Curtis Samuel would be a dynamic addition to the Chicago Bears in free agency

The Chicago Bears need to add a wide receiver, if not multiple wide receivers, this offseason in free agency. One name that will be available to sign is Curtis Samuel from the Washington Commanders. Does the fit make sense?

Should the Chicago Bears sign Curtis Samuel in NFL free agency?

Curtis Samuel spent his entire career with Ron Rivera. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers, and after his first four years there, he signed a big deal with the Washington Commanders. Samuel hit a career-high 851 yards in 2020, his last year with the Panthers. 

In 2021, Samuel missed most of the year with a hamstring injury. In 2022, Curtis Samuel bounced back a bit with 655 yards. He was healthy again in 2023, and while he only had 613 yards, his 1.52 yards per route run was up from 1.28 the year prior, as well as his 1.37 yards per route run career rate. Darnell Mooney has a career rate of 1.35, and last year he was 0.89. 

This was the second most efficient season that Samuel had. There are a few reasons this would be a good fit. First, he is a slot receiver, and the Bears will need to replace Mooney in the slot. Samuel has over 52% of his career snaps in the slot, but in the last two years, he has run over 70% of his snaps from the slot. 

Samuel brings a speed and explosive element that Mooney used to, but he also can make more plays near the line and with the ball in his hands. Lastly, coming from Carolina, he spent the first four years of his career with D.J. Moore. The two are close and would love to reunite. 

While back-to-back 600-yard seasons are nice, that is still not enough to completely drive his market out of whack. Spotrac has him projected for a 3-year, $34M deal this offseason. The Chicago Bears could afford to sign Curtis Samuel. Should they?