Fans will start calling out any sort of player to be the Chicago Bears big free agent signing without considering their fit on the football field. When the team makes these decisions they have to consider how that player will work with Darnell Mooney, and also how they can add a player in the draft to match the duo.
One position the Chicago Bears have to add is a slot wide receiver. They need to find a primary X, but it is more likely that they develop one through the draft than find an X that gets away in free agency. However, slot wide-outs are not valued as highly and at times they can become a prized player in NFL free agency.
These three slot wide receivers could be a good fit with the Chicago Bears.
3. Christian Kirk
Christian Kirk really did not play the slot until last year, but last year was his best year with nearly 1,000 yards. Kirk not only had his best volume stats but had his best yards per target as well.
A lot of this can be attributed to his work in the slot. In 2018 he lined up in the slot 31% of the time. In 2019 it was 41.6%, and in 2020 down to 16.3%, per PFF. Then, the Cardinals finally let him go and play 78% of his snaps in the slot.
He averaged 1.8 yards per route run last season and averaged 1.41 in his first three seasons. The reality is that the team who signs him needs to stick him in the slot. For a slot wideout, Kirk is the best fit for Justin Fields, too.
His average depth of target was 12.1 in the slot, and 11.3 for his career. A typical slot wideout like Jamison Crowder is closer to seven yards downfield per target. Kirk is a slot who adds the deep field ability and that is exactly where Justin Fields thrives best. Fans may want to disregard the first. few years when he was used properly and realized that he could be a perfect fit with the Chicago Bears in the slot.
2. Is Isaiah McKenzie a nice bargain for Chicago Bears?
If the Chicago Bears want to go a cheaper route to add some explosion to the slot position they could be looking to Isaiah McKenzie. McKenzie has been depth for the Buffalo and really only got a chance to shine when Cole Beasley was out last year.
However, when he does step on the field, he presents problems. McKenzie would essentially be filling in for the Tarik Cohen and Jakeem Grant role more than anything. He is smaller but adds a receiving and rushing dimension to the game, as well as return game upside.
McKenzie is as explosive of those two, and his ability to motion, and move around before and after the snap makes him valuable. The two things that will decide whether or not the team should roll with Isaiah McKenzie will come down to price and the other two names.
If they have Cohen or Grant still on the roster, McKenzie may be overkill. Still, because McKenzie was hidden in Buffalo he could come into Chicago cheaper than both and could be looked at as a starting slot wideout on top of the gadget things. If that is the case, they have to consider him.
1. Should Chicago Bears sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu Smith-Schuster was once expected to be a big name wideout who was going to break the bank. Now, many teams could be looking at him as an upside bet who is a good bargain.
Smith-Schuster had 1,426 yards in his second NFL season. In the three following years combined he is up to 1,512 yards. Some of that is injury-related, and of course, some is his own play.
However, a lot could be quarterbacks. He spent a lot of 2019 with Duck Hodges when in 2020 and 2021 he saw Ben Roethlisberger who was not pushing the ball down the field.
The questions that the Chicago Bears have to answer is whether they believe Smith-Schuster lost a step, or if he was not a deep field threat because his quarterback was old and not putting the ball in those spots. One place to easily answer that question is with the Chicago Bears and Justin Fields.
Smith-Schuster could revamp his career by being a safety blanket for a young quarterback, and also adding some deep field receptions to his arsenal.
While some fans worry about his persona, this is a player who came back from injury three weeks early to play in the playoffs, even though his team got blown out. This is the type of player that you would want on your team.
When you add in that he is still very young, there is enough upside to take a shot on this slot wide out.