How the Chicago Bears younger veterans will impact 2021 (Part 2)
Riley Ridley and Travis Gipson just need a chance to play for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears receiver Riley Ridley not having the special teams experience should be fine for Matt Nagy. Ridley is 10 for 11 on passes thrown his way. All he does is either get open or catch contested passes.
The Chicago Bears’ depth leads me to believe that the Chicago Bears could move on from Allen Robinson. No, I am not calling Ridley, Allen Robinson. But he is the baby brother of Calvin Ridley and seems to have the second-best feet on the receiving core in the Chicago Bears pass-catching core behind Allen Robinson.
No disrespect to Darnell Mooney. Maybe it is Ridley’s attitude, but he needs to find a way to get the coaching staff’s attention to let him play. After all, Justin Fields’ first career college passing touchdown was to Riley Ridley. The only cons for Ridley coming out of college were that he’s not that fast, he isn’t overly physical, and he has an average build. I just described Chad Johnson, who never claimed to be fast, but always shared how he will beat his opponents.
Ridley has continued to train with Johnson during his off-peak hours and looks even better than advertised. Ridley needs to find a way to get on the field with Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson. Once he does that, I have zero doubt in my mind that he will show that he is the player the Chicago Bears have wanted this entire time. Speaking of players the Chicago Bears have always wanted, they keep finding ways to find athletic defenders who don’t fit a specific position.
Finding a spot for hybrid players was an issue before Ryan Pace as general manager and continued during part of his tenure. Luckily for the Chicago Bears, Ryan Pace has picked coaches who have fine-tuned those types of players. The Chicago Bears turned Roy Robertson-Harris into a $30 million player.
Robertson-Harris was an EDGE defender turned into one of the more run defending interior players with pass-rushing upside. The Chicago Bears missed with Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson from the 2014 NFL Draft. Hybrid players are hard to develop. However, Trevis Gipson could be different. Ryan Pace has gotten lucky, it seems, with hybrid players.
Next. Bears offensive players on the bubble. dark
Maybe Gipson will turn his defensive interior experience into a strength on the edge. It is a bit of a reverse move from Robertson-Harris, but if Gipson turns out to become memorable, most of us will forget about the disappointing Robert Quinn and his enormous contract. The best players should play regardless of what they cost. Gipson and Khalil Mack could become what offenses in the NFC North fear each week if he turns into what Ryan Pace envisions.