State of Uncertainty for Bears Receivers
What a time for the Bears to be visiting the Big Apple for a game with the New York Giants.
If only because of their own depleted wide receiver situation, it seems appropriate.
This is a chance for the Bears to look first hand at any one of several Giants receivers who are disgruntled, disappointing, disinterested or all of the above, after losing their own waste of cap space, Byron Pringle, to injured reserve with a calf injury.
Once sought by the Bears while leaving Detroit during the Ryan Pace regime, Kenny Golladay signed instead with New York and last year cost the Giants only a cap hit of $4.47 million for his disappointing 39 receptions for 738 offensive plays. This year, with a different coaching staff, he has a cap hit of $21.15 million and has made two catches in five targets.
As a result, he's gotten fewer reps, had even less role, and Monday night he dropped a big pass, only to make himself look like a fool because he had said: "I should be playing, regardless. That's a fact."
Both Slayton and, to a lesser extent, Toney, have been rumors of trades or other modes of departure from New York. Most of those came in the offseason.
It all comes to a head for the Giants now as they've lost their one dependable target, Sterling Shepard, to a torn left ACL.
Someone has to pick up the slack with his departure. Will it mean one or all of these receivers step up, or will one or more be sent somewhere else before the trading deadline?
The Bears always seem to be the rumored target for anyone with a WR next to their name.
To be sure, there are other options out there for the Bears besides these three Giant-sized letdowns.
There is still rehabbing Odell Beckham Jr., 32-year-old Ty Hilton and also players like injury prone Will Fuller and 33-year-old Mohamed Sanu.
However, consider what the Bears have done to date and it should become apparent what they'll do now.
Yawn. Nothing. That's right.
They've watched their own questionable receiver corps head off to injured reserve one by one and now are shorthanded, unless Velus Jones Jr. makes his much-anticipated NFL debut this week.
Even then, Jones hasn't played in an NFL game and expecting him to make much of an impact is a reach.
GM Ryan Poles didn't get this far into his Year 1 plan by deciding to throw a good amount of the remaining $7.4 million salary cap space Spotrac.com estimates they have at a receiver like Beckham. There's no guarantee he'd even want to come to Chicago. He seems more interested in playing somewhere he could have a chance at getting immediately to the Super Bowl again.
Even if the receiver has experience working with Bears receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, as all the Giants receivers who might be available have, it doesn't make sense for the Bears to try and acquire another pass catcher.
They are pursuing this plan of possessing cap space and signing whatever talent they want next year.
There are plenty of reasons to think the last thing they would want for their rebuild is one of these 30-something receivers or often-injured receivers like Beckham or Fuller.
They also have made it very clear the receivers they need must be physical and willing to block in this offense. None of these players fit this description.
Sunday might be a showcase game for the Giants receivers, but unless they're offering one of these players up for a seventh-round pick and without the huge cap concern Golladay has, then they're putting receivers on display for someone other than the Bears.
Not only will Jones be back, but in another month or less the Bears could also get back N'Keal Harry.
Until Pringle or Harry can return, anticipate they'll simply promote Isaiah Coulter from the practice squad if they need one more receiver.
If they were to lose someone vital like Darnell Mooney or Equanimeous St. Brown, but this hasn't happened. Instead, it's players immediately replaceable who are injured.
They haven't even begun to use the last receiver they claimed and brought to Halas Hall, former Viking Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Anticipate his role will increase.
Losing Pringle only means one less receiver for Justin Fields at this time..
According to the league workout list, the Bears had five players in for tryouts on Tuesday: defensive backs Isaiah Pryor and Tevaughn Campbell and linebackers Blake Lynch, Kuony Deng and Tae Davis.
Nowhere on that list was a wide receiver.
If they were so desperate for receiver help, it only makes sense they'd bring in someone for a tryout.
Expect nothing more at this position barring further injuries.
Poles' plan is still in place and 2023 is still their year with the money.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
