The Bear Goggles On Countdown to Kickoff series is well underway. Only 80 days to go until the season, which brings focus to the player wearing number 80 for the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Victor Cruz.
Ryan Pace has signed multiple wide receivers this offseason, and Victor Cruz may be the most enticing. According to him, his stats should have been better last year, but weren’t because he was sabotaged. His stats paint an interesting supporting picture.
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First half of the season: 90% of offensive snaps, 25 catches, 42 targets, 5.25 targets per game, 377 yards, 1 TD
Second half of the season: 57% of offensive snaps, 14 catches, 30 targets, 3.75 targets per game, 209 yards, 0 TD
It’s worth noting that his second half stats are actually inflated somewhat by two factors. First, he had a single game against Philadelphia with season highs. Cruz received 13 targets for eight receptions in that contest. Second, he did not play in the Giants season finale against the Packers. Take away the anomaly game against the Eagles and he only had 3.4 targets per game.
There may be no conspiracy brewing, however, because the Giants did save $7.5M when the released Cruz. On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with his team leading 15 yards per reception.
2016 Summary & Highlights
So why did Cruz have a drop off? His highlights show his incredible skill.
There’s an easy answer, Eli Manning loves him some Odell Beckham. In the first half the season, Beckham averaged 10 targets per game. In the second half, he averaged over 11 targets per game. And in that anomaly game against the Eagles? Beckham received an astounding 20 targets. It’s difficult to catch the ball when one guy gets all the targets. Eli Manning locked into Odell Beckham more last season than when Jay Cutler used to stare at Brandon Marshall long enough to draw sexual harassment claims.
2017 Outlook
The Bears signed Victor Cruz to a one-year deal late in the free agency period. Some question whether or not he’ll even make it out of training camp. With so many receivers on the depth chart, and only one football to go around, a difficult decision made will have to be made. All signs point to Cruz making the roster, however, as his salary and potential are too high to pass on.
For the short-term future, he should be salsa dancing in Chicago. His signing is obviously another dart in Pace’s dartboard. There is a chance of getting close to a bulls-eye, however, if Cruz is fully healed and actually got tapered last year.
Cruz is a veteran receiver who knows how to get open. He could easily become a relative security blanket across the middle for whichever quarterback ends up getting the reps.
It would not be all that surprising if Cruz became one of the top two or three receivers for the Chicago Bears this season. A return to his 2013 numbers is unlikely, but 60 receptions and 800 yards is not out of the realm of reality.
Next: Victor Cruz Fantasy Value
Future with the Bears
We can only hope his future holds a lot of this:
In reality, however, he’s probably only going to be with the team for one year. If he does really well, some other team will sign him for much more money. Pace is unlikely to increase his offer for a veteran player with perishable skills. That’s not Pace’s M.O. That is to say, younger veterans are his preference. Conversely, if Cruz performs poorly, he’ll hit free agency at the end of the year – or sooner – without a second thought.
Victor Cruz holds his future in his own hands. Don’t be surprised to see his performance parallel the offensive results in 2017.