GM Ryan Poles deserves a ton of credit for how he’s completely remade the Chicago Bears’ roster over the past few months. There is no way to know how much his changes will lead to immediate success, but one thing is clear. The guy made the roster much younger, faster and more athletic in the space of a few months. He finished with a flourish over the past 24 hours on the waiver wire.
I stated that the Bears’ claims on Wednesday met every single depth concern from the offensive line (Alex Leatherwood) to the defensive line (Armon Watts), linebacker (Sterling Weatherford), and tight end (Trevon Wesco). There was one glaring hole left unaddressed: wide receiver. Injuries have hit the Bears hard at that position. Tajae Sharpe and N’Keal Harry are on Injured Reserve. Byron Pringle hasn’t practiced for weeks. Velus Jones has missed large portions of training camp too. They needed a healthy body in the mix.
It appears they found him courtesy of a division rival.
The #Bears claimed WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette off waivers from the #Vikings, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 1, 2022
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My overall on Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
Everyone and their grandmother knows I'm a fan and I really like the fit in Minnesota with Jefferson and Thielen. pic.twitter.com/PCncg7vCZp
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) May 1, 2021
Chicago Bears have first-hand experience of Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The Minnesota Vikings scarcely used him after they drafted him in the 5th round last season. Only three targets in the first 16 games. He finally got his opportunity in the season finale at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Bears. Kirk Cousins found him three times for 103 yards and a touchdown. It was the first indication of the receiver’s exciting potential. While considered a bit thin (185 lbs), many draft evaluators loved his mixture of deep speed and sharp route-running skills.
He also has return skills. Smith-Marsette averaged 28.7 yards per kick return at Iowa with two touchdowns. His preseason in August wasn’t bad either, catching 10 of the 11 passes thrown his way for 121 yards. It is difficult to understand why the Vikings cut him. Perhaps it was a mixture of being loaded at the position and a new regime taking over. Whatever the case may be, the Chicago Bears aren’t going to complain. They got an exciting talent who just turned 23 years old.
This is another case of Poles identifying a good athlete and relying on Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff to give the player the type of development he needs. It is hard to hate the approach.
