Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff: 14 Days with Deonte Thompson

Chicago Bears add Deonte Thompson, Becomes Starting Receiver

The following year, Thompson returned to full strength and signed with the Chicago Bears. Thompson joined the team at an interesting point in time; John Fox had just been hired to replace Mark Trestman after just two seasons, the defense lacked a lot of talent, and the offense still had some quality players in Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, and Kyle Long.

Still, the team would go on to struggle, but Thompson found himself in one of the team's few positions of strength, relatively speaking. In his first season with the team, he struggled to find a rhythm on offense, but he was a plus kick returning, averaging nearly 30 yards per attempt.

Following the season, Thompson was rewarded with a one-year extension by the team. It ended up being a good move by the front office to invest in receiver depth, as Thompson would go on to appear in all 16 games on offense, even making six starts throughout the season. He finished the year with nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns, but the team struggled mightily and finished with a 3-13 record, their lowest win total since 1982.

The next season, Thompson was again re-signed by the team. In the team's first five games, the receiver logged three starts, where he recorded 125 yards and a touchdown. However, just a third of the way through the season, the Chicago Bears released Thompson, ending a productive stint for the receiver.

Quickly, Thompson was able to find work elsewhere, and signed with the Buffalo Bills, returning the player to his second NFL team. He ended up starting seven games for the Bills and finished his season in the AFC with 430 yards and a touchdown. He even helped the team make it to the playoffs, where they unfortunately lost, but Thompson was able to make his postseason debut, where he had two receptions for 23 yards.

Thompson began the 2018 season with the Dallas Cowboys, where he earned a starting role for the team's first game. However, change in the receiver room, mainly the acquisition of Amari Cooper, would ultimately hurt Thompson's target share, leading the team to eventually release the former Gator. He finished the season out back in Buffalo, and between the two teams combined, ended his seventh year with 161 yards.

The next season, Thompson signed on with the New York Jets, but he was waived before the start of the season. With the writing on the wall, Thompson stepped away from the NFL following a solid seven-year career, an impressive feat for a player who went undrafted and had to prove his value primarily as a special teams player.

Thompson was able to break his mold and sell teams on his ability as a receiver in large part due to his stint in Chicago. His nine starts at receiver for the Bears were the first such games of his career, and upon leaving the team, he immediately served as a decent starter again in Buffalo.

Across three seasons with both the Bears and the Bills, his statistics read similarly, roughly 400 yards in nine starts. However, three of his four career receiving touchdowns came as a Bear, indicating that his stint in Chicago was perhaps the best of his career.