The Chicago Bears have remade their wide receiver room pretty extensively this offseason. After trading D.J. Moore and letting Olamide Zaccheaus walk in free agency, they signed veteran Kalif Raymond and drafted Zavion Thomas out of LSU in the 3rd round. While they’ve lost some experience, they’ve gained considerable speed. Raymond and Thomas both can take the top off a defense and turn short passes into long ones with their return ability. So, where does Deebo Samuel factor into this?
Aaron Schatz, an ESPN analytics expert, evaluated every team’s roster and pinpointed each team’s biggest weaknesses following the draft. For the Bears, he sees a considerable void at slot receiver. While the team is set to dominate the league with its two tight-end sets, it no longer has the trio of receivers needed to operate in “11” personnel. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden will be excellent outside targets, but they don’t have anybody who can threaten from the slot. That is where Samuel is mentioned
Slot receiver
The Bears use a lot of two tight-end sets. However, they still were in 11 personnel 52% of the time last season, so they need to have a third starting receiver to go with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Right now, that’s veteran Kalif Raymond, but Raymond is 31 and has had less than 300 yards in each of the past two seasons. The other alternative is third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. Deebo Samuel would be a really interesting free agent signing here.
Deebo Samuel isn’t the player he was a few years ago.
There is no question that the former Pro Bowler was a force for the San Francisco 49ers in the early 2020s, showcasing his mix of route-running prowess and after-the-catch ability. Defenses had no answers for him. However, over the past two years, it became apparent that he’d lost some of his juice. While still a tough runner with good versatility, his explosiveness seemed to slacken. No doubt the heavy workload he received in San Francisco played a part in that. It is why he was traded to Washington.
Though still productive at 727 yards with five touchdowns, it came with 99 targets, which was the most on the team. If the Bears wish to develop their younger players, the last thing they should do is sign a receiver who requires a high volume of targets but doesn’t produce at the level he once did. It is why the team was looking at veteran Scotty Miller after the draft. While not as gifted as Samuel, he would offer them a viable slot option at a favorable price, who wouldn’t need to get fed constantly.
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The Bears can’t develop guys if they don’t offer opportunities.
That is the key point here. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have said their primary goal is to draft and develop young talent. That is a good thing. However, it requires something difficult. That is a willingness to leave spots open for those young guys to take over. It is one of the reasons the Bears traded Moore this offseason. They wanted to give Burden more opportunities in the offense. Signing Deebo Samuel would undo that to a degree. This is not a move to make unless the Bears are desperate.
Maybe things change. Injuries can strike at any time, putting the team in a difficult spot. Maybe Thomas doesn’t make enough strides in practice to convince coaches he can play this season. Anything is possible. The truth is, Samuel is little more than an aging player living off his big name. He can still contribute, but you can’t sign him expecting that he can still carry the load in the passing game. He’d have to be okay with playing more of a complementary role. That doesn’t seem likely.
