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Chicago Bears Signing Victor Cruz Would Make No Sense

By Bill Zimmerman

Dec 22, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) points to the sky before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 22, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) points to the sky before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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There are no reasons for the Chicago Bears to sign Victor Cruz.

Sometimes there are bits of news that get you excited for your favorite team, sometimes there is news that makes you upset, and other times, the news just makes you scratch your head. That was the reaction I had when news surfaced on Thursday that the Chicago Bears were bringing in Victor Cruz for a meeting.

The meeting makes sense for Cruz. He wants to play in the NFL. The interest for him is low so teams with sub-.500 records are going to be the ones that might have a place for Cruz. This isn’t to knock Cruz the person or the player. By all angles, Cruz has always seemed to a great guy and for a stretch, he was an excellent player. But this isn’t 2013. This is 2017.

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First of all, Cruz can barely stay on the field lately and he isn’t the same player he once was. He’s played in just 21 games over the last three seasons and has tallied just over 900 yards and 2 touchdowns in that stretch. He isn’t a threat anymore, he’s barely a reliable target. Cruz has overcome major injuries, but those injuries have taken away the explosiveness that once made him a great receiver.

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It’s not just the fact that Cruz doesn’t appear to bring much to the table anymore. It’s that he doesn’t fit with the Bears’ plan. We know that Ryan Pace has put this team in a full rebuild mode. He is looking to build a deep, youthful roster, and Cruz simply doesn’t fit the mold.

I understand that the wide receiver cupboard is pretty bare in Chicago and that the team doesn’t have much depth and didn’t address it much with rookies. But this team would be much better off getting Daniel Braverman or Tanner Gentry on the field than Victor Cruz. All Cruz will do is potentially take away snaps and targets from younger players that may fit in the Bears’ future plans. Cruz is not a part of the Bears future. He will never be a part of the Bears future. He simply is a stop-gap veteran to stick into the fold.

At this point, it’s only a meeting and the Bears and Cruz may listen to each other and that’s where the interest will end. But Pace should not bring Cruz into the fold. If he does, it will only show an act of desperation and that he’s starting to wonder if his plan will actually work. Pace has always believed in himself, and if he signs Cruz, it will show that his confidence is starting to crack.

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