The Chicago Bears traded off wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets earlier this offseason and although Marshall struggled in 2014 his departure still leaves a hole on this roster.
Marshall recorded at least 100 receptions, 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in two of his three seasons in Chicago. It's not easy to replace that type of production. The Bears are high on third-year receiver Marquess Wilson, but another talented body needs to be added to the position this offseason.
"There are plenty of free-agent receivers looking for jobs, players such as Denarius Moore, Michael Crabtree, Greg Jennings, Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks," Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com wrote. "But the truth is there shouldn't be a real rush on the part of the Bears to sign any of them because none of them are generating much interest around the league, which means there's not a ton of competition for their services. So I'd look to one of the aforementioned guys as a backup plan just in case the Bears don' sufficiently fill the need at receiver through the draft. Most of those veterans I mentioned will probably sign after the draft, perhaps as late as June, when teams start looking to fill out the rosters headed into training camp. My guess is the Bears will look first at the draft to try and bring in a complement to Alshon Jeffery, who is entering the final year of his contract."
Lucky for the Bears, this year's draft is deep at wide receiver. The Bears are expected to take a defensive player with the seventh overall pick. However, they could always surprise everyone and take Alabama's Amari Cooper or West Virginia's Kevin White if either of them is still available.
After giving quarterback Jay Cutler a seven-year contract worth $126.7 million last year, Bears ownership desperately wants to make that partnership work. To do so, the team will have to continue to surround Cutler with offensive talent. Despite setting a franchise mark for completions (370) and posting career highs in completion percentage (66.0) and passing touchdowns (28), Cutler still underachieved last season. He led the league in turnovers and the Bears ranked 21st in yards per game (327.1) and 23rd in scoring offense (19.9). As a result, new head coach John Fox has said that Cutler will have to earn the starting job.
