For all the concerns surrounding the slow start to the Chicago Bears' offense to start training camp, there has been a bright spot to the unit that has been catching everyone's attention.
JP Richardson might be a name fans remember from college, as he was a wide receiver for Oklahoma State and TCU from 2021 through 2024. While he was never a top receiver at those schools, he was as reliable a slot target and special teams returner as they get.
ESPN Bears beat reporter Courtney Cronin noticed Richardson's potential after a stellar first three days of training as he received praise for his play with the third-team.
"Undrafted free agent wide receiver JP Richardson has put together three solid days of camp. The TCU product hauled in two catches with the third-team offense on Friday after making a one-handed catch down the sideline on the first day of practice."
Richardson's long shot story could make for a perfect Windy City ending
Last season at TCU, Richardson had the best season of his colelge career with 57 receptions for 733 yards and two touchdowns. He also proved his worth on special teams with a punt return for a touchdown on 23 returns.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound wide receiver entered the NFL Draft with an NFL Next Gen stats grade of 5.87. That is equivalent to what they call an "average backup or special-teams player." Richardson has quick feet, and his specialty is lining up in the slot to catch those third-and-five situations. The knock on him was that he is not a deep threat receiver and is more reserved for short-yard receptions.
Entering Bears' training camp, Richardson already had a tall hill to climb with the wide receivers being deep with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Olamide Zaccheaus being locks for the roster. Other players, such as Devin Duvernay and Tyler Scott, could challenge for those final roster spots.
It appears that Richardson is doing all the right things to get noticed in camp, but has more work to do. Special teams is the key to him making the roster, whether that will be in return coverage or finding a way to be a returner like he was last year.
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Richardson feels like a long shot to make the 53-man roster and might be a perfect candidate for the practice squad, but he will certainly make it difficult for the Bears not to add him to the team.