Free agency is just a few days away, and the Chicago Bears should be one of the more active teams when it comes to improving their roster, specifically at the wide receiver position. The Bears only have three receivers under contract who played meaningful snaps (DJ Moore, Tyler Scott, and Velus Jones Jr.), and just one of them (Moore) made a significant impact during the 2023 season. Adding players to the position during both free agency and the draft should be a priority, and it sounds like that could be the plan.
Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network recently released a mock draft following the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where Chicago selected quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. Neither pick is surprising at this stage, and mock drafts aren’t the end all, be all, but it’s what Caplan said about the Odunze pick that should have fans excited about the Bears’ strategy.
“We’re told that the Bears are planning to add at least two wide receivers this offseason, and this area is around where Odunze — who our sources say isn’t too far behind Harrison in grades from around the NFL — could be selected.
During our talks with NFL sources at the Combine, there was a growing sense that fourth-year WR Darnell Mooney would be playing elsewhere this coming season, which would leave the door open for adding Odunze here.”
From what Caplan is gathering, the Bears will be looking to add multiple wide receivers this offseason, which could come from free agency, the draft, or both. Given the Bears still have around $44 million in cap space following the Jaylon Johnson franchise tag, they can afford one of the better free agent wide receivers on the market. Someone like Curtis Samuel, Tyler Boyd, or DJ Chark could be added as a solid WR3 while the Bears draft a star prospect like Odunze or Malik Nabers in hopes of them becoming an impact player opposite Moore. They could also find a way to trade down and target one of the players in the tier below, such as Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Keon Coleman, or Troy Franklin.
There are a few different avenues general manager Ryan Poles can take, but it seems all the roads will wind up ending with the Bears revamping their wide receiver room. Adding more playmakers to a team that most likely will have a rookie quarterback under center next season isn’t a bad plan.