Once upon a time, the Chicago Bears were in a bind at the wide receiver position. What's a newfound abundance of talent in Chicago was once the bottom of the NFL barrell.
When Equanimeous St. Brown joined the Bears back in 2022, he would go on to play an integral part of the offense. This isn't a knock against St. Brown, but imagining him an integral part of any offense, today, seems far fetched. Yet, St. Brown just received another NFL opportunity as he signed with the San Francisco 49ers.
St. Brown had been waiting quite some time for this opportunity, which shows that it could be just about the end for the former Notre Dame standout.
Equanimeous St. Brown reminds Bears fans just how quickly things can change
It is pretty astounding that St. Brown once played 57 percent of the Bears' offensive snaps back in 2022 and then went on to play 45 percent in 2023. Bears fans who were familiar with Notre Dame had long-wanted St. Brown on the team dating back to his time in college, but the 2018 sixth-round pick has had a hard time finding a real role on the field.
Of course, that's everywhere he's been other than Chicago, where he played a good amount.
Now, the Bears have a trio of talented wide receivers who could all wind up leading the team on any given Sunday. All of them are under the age of 29 and two are on rookie contracts in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden.
The tide has certainly changed.
Meanwhile, St. Brown joins a 49ers wide receiver room that's been hampered by injuries and a major departure. Deebo Samuel is gone, now with the Washington Commanders. Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from an ACL tear and Jauan Jennings just suffered an injury as well. So, maybe there's a real shot at some playing time from St. Brown as an experienced veteran.
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But, because he had to wait until August to get a job, this might just be his last chance. Spending last year on the New Orleans Saints practice squad, St. Brown didn't seem to have much interest from prospective teams this past offseason.