Should Chicago Bears Bring Back Victor Cruz?
The recent big news for the Chicago Bears is rookie Mitchell Trubisky being promoted as the team’s starting quarterback. This much-needed roster move just may be the one thing the Bears need to turn things around after their disappointing 1-3 start to the 2017 NFL season. What would make this news even better is bringing in some more reliable targets for the first-round draft pick to throw to.
Unfortunately, Chicago had to start this year with Cameron Meredith tearing his ACL, and Kevin White finding his way to injured reserve for the third consecutive year. As a result, the Bears’ passing game has suffered, to say the least. Through the first four weeks of the season, Chicago’s receiving corps has dropped a ton of passes, and the team’s top target in their air attack is a running back. It will already be tough for Trubisky to step in under such circumstances, so why not attempt to make things a bit easier for the rookie.
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When the Bears trimmed their roster down to 53 players prior to the start of the regular season, veteran wide receiver Victor Cruz was one of their casualties. Since getting the pink slip, Cruz has joined the NFL Network as an analyst. After Chicago’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Cruz said that it was time for the Bears to start Trubisky. That type of endorsement from someone who’s caught passes from the North Carolina product during training camp and the preseason should carry some weight. And that vote of confidence should also give the Bears’ brass a reason to at least consider bringing Cruz back.
Although Cruz is an analyst now, he also mentioned that he doesn’t plan to retire just yet. So, I’m sure that he’ll be willing to make a return trip to the Windy City. As stated earlier, Cruz was with the team during the summer, so he does have some familiarity with not only Trubisky, but with Chicago’s playbook as well. For the most part, Trubisky was taking reps with the second- and third-string offense during training camp—which included Cruz. Along with the other current receivers on the Bears’ roster, Trubisky should have a better level of chemistry than Mike Glennon did with his pass catchers. More importantly, bringing back Cruz, a Super Bowl champion, could give Chicago’s receivers and new starting quarterback some veteran leadership.
Will a move like this send the Bears’ offense into another stratosphere? More than likely, no. Adding Cruz can’t possibly make this group of receivers worse than it already is. However, what it will do is not only improve a receiving corps that is in desperate need of some help, but it will also give Trubisky just a little bit more confidence as he leads the Bears for the rest of the season.