The Chicago Bears just trimmed their roster down to the required 53 players, but that hasn’t stopped some analysts from suggesting head coach Matt Nagy and company make a few more additions (and thus, ultimately subtractions) to the team heading into Week 1.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report is among those who feel the Bears need to make an addition — specifically, at the wide receiver position. In his September 4 column, Gagnon has the Bears thinks the Bears would be one of the “most realistic landing spots” for newly available wideout John Brown.
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Brown Recently Asked to Be Released From Raiders
Brown, who is entering his eighth NFL season, signed a one-year deal worth $3.75 million with the Las Vegas Raiders in March that could have been worth up to $5.5 million with incentives, but he asked to be released from Jon Gruden’s team in late August.
Here’s why Gagnon thinks the Bears would be a great landing spot for Brown:
The Bears moved on from both Anthony Miller and Riley Ridley this summer, leaving Allen Robinson II on a bit of an island in that receiving corps. That could change if 2020 fifth-round selection Darnell Mooney can continue to flourish, but Brown has a very different skill set than both Robinson and Mooney and would immediately become the No. 3 option outside in Chicago. If head coach Matt Nagy is going to get the Bears on track with either Andy Dalton or rookie first-rounder Justin Fields in 2021, adding a vet like Brown to support those starters and bring a different element to the offense on occasion would be smart.
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Would Brown Be Good Fit the Bears?
Brown was selected in the third round (91st overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, and he spent four seasons there before heading off to Baltimore for a lone season with the Ravens. He landed in Buffalo after that and started 23 games over the last two seasons for the Bills.
A hamstring injury in 2016 and minor quadriceps, back and toe issues kept Brown limited during his 2017 campaign, as well. The injury bug bit again last year, when he was placed on IR with multiple leg injuries. Over his seven years in the league, he has caught 320 passes for 4,748 yards (14.8 yards per catch) and 31 touchdowns. He had 1,000+ seasons with the Cardinals and Buffalo, but his final season with the Bills was shortened due to his stint on injured reserve. He caught 33 passes for 458 yards (13.9 ypc) and three TDs in nine games last year.
Considering they just signed Breshad Perriman to a one-year deal while also adding Nsimba Webster to help with the return game, there really isn’t room for another wide receiver in the locker room.
Brown has had a propensity to make plays over his career. He was the first rookie in NFL history to catch four game-winning touchdowns in a season back in 2014, but that was years ago, and he has had a few injuries since then.
Right now, as Gagnon noted, Allen Robinson is the unquestioned No.1 wideout for the Bears, while second-year standout Darnell Mooney should be the No. 2, but with Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, Perriman and Webster all on the roster, it’s a bit too crowded to add another wideout.
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