Chicago Bears: 5 hot takes on Allen Robinson, Khalil Herbert and more

Chicago Bears Hot Take No. 3: Damiere Byrd isn’t a good fit for this offense

Was Damiere Byrd a bad free agent signing?

When Byrd signed a one-year deal with the Bears in the offseason, he was supposed to be a productive WR3 behind Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Instead, through six games, Byrd has three catches for 19 yards on four targets. He has pretty much been a nonfactor and has had trouble seeing the field.

Is Damiere Byrd a good fit for the Bears’ offense?

Byrd was coming off the most productive season of his career when the Bears signed him this spring. He had a solid 47 catches for  604 yards in a limited New England offense in 2020. Byrd being able to thrive in an offense with a bad quarterback situation made Bears fans feel good about his fit with the team. Byrd’s numbers were bound to drop since he would be the team’s third receiver, but I don’t think anyone expected his role to be this limited.

Byrd’s calling card has always been his speed. He ran in the 4.2s at his combine back in 2016 and is still one of the fastest players in the league. In New England, Byrd was an effective player in the short pass game. Given how much Nagy’s offense focused on throwing underneath and short passes in 2019 and 2020, it seemed like a perfect fit. However, the Bears offense in 2021 has featured fewer short passes and more deep passes.

Bottom line

The Chicago Bears aren’t paying Byrd enough for it to be considered a “bad signing,” but I still think they could find a way to incorporate his big-time speed into the offense.