The Chicago Bears have a slew of needs to address this offseason, especially in the trenches. But when looking at quarterback Justin Fields taking another step forward, they need to get him a No. 1 wide receiver.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any options currently set to hit the free agent market. But there are a couple of options in the 2023 NFL draft, including Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Fields has openly campaigned for the Bears to draft his former teammate, Smith-Njigba, who is widely considered the top wide receiver prospect in this draft class.
“Since he has been in Chicago, we have always talked about him being like a big brother to me,” Smith-Njigba said at the NFL Scouting Combine, via CHGO Bears. “I definitely appreciate it coming from a guy like that.”
Smith-Njigba played in just three games last season with the Buckeyes due to a hamstring injury. But he was coming off an impressive sophomore season, where he had 95 receptions for 1,606 yards — both team highs — and nine touchdowns.
Fields and Smith-Njigba played sparingly together during the 2020 season, but he would give Fields a familiar weapon, not unlike what the Bengals did with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
With the Bears looking to pair Fields with a No. 1 receiver, perhaps we’ll see an Ohio State reunion in Chicago. It’s something both Fields and Smith-Njigba would love to happen.
“We definitely had a little connection back in the day,” Smith-Njigba said. “Hopefully we can do it again.”
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