Chicago Bears Training Camp: 5 decisions that must be made at camp

The Chicago Bears must decide on who will finalize the wide receiver group

We all know that Allen Robinson is going to be the first target on most plays. However, Darnell Mooney saw 98 targets in 2020 and I expect that number to increase in 2021. I also believe Mooney is a bigger game-changer than Allen Robinson. Robinson is your prototypical possession receiver, while Mooney has the ability to take it to the house on every down. Either way, these two will be locks as the WR1 and WR2 on this offense.

Now, Matt Nagy will need to decide on who falls in behind them. Will Anthony Miller prove he’s still worthy of being the third option? He fell off plenty in 2020 as his targets and snap count drastically changed as the season progressed. In Weeks 14 through 17, Miller only averaged two targets per game. To put that into perspective, Darnell Mooney averaged nearly seven targets per game over that same span.

Ryan Pace brought in two new faces for Matt Nagy to look at also. Both of these new guys are similar to Mooney in that they possess greater speed than your prototypical WR1 like Allen Robinson. Is Nagy trying to recreate the personnel groupings the Chiefs have in Kansas City? Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin are the two players I am talking about and both have a very good shot of making the final roster.

If the Chicago Bears keep six wide receivers, this means Matt Nagy must decide on who takes the final four spots behind Robinson and Mooney. The options are Anthony Miller, Damiere Byrd, Marquise Goodwin, Dazz Newsome, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley and a few other guys who are considered longshots such as Thomas Ives.

If I had to guess, the final depth chart will include Robinson, Mooney, Miller, Byrd, Goodwin and either Newsome or one of Wims Ridley with Newsome on the practice squad. Chicago Bears training camp and preseason will need to be where these answers are found.