Anybody with a lick of common sense knows the Chicago Bears are going to pursue wide receivers hard this off-season. That’s the product of being the 32nd ranked passing offense in the league. Mitch Trubisky had just seven touchdown passes in 12 games. That can’t continue if this team wants to get to the next level. Anybody watching the Super Bowl saw that. So the first order of business is lining up solution.
Among that includes deciding if any of their own targets are worth keeping. The big three names to watch at this point are Cameron Meredith, Kendall Wright, and Dontrelle Inman. All of them have flashes some ability over the past two years. Meredith was the leading receiver in 2016. Wright led the team in 2017. Inman showed he could produce with the Chargers.
After that comes the highly anticipated unrestricted free agency period. It looks like 2018 could be a richer-than-usual year at the position. Most of the big names are well-known at this point. However, it seems the Bears’ new head coach is telling GM Ryan Pace and the front to keep a close watch on one name who could join the fray.
Matt Nagy may have interest in reuniting with Jeremy Maclin in Chicago
It stands to reason that Nagy might reach into his own personal connections in order to find help for the Bears offense. One name that people might not have thought of was Jeremy Maclin. The former Pro Bowler played two years in Kansas City in 2015 and 2016. He posted his most recent 1,000-yard season there. This past season he spent with the Baltimore Ravens. With his 30th birthday approaching though and Baltimore tight on cap space, it’s felt he may get cut. If so, Nagy is ready for a reunion according to a source.
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“Nagy has urged the Bears to look at Jeremy Maclin if he’s released.”
Maclin didn’t have a standout year for the Ravens, but then again none of their receivers did. He’s certainly not what one would call the ideal solution for the Bears’ problem, but it’s possible they see him as good enough to avoid overspending in free agency. The source elaborated on the possibility.
“(Allen) Robinson, (Jarvis) Landry, and (Paul) Richardson remain at the front of the list but if Maclin gets released and takes a bargain deal they may just re-sign Wright, and Inman and be done with free agency.”
Meredith is a restricted free agent so the Bears should be able to retain him easily enough. A group of him, Maclin, Wright, and Inman would be something to work with. Then again such a passive approach would almost certainly guarantee they go after a receiver early in the draft. Pace can be unpredictable in these situations. Odds are he may not be happy settling for one older receiver.
