Bears Receiver Depth Should Be A Concern

[soulman]

Across The Middle: Bears Receiver Depth Should Be A Concern

Andrew Dannehy | April 9th, 2019

The Bears seem to like their wide receivers right now, but that shouldn’t stop them from looking hard at the position in the draft later this month.

The top three of Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel appear to be set, but there are a bunch of question marks after that, for both 2019 and the future. Assuming Robinson is better another year removed from knee surgery and Miller takes a step as second-year receivers tend to do, the team’s top three receivers are really quite good. Unless, of course, someone were to get injured, which tends to happen in the NFL.

Both Robinson and Miller missed some time last year and the result was Josh Bellamy playing 321 snaps and Kevin White getting an additional 170. While White’s snaps and position are going to be easily replaced by free agent signee Cordarrelle Patterson, fans shouldn’t underestimate the loss of Bellamy.

Ideally, Bellamy would be replaced by Javon Wims, but Wims is anything but proven.

Wims is a big body who showed the ability to make contested catches both at Georgia and in the NFL last year. But, whether it was because of his grasp on the playbook or ability, there was a reason he was behind Bellamy and White, playing just 30 snaps.

Wims produced in his limited time on the field, both in the Week 17 game against Minnesota and the preseason where he notched 15 catches for 227 yards in four games. There are certainly reasons to be excited about what he can do but young players should always earn playing time and, as Matt Nagy said often last year, you can never have too many receivers in this offense.

Bellamy was valuable because he could play every position. While Wims can win on short routes, he just doesn’t seem to have the speed to threaten defenses down the field. At least, we’ve never seen it on the NFL level and his athletic profile suggests we won’t. Patterson can help make up some in that aspect, but he has always struggled whenever he’s been asked to play receiver regularly. He should be looked at as a gadget player, not a true wide receiver.

The team added speed in Marvin Hall, but he seems like more of a Gabriel backup than anything else. Should the Bears have to turn to him, both of their outside receivers would be shorter than 5’10”. Also worth noting that Hall has never had more than 10 catches in a season in the NFL or in college.

Should Robinson miss time again in 2019, the Bears will have a serious lack of big players who can get down the field. Luckily, that’s one thing the college ranks tends to produce.

A player like David Sills (6’3”) of West Virginia could be interesting in the fourth or fifth round. While he only ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, Sills had a 37.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump, showing burst. He averaged more than 15 yards per catch his final two years in college and totaled 33 touchdowns in that time.

Dillon Mitchell from Oregon could be another interesting addition or they could look even bigger and take a flier on 6’4”, 225-pound Jazz Ferguson from Northwestern State.

Those are just a few examples of physically gifted players who the Bears could add after the third round.

Even if the Bears are confident in Wims, there is a long-term issue at the position. As they have to extend young players like Tarik Cohen, Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair and, most significantly Mitch Trubisky, affording a $16 million a year receiver like Robinson might not be possible.

Whether this is the year they start trying to find eventual replacements for veterans who are likely to depart or they wait until next year remains to be seen, but the wide receiver position is crucial to the offense and, as Nagy says, they’ll never have too many.

[Fl0nkerton]

Sir, this is a Wendy's.


Edit: LOL I thought this was in NFL Gen. My mistake 😂

[soulman]

Sorry Andrew but I don't agree.

1 minute ago, soulman said:

Wims is a big body who showed the ability to make contested catches both at Georgia and in the NFL last year. But, whether it was because of his grasp on the playbook or ability, there was a reason he was behind Bellamy and White, playing just 30 snaps.

He was behind Bellamy because Bellamy was also an ST standout and he could run the entire route tree at every WR position.  But could Bellamy have done that as a rookie?  I believe Wims would have been more valuable on the active roster than White but White was the one with the big paycheck and a need to showcase himself for his next team.  Nagy gave him that shot but both were inactive much of the year.

Wims appears to have the goods to step up a notch or two and we added Patterson as a WR/RB/KR and Hall to push Gabriel and added to that Cohen is as much a receiver as he is a runner.

I would not put a WR high on our list of priorities and IMHO it would be crazy to spend more than a 7th round pick on one along with an UDFA.

[Epyon]

IMO Andy Isabella is the guy I'm banging the drum for most early for a WR....

Lightning fast, great route runner, good deep threat, still produced against good teams in college, and put up "workhorse" type receiving numbers.

if he was bigger he'd easily be a first round talent, imo.... and probably still would have been in a non WR-Stacked year.

 

My ideal draft is still trading next year's oakland 2nd to come back up this year, and with our first two picks netting Darrell Henderson and Andy Isabella (or Isabella > Henderson, depending on which has a more likely chance of slipping to our 3rd round pick)

[Sugashane]

32 minutes ago, Epyon said:

IMO Andy Isabella is the guy I'm banging the drum for most early for a WR....

Lightning fast, great route runner, good deep threat, still produced against good teams in college, and put up "workhorse" type receiving numbers.

if he was bigger he'd easily be a first round talent, imo.... and probably still would have been in a non WR-Stacked year.

 

My ideal draft is still trading next year's oakland 2nd to come back up this year, and with our first two picks netting Darrell Henderson and Andy Isabella (or Isabella > Henderson, depending on which has a more likely chance of slipping to our 3rd round pick)

I like Isabella too, but Idk if they will move early for a WR. I could see a trade up for an EDGE, CB, or maybe a RB but I doubt they do it for a WR.

 

I want someone who will get YAC so Hurd is on my watch list. I'd go for him in the 4th or 5th. I love how he runs, and offers a big target for Tru. To me he reminds me of Aaron Hernandez as a player, and I think we could even use him like NE did to Hernandez (move TE, WR and even the occasional RB). Could offer some insurance in case of Burton going down or at least match up issues when he is put in. 

[dll2000]

WR is a position that most don't do great in their first year.  

Fact that both Miller and Wims acquitted themselves well despite Miller being hurt and Wims not getting many opportunities bodes well.

I like our receivers as a group.  

• 2nd year in same scheme.  
• Healthier Miller and Robinson.  
• 2nd year for QB.  
• Entire backfield now is a legit threat to catch or run on any play.  No limits on playbook now with different personnel groups (Howard basically).  
• Patterson and Cohen are big chunk play threats anytime they touch the ball wherever they touch it.  They cannot be ignored.  Ever.  
• Shaheen is healthy.  

Those are a lot of pluses.

 

 

[soulman]

I know it's tempting to take a fast WR with talent like Isabella but where do you put him?

We've invested in ARob, are paying Gabriel to be that undersized deep threat, and we spent a 2nd round pick on Miller and a 7th on Wims all in 2018.

Then add in Burton and Shaheen at TE, Cohen who catches passes as much as he runs, and money spent on Patterson this year.

There are only so many snaps in a game.  How many would Isabella get?  We have far greater needs than another WR.

[Heinz D.]

WR is a stable position group for the Bears. The guy's just stirring the pot for attention. 

[Epyon]

46 minutes ago, soulman said:

I know it's tempting to take a fast WR with talent like Isabella but where do you put him?

We've invested in ARob, are paying Gabriel to be that undersized deep threat, and we spent a 2nd round pick on Miller and a 7th on Wims all in 2018.

Then add in Burton and Shaheen at TE, Cohen who catches passes as much as he runs, and money spent on Patterson this year.

There are only so many snaps in a game.  How many would Isabella get?  We have far greater needs than another WR.

I'd move on from Robinson after this season, for starters. He's overpaid relative to his production, and imo was never a great scheme fit. 

Gabriel and Miller are fine for now, but Miller is already having pretty severe shoulder issues. Wims is poor scheme fit in general, and entirely unproven beyond a few preseason games. Maybe he steps up and shows something, maybe not.

Patterson and Davis are replacing Mizzell and about half of Bellamy receiving wise. I honestly don't expect significant touches from either of them.

Beyond that we've nothing proven as a deep threat right now, as Gabriel is the only one fast enough, and not at all used like that.

[dll2000]

1 hour ago, Epyon said:

I'd move on from Robinson after this season, for starters. He's overpaid relative to his production, and imo was never a great scheme fit. 

Gabriel and Miller are fine for now, but Miller is already having pretty severe shoulder issues. Wims is poor scheme fit in general, and entirely unproven beyond a few preseason games. Maybe he steps up and shows something, maybe not.

Patterson and Davis are replacing Mizzell and about half of Bellamy receiving wise. I honestly don't expect significant touches from either of them.

Beyond that we've nothing proven as a deep threat right now, as Gabriel is the only one fast enough, and not at all used like that.

I respectfully don’t agree with any of this.

Some of it may end up being true, but way too premature.  I think people are giving up on Shaheen too fast too. 

Miller got hurt. No reason to think that will be a chronic ongoing problem at this point.  He is a driven young man. 

Robinson was coming off a major injury and entering a new system. Dude is still only like 25 and has played at an extremely high level in league before and showed flashes of it last year.  

Gabriel caught a lot of deep balls. He excelled at it.  Huge deep threat.  MT missed him a few times too.   He was weak in screen and run game.  But they have better options now for short passing game.

Patterson will have way more of an impact than Bellamy as a threat defense is worried about.  He doesn’t have to get ball he just has to be on field and defense has to mark him due to his athleticism. 

Davis is a solid veteran with arrow pointing up and will contribute.

 

[soulman]

2 hours ago, Epyon said:

I'd move on from Robinson after this season, for starters. He's overpaid relative to his production, and imo was never a great scheme fit. 

Gabriel and Miller are fine for now, but Miller is already having pretty severe shoulder issues. Wims is poor scheme fit in general, and entirely unproven beyond a few preseason games. Maybe he steps up and shows something, maybe not.

Patterson and Davis are replacing Mizzell and about half of Bellamy receiving wise. I honestly don't expect significant touches from either of them.

Beyond that we've nothing proven as a deep threat right now, as Gabriel is the only one fast enough, and not at all used like that.

Sorry brother but I don't buy any of that or at least not yet.  Nor do I buy into any of this "scheme fit" stuff.  Ever since the media launched into that with Howard it's like it's somehow become a buzz word and IMHO it's nonsense.  Winning HCs adapt to the talent on hand and I have no idea why two 6'3"-6'4" 215lbs WRs are not a "scheme fit" for us.  What's your reasoning behind that?  ARob is very much like AJ in his skill set and better route runner.

He was only able to start 12 games and that in itself was pretty damn good following an ACL injury and an offseason of rehab rather than conditioning and OTAs and Camp to better get in sync with Trubisky.   He improved during the second half of the season as he got healthier and in better shape and as Mitch began to depend on him more.  Then he tore it up in the playoff game against Philly.  That's the ARob I see and he fits very well.

While we can move on from him after 2019 if he can produce the kind of games he did against Philly because he's become Mitch's go to guy I don't know why we'd want to.  In fact we may be more likely to extend him beyond 2020 if he earns it.  Even now as WR go he's only the 16th highest paid in term of guaranteed money and 12th in AAV.  So we're not talking about a guy with even a top ten deal here.

As for the rest you're far more pessimistic than I am.

Miller played almost the entire season with a shoulder dislocation and started only 4 games and still scored 7 TDs on just 33 catches.  I'd like to see what he can do when he's not hurting and the shoulder is fixed.  It's not an ACL or MCL or Achilles issue and he's had it repaired.

IMHO Gabriel is the guy who was far more of a disappointment as the deep threat he's paid to be.  But then he can't control how he's being used or catch throw Mitch was pitching 10' over his head.  Despite that we signed Marvin Hall to compete with him as a deep threat.

 

"Patterson and Davis are replacing Mizzell and about half of Bellamy receiving wise. I honestly don't expect significant touches from either of them."

Whaaat?   Davis is replacing Howard as the #1 RB not Mizzell and Patterson with a busted ankle is more explosive than either Mizzell or Bellamy.  Bellamy is a standout ST guy but a #4 WR at best.  He's a utility guy any team can use but not one whose gonna have much impact in an offense over 16 games.

It's tough to know how much to expect from Patterson just yet but my belief is Nagy will have more planned for him than NE did.  Even their he was getting 4 touches a game and scored 4 TDs on offense.  He's explosive as all hell.

 

There's nothing wrong with Isabella other than trading up to get him and with all due respect this is what your post is trying to justify when the reality is much like I posted.  Where you gonna put him assuming you can even get him because I've seen him in mocks going as high as late round one early round two.  Speed like his sells.   ARob, Gabriel, and Miller are slotted as the starters with Wims and Patterson as primary backups.  He would bump  Wims based solely on his draft status but again we'd probably need Oakland's 2nd this year to get him.

 

[AZBearsFan]

@soulman just my opinion but I don’t think Marvin Hall is any threat or competition whatsoever to Taylor Gabriel’s role. I think he’s a ST player and a 2nd option at KR. 

[soulman]

2 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

@soulman just my opinion but I don’t think Marvin Hall is any threat or competition whatsoever to Taylor Gabriel’s role. I think he’s a ST player and a 2nd option at KR. 

Not so much a threat as competition to push him and as a reserve WR with deep speed.  All dependent on whether or not he makes the 53 man roster which will no doubt come if he can play well on ST.  He's basically offensive depth.

[Epyon]

Riley Ridley-wr was in town today, for a private meeting.

[WindyCity]

TE depth is the issue.

I am fine with what the Bears have at WR an in a catastrophic emergency there is always a Dontrelle Inman on the street.