Bear Digest

Freed up wide receivers provide plenty of temptation to Bears

A group of wide receivers have joined some who will be free agents, including Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk and Tyler Lockett and it's possible the Bears will be tempted.
Gene Chamberlain|
Tyler Locket cuts to the sidelines and upfield for Seattle. Lockett is among the slot receivers with potential to interest the Bears.
Tyler Locket cuts to the sidelines and upfield for Seattle. Lockett is among the slot receivers with potential to interest the Bears. | William Navarro-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson have to be feeling like someone who needs another car and is walking through the showroom with some very expensive models.

They do need a slot receiver. In fact, they have no one who has done this to any real extent, and suddenly the wide receiver market in free agency has fattened to the point where it will become difficult to turn the other way.

The Bears need to do this, though, because their true needs remain along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football and also at running back.

They can't get better at critical positions by wasting cash on shiny replacements for Keenan Allen, especially when Johnson's offense normally functioned at a high level with only one or two really dangerous wide receiver threats with the Lions.

There are so many wide receivers in the marketplace that it's starting to resemble the running backs market of several years ago. Diva receivers who took big paychecks and saw the cash figures climb skyward are suddenly part of a glut of players at this position who will drive down the price.

Another receiver who's not among those released yet is Cooper Kupp, but it's expected to happen if he's not traded.

If the Bears wait and play their cards right, they might even get one of the better players in the market for pennies on the dollar if they feel it's needed.

However, remember what Johnson himself said at the combine while doing interviews. Speaking about DJ Moore, he said something that applies to all of his receivers: "no block, no rock."

The receivers must block. Moore should never be a problem in this regard because he was one of the better blockers in the league last year. But any slot receiver the Bears would pick up must be willing blockers.

In the Lions version of the Johnson offense, slot receivers could be used for blocking extensively. He was always praising the blocking of Kalif Raymond.

Tyler Lockett

Freshly released by the Seahwawks but he's 33 in late September. His catch totals dropped last year with Jaxon Smith-Njigba taking up more targets but he still maintained a decent catch percentage and yards per catch. Lockett can be a pure slot receiver if neede because he had four seasons when he lined up the majority of his snaps in the slot between 2017-20.

Christian Kirk

Kirk is a true slot receiver and went to Jacksonville from Arizona on a ridiculous contract as one. Kirk remains an excellent slot receiver in only is eighth season at age 28 but he missed five games due to a core muscle injury in 2023 and nine games last year due to a broken collarbone. Kirk would be the best investment if obtained at a low price because his injuries are non-career threatening and he is still young.

Chris Godwin

He's right there with Kirk, maybe better, but is a year older. However, Godwin is so sure-handed it's hard to see how anyone could pass on him if they had the money and needed a true slot receiver. He spent five of his eight seasons lining up 60% of his snaps in the slot.

Stefon Diggs

Coming off a torn ACL, and if he wasn't it's hard to see how the Texans would allow him to be a free agent. But the injury is too severe to ignore.

Marquise Brown

A shoulder injury led to his lack of production and then a stint on injured reserve. He had signed for only one year and $7 million with the Chiefs and really hasn't been a true slot receiver as he's never been over 44.3% of his plays from the slot. He's probably more suited to the Z-receiver now.

Amari Cooper

He hasn't lined up more than 28.6% of the time in the slot for any season. He's a pure X-type on the outside, not a position the Bears need.

Diontae Johnson

A slot with talent but too much baggage.

Darius Slayton

Slayton's playing style looks like it would fit in the slot but he hasn't lined up more than 33% of the time there and in his six seasons only went over 28.4% once.

DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins can do anything he wants at receiver but at 32 his age is an issue and he had just 56 catches for 610 yards. The Chiefs probably should have gotten more out of him. He played for a veteran's minimum last year and would be someone to consider at that rate.

Davante Adams

The Jets got hooked into signing him at a ridiculous rate and now he's 32 and isn't really a slot receiver.

Tim Patrick

The bells go off here. The Lions free agent was one of the highest graded wide receiver-blockers in the league last year but at 6-4, 212, he's more of an X-type. They could use him as a "power slot" but that's stretching the way they want to run the offense.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.