The Chicago Bears seem focused on improving their offensive line first to help quarterback Justin Fields. While not a bad plan, at some point they’ll have to get more aggressive in the wide receiver market. Going into 2022 with Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, and Equanimeous St. Brown as the top three options seems ill-advised. Perhaps GM Ryan Poles might consider an alternative with the free agent market drying up.
Trades are becoming more regular with each passing year. The wide receiver position is proving this like never before. Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Robert Woods, and Amari Cooper have all gone to new teams in the past month. What makes it crazier is Woods and Cooper went for modest returns, 5th and 6th round picks. If this is how the market is going, the Bears could look to take advantage, presuming the right player is available.
Here are four they should look into.
Chicago Bears still have trade options out there
Laviska Shenault (Jacksonville Jaguars)
I already touched on this idea in a previous article. Shenault is an exciting talent with a unique blend of strength and after-the-catch ability. He isn’t a burner but is faster than he might look at first glance. His productivity in Jacksonville was modest at 600 yards each of the past two seasons. Much of that can be attributed to the abysmal coaching situation he was trapped in for two years. After signing Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to pair with Marvin Jones, Shenault needs a fresh start. His rookie contract would be cheap for the Bears, and his versatility fits their preferences in the Luke Getsy offense.
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DeVante Parker (Miami Dolphins)
It took a long time for the former 1st round pick to finally reach his potential in 2019, racking up 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Since then, a mixture of inconsistent coaching, QB questions, and health setbacks have seen him barely that yards mark in the past two seasons combined. Now with the arrival of Tyreek Hill from Kansas City to pair with Jaylen Waddle, it feels like Parker is no longer in the Dolphins’ plans. He’s still just 29-years old and brings a big body with strength and hand-eye coordination to make tough catches. Fields has no target on the roster like that.
Great job from Brandin Cooks to go up and get this b/w two defenders, but holy smokes what a throw from Tyrod Taylor. Off his back foot, defender threatening him, and the ball still gets perfect arc for Cooks to go find it. pic.twitter.com/F910XtuC22
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) September 13, 2021
Brandin Cooks (Houston Texans)
Here’s a stat for you. As of this moment, Cooks has delivered a 1,000-yard season with five different quarterbacks in his NFL career. That speaks to his incredible consistency as a target. At age 28, he remains in his prime and boasts the game-breaking speed Poles tends to covet at that position. His $16 million salary cap hit this year isn’t overly bad, and he could sign an extension to alleviate that since he’s a free agent in 2023. Having him and Darnell Mooney on the field simultaneously would be pretty exciting. Especially with a tremendous deep thrower like Fields on the trigger.
Kenny Golladay (New York Giants)
The great irony is that the Chicago Bears tried to sign the hometown boy last offseason, but the Giants offered him more money. Now the regime and coaching staff that wanted him is gone, and he’s coming off a frustrating season where he missed several games due to injuries and didn’t even score a touchdown. New York is tight against the salary cap now, and their new GM might wish to create some flexibility while unloading mistakes from the previous regime. Golladay is a baller when he’s healthy. The $21 million salary cap hit would be an issue, so it might take some negotiating to pull off.
