Did the Chicago Bears make a mistake regarding wide receiver in 2022?
Why the wide receiver position has dried up for the Chicago Bears
The biggest problem for Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears is that they didn’t focus on wide receiver enough in 2022 in hopes of fully addressing the position in 2023. The problem with that is the wide receiver position has dried up drastically for 2023. Potential free agents such as D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, Diontae Johnson, and Terry McLaurin all re-signed with their respective teams.
The free agents at the wide receiver position for 2023 now include:
- Nelson Agholor
- Sterling Shepard
- DJ Chark
- Marvin Jones
- Julio Jones
- Byron Pringle
- Allen Lazard
- Jakobi Meyers
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Jarvis Landry
- A bunch of other guys similar to what we are seeing now
The only way the Chicago Bears and truly address the position now is by hoping to land a top receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. Now, the draft is no guarantee and this team could use some guarantees. There is obviously hope that Darnell Mooney and rookie wide receiver, Velus Jones, Jr. advance this season and we are talking about the two of them as future WR1s in the NFL — or at least a WR1 and a WR2. Then, maybe they add more firepower in the first or second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Hope is great, and it’s way too early to tell if the Chicago Bears and Ryan Poles made any mistakes with the wide receiver position. As long as Justin Fields is able to find time to throw (that offensive line situation is looking up) and he develops into the quarterback we all know he can be, then this whole situation will make Poles look like a genius. If this all fails, there is an outside chance that Poles could also trade for a wide receiver. We saw plenty of that this offseason, but there is no guarantee that will be an option in the future.
What do you think? Are you in the “wait and see” mode or are you already ready to call Ryan Poles a bust because you believe the Chicago Bears made a major mistake at the wide receiver position? Personally, I’m more of the wait-and-see type, but I think it’s still okay to question some of the lack of moves thus far. Just don’t panic, it’s very early in the rebuilding process.