise and talked about how he’s excited to to utilize both Alshon Jeffery and White on the field at the same time.

"I can’t wait to get them both on the field at the same time. It’s something we’ve never seen in Chicago."

Nov 9, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) is tackled by San Diego Chargers cornerback Patrick Robinson (26) during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

While that shows serious expectations, he’s not wrong. Only twice in the history of the Bears’ franchise has the team managed to have two 1000-yard receivers in the same season. The first time was 1995 when Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham both toppled the 1,000-yard mark. The second was in 2013 when the combination of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery combined for the most exciting receiving duo in franchise history.

Jeffery’s 1421 yards that year are second all-time (trailing only Marshall’s 2012 campaign) and Marshall’s 1295 yards are good for fifth all-time. Having both receivers finish with one of the top five receiving seasons in the history of the franchise is beyond impressive. But that duo, like Conway and Graham, only could capture that magic for one season. In 2014, Marshall’s season was mostly lost due to injury, and by 2015 he was gone. White and Jeffery give the Bears the potential to have that same type of dynamic duo, not just for one season, but for several (if the Bears can hammer out a long term contract with Jeffery).

If White can develop into the receiver the Bears believe he can be, and early indications show that he very well could be on his way, the Bears offense could become something special. It certainly would help Bears fans quickly forget the names Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte, and Martellus Bennett. White needs time to develop, but if he does, the Bears passing game has the potential to develop into a dynamic attack.

Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSided‘s BearGogglesOn. Like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter for more news and interaction.

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