Can Mitchell Trubisky get Markus Wheaton involved?

The Chicago Bears have to get Mitchell Trubisky and Markus Wheaton on the same page in Week Five

We are now through the quarter mark of the season and Markus Wheaton has yet to catch a pass in a Bears uniform. Sure, he missed the first two games, but the Bears went out and signed Markus Wheaton to a two-year deal. That means they only have 32 games. Two he has missed and two games his quarterback went 0-5 when targeting him. Now they have paid $11-million for 28 games.

Wheaton is the highest paid receiver on the team. Sure, his $5.75 million cap hit isn’t debilitating and can speak more to how much the Bears are invested in this position. Still, to have the biggest chunk of the pie in the group, he has to be proving his worth in some way.

So far through two games, he looks like a player who has not had a preseason or training camp. This full week and a half from a Thursday through a Monday following his second straight game should have been a major week for shaking off rust and finally feeling refreshed, as well as in game shape.

Half of the issue with Wheaton is obviously the quarterback, though. On five of his missed targets, three were completely uncatchable thanks to Mike Glennon. In steps the kid. The rookie Mitchell Trubisky is a completely different player from Glennon in terms of style and skill set. Trubisky is going to be able to extend plays, and from what he has shown he has the mentality to throw it out there with the chance of his player coming down with the ball. That is absolutely a different mindset.

With Kendall Wright and Deonte Thompson beside him, no one else is going to stretch the field other than Wheaton. Trubisky needs that deep target that he can rely on to catch those potential jump balls or deep routes to keep the defense honest. The fear of a deep ball opens up so much in the passing game and it is not there yet.

Against the Minnesota Vikings Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes are likely to play sides, neither will follow a specific player. Rhodes is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, but Waynes is arguably the worst number two corner. It is why the best cornerback and an All-Pro candidate at safety, Harrison Smith hold the number 23 rank in terms of passing efficiency.

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The Bears need to get Wheaton lined up on Waynes very early on. They need to tell Trubisky to give it a shot. Waynes is known for his penalties and grabbing just as much as his ability to surrender the deep ball. This is the perfect chance for this relationship to build chemistry and positivity and it needs to be a theme of the game when the Bears host the Vikings on Monday night.