The Victor Cruz Bears experiment didn’t feel like it had any legs when the rumors first surfaced. As the past couple weeks went on though the buzz didn’t die down. It was reported from his radio show that the veteran wide receiver had narrowed his choices down to Chicago and Baltimore. At that point it felt like the Ravens were the clear choice.
After all they’d just missed the playoffs and were in need of help at the position, increasing his odds of playing time. Seems that wasn’t the big selling point for Cruz. Word just broke that the 30-year old has agreed in principle to a deal with Chicago.
The #Bears are signing former #Giants WR Victor Cruz to a 1-year deal, per @KimJonesSports and me. He has a new home.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 25, 2017
New #Bears WR Victor Cruz has an agreement in principle with CHI. May not actually sign for a few days. But a fresh opportunity for a reboot
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 25, 2017
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Cruz is a rather fascinating case. For a good three-year span from 2011 to 2013 he was one of the most explosive receivers in the league. He went to the Pro Bowl the first of those seasons and helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl. Since then? It’s been kind of a mess. He played just six games in 2014 before a series of leg injuries knocked him out for the remainder of that year and all of 2015 as well.
This past 2016 season marked his first action in over a year and a half. All things considered he played fairly well with 586 yards on just 39 catches. No doubt he’s hoping to join an offense where he can better showcase he’s still got some juice left in the tank. Chicago features an offense that seems to favor receivers known more for quickness and speed. So in that context it’s easy to see the attraction.
Whether anything comes of it will depend on how quickly he can pick up the offense and connect with the quarterbacks.
