Why It Wouldn't Hurt Bears to Look at Marcus Johnson
As a team in need of a speed receiver, the Bears' interest should be piqued by the decision of the Indianapolis Colts not to tender an offer to free agent wide receiver Marcus Johnson.
It's possible the Bears could even have an answer to their speed problems on the roster already, but checking out more speed never hurts.
Johnson has been around since 2016 as an undrafted free agent and couldn't step right in to replace Taylor Gabriel, but should be of interest as a receiver who was said to have run a 4.38-second 40 during a pro day while at Texas.
In four seasons with three different teams, Johnson has made just 28 receptions for 424 yards. He started six games last year for the Colts and made 17 receptions for 277 yards, the first time he's really had extended playing time at any stop. This included a game against Tampa when he had three catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
An interesting aspect of Johnson's resume is his ties to the Andy Reid offensive family tree, so he would be familiar with much of what the Bears do. He was under Frank Reich with the Colts and Doug Pederson with the Eagles.
Johnson was on the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season, largely as a special teams player but not a return man. He made only five catches for 45 yards that season despite playing 146 snaps of offense.
Philadelphia sent him to Seattle in the trade for Michael Bennett, and eventually he was cut and signed with the Colts but then in 2018 went on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
The Bears wide receiver corps obviously lacks speed, especially at the top end of the chart. However, it's not as dire as it might seem.
It's true Allen Robinson, Javon Wims and Riley Ridley couldn't hit 4.52 seconds in the 40, and Robinson didn't even go below 4.6 at the combine. And Anthony Miller isn't a burner per se, but does have deceptive quickness and burst. He makes up for raw speed with an ability to run routes well and it translates to good game speed.
Nonetheless, this doesn't take the lid off a defense. And even when the Bears' speed receiver was Taylor Gabriel, they seemed to lack a bonafide deep threat.
They do have Cordarrelle Patterson, whose 4.42-second 40 time was outstanding for a big man at the combine. That time was long ago, in 2013, and none of his four NFL teams have been able to harness his potential as a deep receiver because of hands and route-running deficiencies.
You could count Tarik Cohen as a receiver, as well. But his value is more as a Swiss army knife type like Patterson, and not as someone who scares a defense by running a fly route.
It's common for teams to load up at positions on their 90-man roster and the Bears last year had a large number of wide receivers in the offseason who didn't stick. They have a few players at the bottom of the roster now who bring speed as an asset, but could always use more. Which is the reason for the suggestion about Johnson.
Of the other three receivers the Bears have who were all on the practice squad last year, two have more speed than many of the receivers on their active roster.
Reggie Davis
The third Bears wide receiver from Georgia but he left school before both Wims and Ridley. He has been on practice squads with the Browns, Falcons, Eagles and Cowboys. The Bears signed him Dec. 11 then later gave him a futures contract for this year. At age 24, he's never played in an NFL game and is a wispy receiver, a sort of Johnny Knox at 6-foot, 170 pounds and he can run. Walterfootball.com reported his pro day time in the 40 as 4.31 seconds in 2016 when his draft class was being tested.
Alex Wesley
He ran a 4.45-second 40 at the combine but might actually be faster than Davis and some of the fastest Bears receivers because he was a Division I (FCS) track athlete. He only went to Northern Colorado because it was a D-1 school that promised he could run track and play football. He went over 1,000 yards two seasons at Northern Colorado. At 6-foot, 190, he had a 38.5-inch vertical jump and 125-inch broad jump. The Bears worked him out in mid-December and signed him to the practice squad after he had been cut in mid-September by the Giants, who had initially signed him as an undrafted free agent from the 2019 draft class.
Thomas Ives
He's no speed threat at all, but a fun guy to watch last preseason because he caught about everything thrown his way at training camp. A 6-4, 218-pound possession type from Hinsdale, he spent all last season on the practice squad.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
