Chicago Bears: These six wide receivers will make final roster
By Lee Radke
Damiere Byrd will be trying to fight for the Chicago Bears WR3 spot
Prior to last season, Damiere Byrd had yet to prove himself as a starting-caliber WR in the NFL. Playing in one of the league’s worst passing offenses with a struggling Cam Newton under center in 2020, Byrd caught 47 passes for 604 yards and one touchdown.
Forcing opposing cornerbacks to respect his speed, Byrd began to find his stride as a route runner and deep threat WR. Posting a 4.28 40-yard dash and a 42-inch vertical jump at his 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks Pro Day, Byrd possesses the speed and explosiveness to threaten defenses and create mismatches downfield for Matt Nagy’s offense. Schematically, look for Byrd to carve out a role similar to what Taylor “Turbo” Gabriel did for the Bears offense in 2018 and 2019.
Utilizing Byrd’s speed and quickness, Nagy can use him in the outside run game as well as in many phases of the passing game. Adding Byrd’s speed and explosiveness was a solid addition to this offense. At a price of one year, $1.2 million dollars, I see this as one of the better signings in all of 2021 NFL free agency by Ryan Pace.