Pros and Cons to Chicago Bears acquiring JuJu Smith-Schuster

The argument in favor of the Chicago Bears acquiring JuJu Smith-Schuster

TikTok antics and mid-field logos aside, there’s a serious argument to be made for the 25-year-old former USC receiver being a very solid addition for the Chicago Bears– if it does indeed happen.

In only one season– last season, when he only played five games– was his catch percentage lower than 60%. And for a team like the Chicago Bears that had a pretty serious case of the drops last season, a pair of hands like Smith-Schuster’s could be essential for the centerpiece of this offense in Justin Fields.

While he’s only surpassed 1,000 yards once in his career– 1,426 yards in 2018– that shouldn’t deter teams from inquiring about Smith-Schuster. And in all fairness to him, JuJu wasn’t necessarily getting the best of Big Ben’s career when they were together, especially the last two seasons.

With the ideology that the Chicago Bears are going to be adding at least one receiver in the NFL Draft, getting a RAC guy like JuJu Smith-Schuster could pair very well with Darnell Mooney, who played more on the outside last season– something that’s likely to be the case moving forward due to his speed and deep-threat capabilities.

JuJu Smith-Schuster total receiving yards

• 2017: 917 yards (58 receptions)
• 2018: 1,428 yards (111 receptions) 
• 2019: 552 yards (42 receptions)
• 2020: 831 yards (97 receptions)
• 2021*: 129 yards (15 receptions)
  * missed 11 games due to injury

JuJu Smith-Schuster YAC yards since 2018

• 2018: 648 YAC yards (5.8 YAC/reception)
• 2019: 229 YAC yards (5.5 YAC/reception)
• 2020: 409 YAC yards (4.2 YAC/reception)
• 2021: 68 YAC yards (4.5 YAC/reception)
  * missed 11 games due to injury

Pairing Mooney on the outside with Smith-Schuster in the slot could open this Chicago Bears offense wide open.

And if posting TikToks before and/or after the game means seeing this during the game, sign me up– for the right price.

Along with his performance on the field, people forget JuJu Smith-Schuster is only 25-years old. That’s only a year older than Darnell Mooney, so if JuJu came to the Chicago Bears, the longevity piece of it all is enticing.

However, while there’s plenty to like about JuJu Smith-Schuster, there are some not-so-great things about him that each team looking to land him should at least think about.