The Chicago Bears wide receiver position will likely be the teams’ primary focus over the next two months. GM Ryan Pace has taken a lot of heat for his mismanagement of that area dating back to 2015. He traded Brandon Marshall and let Alshon Jeffery walk in free agency. Meanwhile, he added names like Kevin White, Cameron Meredith and Markus Wheaton who have disappointed to varying degrees.
Pace loves to talk up the value of the quarterback position. That, at least, is an endearing quality. At the same time, his ability to build a proper stash of weapons for the said quarterback is severely lacking. Thus he’s under tremendous pressure to get it right in 2018. The only question is how can he do it, and do it swiftly?
Looking around the league there are three teams that offer good blueprints to follow. Each of them unique in their own ways.
The Steelers approach (Draft)
If we’re taking into account the man running the show, then this method may be the most appealing to Ryan Pace. He’s a scout at heart and has said several times he’d prefer to build the Bears solely through the draft. If there is one team that has offered the blueprint on how to do it at wide receiver? That’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 2010, no team has proven more masterful at this than them.
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While the drafting of JuJu Smith-Schuster this past year was further proof of their expertise, perhaps the best example of how quickly a team can restock the cupboard came in 2010. That year Pittsburgh grabbed Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. What’s even more amazing than getting two guys who have since combined for eight Pro Bowls? Sanders was taken in the third round and Brown the sixth.
What’s the secret? Pittsburgh tends to target receivers that fit three criteria: they must be fast, must be quick, and must have proven production during their entire college runs. A lesson Pace learned the hard way with Kevin White.
The Eagles approach (Free agency + Draft)
The Super Bowl champions certainly did some superb work rebuilding their receiver position in 2017. GM Howie Roseman decided on a two-pronged approach. It started with a blitz in free agency. He secured deep threat Torrey Smith early to give his team more vertical ability. Then he got lucky, securing Alshon Jeffery on a one-year deal after he had a falling out with the Bears.
It didn’t end there though. Roseman doubled down in the draft by grabbing North Carolina standout Mack Hollins in the fourth round. Those three, combined with a resurgent Nelson Agholor, helped the Eagles finish the season with 44 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions. Carson Wentz was almost a league MVP and Nick Foles won Super Bowl MVP. This after the team finished 24th in passing the year before.
The Rams approach (Trade + Free agency + Draft)
In terms of creativity, no team deserves more credit than what the Los Angeles Rams pulled off in 2017. GM Les Snead pretty much took the shackles off and almost broke the phone lines with how much work he did. Like the Eagles, he didn’t hold back in free agency or the draft. The key difference is he added a third layer by also dabbling in the trade market when he traded cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second round pick to Buffalo for Sammy Watkins.
He wasn’t alone though. The Rams continued to mine for talent from the Bills when they also added free agent Robert Woods. Those two alone looked like enough to get things rolling, but Snead wasn’t finished. He put the cherry on the sundae when Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds were added via the third and fourth rounds of the draft respectively.
That foursome helped Jared Goff, who had a rough rookie year, exploded to make the Pro Bowl and lead the Rams to a 10-6 record. Anyone of these strategies could be useful to the Bears. It comes down to which one fits the man running the show best.
