Tag: Riley Ridley

7 Bears players on the roster bubble heading into training camp

Here’s a look at seven notable Bears who are on the roster bubble ahead of training camp.

When the Chicago Bears kickoff training camp later this month, they’ll bring a roster of 90 players with them. By the end of camp and preseason, that roster will be trimmed to just 53 players and a group of practice squad players.

There are several veterans who could find themselves out of a job before the start of the regular season given some new additions on the roster and some competitive position battles at wide receiver, cornerback and inside linebacker.

Here’s a look at seven notable Bears who are on the roster bubble ahead of training camp.

Bears WR Riley Ridley has a ‘great opportunity’ in Week 9 vs. Titans

When the Chicago Bears selected wide receiver Riley Ridley in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the general reaction from draft media was that GM Ryan Pace landed a steal. “I think [the Bears] got the best route runner this year,” Jeremiah …

When the Chicago Bears selected wide receiver Riley Ridley in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the general reaction from draft media was that GM Ryan Pace landed a steal.

“I think [the Bears] got the best route runner this year,” Jeremiah said of Ridley shortly after the pick was made. “I think this is a perfect fit in this offense, tremendous value. [The Bears] just got a top 50 player, in my opinion.”

The excitement surrounding the Ridley pick has worn off over the last 1.5 seasons. Ridley’s been a non-factor in Matt Nagy’s offense…literally.

Ridley appeared in just five games as a rookie and finished his first season as a pro with six catches for 69 yards. He has yet to suit up for a game this year.

That will change Sunday against the Titans, however. Javon Wims’ two-game suspension and the release of veteran Ted Ginn means there are fewer pass-catchers for Ridley to jump, and the Bears are expecting him to contribute in what’s quickly turning into a must-win game for Chicago.

“It’s a great opportunity for Riley,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “Not only do I know we may need him to step up to help us win this week, but I’m really pulling for him personally.”

Ridley flashed some playmaking upside in the Bears’ season finale last year when he hauled-in three catches for 54 yards. It appeared to be the table-setter for a potential breakout second season. That hasn’t happened.

At least, not yet. Ridley has a chance to jumpstart his career over the next couple of weeks and become a bigger part of the Bears’ plans in 2020 and beyond.

Bears WRs vote Anthony Miller as ‘most likely to be late to practice’

During Allen Robinson’s “A Night Within Reach” charity gala event, Bears WRs voted Anthony Miller most likely to be late to practice.

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Remember back in high school when students would vote on superlatives, such as “most likely to succeed” or “most likely to become a pro athlete?” Well, the Chicago Bears wide receivers played a similar game on Monday evening and it wasn’t good for Anthony Miller.

During Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson’s “A Night Within Reach”, his charity gala event, he was joined by many of his fellow receivers. Miller, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley and Darnell Mooney were all in attendance, as well as practice squad members Rodney Adams and Reggie Davis.

The group was asked a number of fun questions, such as who has better hands than Robinson, what was everyone doing during quarantine, etc. But the first question began with who they thought would be the player most likely to be late for practice in a hypothetical situation. The guys unanimously voted for Miller.

Now, this was said in jest with everyone laughing, but considering Miller’s struggles dating back to last season, this anecdote may not sit well with some.

Miller, now in his third season after being drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has been wildly inconsistent when on the field. He’s shown the potential to be a bondafide weapon, but has also disappeared for games, whether he’s had drops or hasn’t focused on the details enough. Monday’s joke may have unintentionally shed some light on his preparation and how his teammates view his approach.

Could this simply be nothing more than a friendly jab at a teammate? Absolutely. Robinson himself has gone out of his way to praise Miller, even just a few weeks ago and he was one of the first to pile on.

But as the old saying goes, there’s always a little truth being “just kidding.” Hopefully soon, however, Miller can be known as “most likely to be a game-changing wide receiver.”

Top roster battles at the start of Bears training camp

There’s a lot of competition at several positions on the Bears’ roster. Let’s take a look at those battles happening in training camp.

Last year, it was the kicker competition between Eddy Pineiro and Elliott Fry that was the biggest discussion at training camp. Which was a good thing considering that there weren’t many questions outside of kicker.

But this season that’s completely changed. Well, not completely. There will be a kicker competition for the second straight training camp — albeit one that won’t be as front and center. But one of the themes for this season for general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy is the focus on competition at multiple positions. And there’s a lot of competition at several positions on the roster this season.

Let’s take a look at the seven position battles that will be happening in Bears training camp.

1. Quarterback

The most important position battle will take place at the most important position in all of sports, which isn’t exactly a comforting thought. Following Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles last season, Pace went out and brought in experienced veteran Nick Foles to not only push Trubisky but possibly replace him as the starter.

While many had Foles pegged as the clear favorite for most of this offseason, the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have quieted those beliefs if only because of the limited sample size that Nagy will have to choose his starter from. Trubisky has an advantage as far as familiarity with his teammates, especially as he’s been working with both returning and new skill position players during the offseason. The Bears will have to get creative during camp in a decision that could make or break this season.

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What position battle are you most looking forward to in Bears training camp?

We’re just days away from the start of Bears training camp, and there are several position battles to keep an eye on.

We’re just days away from the start of Chicago Bears training camp, and there are several position battles to keep an eye on.

While there are several starting jobs up for grabs at quarterback and in the secondary, there are also valuable roster spots up for grabs at running back and wide receiver. And with the absence of preseason games, every training camp rep is going to be even more important.

Some position battles are sure to draw more attention than others, naturally. Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts on which position battle they’re looking forward to in training camp.

Alyssa: Quarterback

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Yes, it’s the obvious answer. But with the success of this team hinging on quarterback play this season, there’s no denying that the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles is the most important position battle at training camp. The Bears invested a lot to bring Foles to Chicago — a fourth-round pick and $21 million — but that’s still not a guarantee that he wins the job. Matt Nagy has made it clear that this will be an open and fair competition.

While Foles has experience operating in a system similar to Nagy’s, the shortened offseason figures to benefit Trubisky, who already has experience operating this offense and working with Chicago’s skill position players. Especially given that he’s been organizing offseason workouts during the virtual offseason. But regardless of who wins the starting job, it’s certainly no guarantee that they’ll be the starter come season’s end. 

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ESPN ranks Bears offensive weapons among worst in the NFL

Bill Barnwell examined every NFL team’s collective group of offensive weapons, and he ranked the Bears at No. 28 in the league.

There’s not a lot of confidence in the Chicago Bears’ offense, and rightfully so. They’re coming off an abysmal 2019 season where they were one of the worst units in the NFL, for several reasons.

One of the biggest concerns was quarterback, and incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky will find himself battling Nick Foles for the starting job come training camp.

But a quarterback is nothing without his skill position players. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell examined every NFL team’s collective group of offensive weapons, and he ranked Chicago among the worst at No. 28 in the league.

While Barnwell is quick to praise receiver Allen Robinson for what he’s accomplished, as well as give some credit to third-year wideout Anthony Miller, who’s poised for a breakout year in 2020. But it’s the remainder of Chicago’s skill position players that have Barnwell concerned.

The other weapons on this roster all failed to live up to expectations, although much of that was due to injuries. (Tarik Cohen’s seven drops on 103 targets are the exception.) Players like Cohen, Ted Ginn Jr. and Cordarrelle Patterson could be intriguing supplemental pieces in the right scheme, but it’s difficult to count on coach Matt Nagy making the most of their ability.

Free-agent signee Jimmy Graham’s contract was universally panned, but even leaving the money aside, he was anonymous last season in a Packers offense desperate for a second receiving option and turns 34 in November. David Montgomery is the big hope for the Bears to climb up these rankings, but as a rookie, he was below-average by every running measure I could find.

As far as receivers go, Robinson remains far and away Chicago’s best offensive weapon. Third-year receiver Anthony Miller flashed his potential last season, and he’s expected to be a big part of this offense following the departure of Taylor Gabriel. But there’s a lot of unproven talent at receiver with Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. Although Chicago added some much-needed speed to their receivers room with the addition of Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie Darnell Mooney.

The Bears had an ineffective run game last season, but the blame doesn’t fall solely on David Montgomery. He wasn’t done any favors by a struggling offensive line or an offensive playcaller that doesn’t like to run the football. Then there’s Tarik Cohen, who had a disappointing season, and it seemed like Matt Nagy didn’t know how to utilize him in this offense last season.

It’s no secret that the Bears had arguably the worst tight end performance last season, where they combined for 36 receptions, 416 receiving yards and just two touchdowns. General manager Ryan Pace overhauled the tight ends room with the acquisitions of rookie Cole Kmet and veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris, while parting ways with Trey Burton. So there’s nowhere to go but up for this group in 2020.

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Bears’ WR corps lands at No. 20 in Pro Football Focus rankings

Chicago isn’t where receivers go to die anymore. PFF believes they’re very much alive, even if they’re only average.

Former Chicago Bears receiver Muhsin Muhammad famously once said “Chicago is where wide receivers go to die.” Well, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), they’re very much alive, but may only be average.

The analytics site ranked all 32 NFL teams and their wide receiver position groups heading into the 2020 season.  The rankings not only looked at star receivers but depth and how their top three or four options can attack opposing defenses. When it came to the Bears, PFF’s Steve Palazzolo slotted them in at No. 20, citing a number of unknowns outside of Pro-Bowl caliber receiver Allen Robinson. Below is his summary of the Bears’ pass catchers and why they’re ranked in the twenties.

The receiving corps was one-dimensional last season, as Allen Robinson posted the 12th-best receiving grade in the league at 81.1, but no other receiver graded higher than 67.9.

Robinson finished with 393 yards on deep (20-plus yard) passes, and his drop rate of 3.0% was 11th-best out of 101 qualifiers. At his best, Robinson is a complete receiver who can win at all levels of the field and at the catch point. Anthony Miller had the second-highest receiving grade on the team at 67.9, and he may be ready to take the next step to be a true No. 2 option behind Robinson.

The No. 3 role is wide open after Taylor Gabriel was released this offseason after a disappointing 62.0 overall grade last season. Riley Ridley  a 2019 fourth-rounder, is a smooth route-runner who could fit as more of a possession receiver after catching six passes in his debut last season. He’ll compete with Javon Wims, a big-bodied target who ranked fifth on the team with 186 yards a year ago. Cordarrelle Patterson is more of a gimmick player at this point, and his 6.4 yards after the catch have a place as long as he’s not relied upon too much on the outside.

The Bears also added speed this offseason with Ted Ginn Jr. and fifth-rounder Darnell Mooney out of Tulane, so the goal is to have at least one of them to emerge as a much-needed deep option to complement the other pieces in place. There are plenty of question marks beyond Robinson, and the fate of this receiving corps depends on Miller’s development and the emergence of a downfield threat.

PFF sometimes has a reputation for disrespecting the Bears in their rankings or analysis, but this ranking appears to be spot on. Robinson is truly a stud for this team and was the only consistent player for the Bears offense in 2019. He finished with 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. His 1,147 yards accounted for nearly a third of the entire team’s passing yards.

Miller is the key to this unit succeeding or becoming too reliant on Robinson. A popular breakout candidate in 2020, Miller has had some injury concerns and inconsistencies on the field. He was largely invisible during the first half of the 2019 season, but he came alive to finish strong and give the Bears that 1-2 punch they envisioned back in August. Still, he’s spending his second consecutive offseason rehabbing from shoulder surgery and may not get the necessary practice reps in due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the preseason.

Palazzalo’s concerns at the WR3 spot are also valid, considering neither former Georgia Bulldogs Riley Ridley nor Javon Wims did enough to instill confidence they can be a legitimate weapon last season. But things could open up if newcomers Ted Ginn Jr. or Darnell Mooney end up becoming the sorely missed deep threat for the Bears.

The Bears receivers ranking isn’t anything to write home about. But the good news? They’re still the second-best in the division, behind Detroit (No. 7) and ahead of Minnesota (No. 21) and Green Bay (No. 24).

How do you feel about PFF’s ranking of the Bears wide receivers?

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Riley Ridley dubbed Bears’ biggest sleeper heading into training camp

Bleacher Report believes second-year WR Riley Ridley will be a player to watch heading into training camp.

The Chicago Bears are coming off a disappointing 2019 season that was worse than their 8-8 record indicated. With several significant injuries on defense and one of the worst offenses, the Bears didn’t live up to the hype coming off an impressive 2018 season.

But in order to rebound, they’re going to need some players to step it up. Whether that’s players you’d expect it from and those that might surprise.

Bleacher Report believes second-year receiver Riley Ridley could be one of those guys. They have him pegged as the Bears’ biggest sleeper to watch heading into training camp.

Take Riley Ridley, who barely saw the field as a rookie fourth-round pick in 2019 but caught three of the four passes thrown his way for 54 yards in the team’s regular-season finale. It was a good sign for the Georgia product that Chicago again didn’t spend a high draft pick on a receiver and an even better sign when wide receivers coach Mike Furrey pumped up Ridley’s tires last month.

Ginn and Cordarrelle Patterson are more accomplished, but Ridley’s got the route-running ability and the pass-catching skills to beat them out for regular outside reps this summer and fall.

The fourth-round pick out of Georgia didn’t see much playing time during his rookie year, as he was a healthy scratch for the first 11 games. Ridley played in five games, where he tallied six catches for 69 yards.

Bears receivers coach Mike Furrey raved about Ridley earlier this offseason, saying that he expects the second-year wideout to impress in 2020.

“The biggest growth we’re going to see with anybody in our room is going to be Riley Ridley,” Furrey told reporters. “His preparation right now, his attitude, his desire, the passion he has to become successful in this game, he loves the process. And I believe when you love the process, it’s going to be successful.”

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Wide Receivers

The Chicago Bears wide receiving corps must be productive for the offense to succeed in 2020. Let’s take a look at each member.

On July 28, the Chicago Bears will report to training camp at Halas Hall with some uncertainty at the wide receiver position. Two years into his four-year deal, Taylor Gabriel was a cap casualty in February, creating $4.5 million in cap space with just $2 million accounting in dead cap. Gabriel, 29, hauled in 96 balls for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons but was limited by concussions last year.

He played in nine games — including seven starts — and tallied 353 receiving yards, but he also recorded a 6.3 percent drop rate. In place of Gabriel, the Bears signed free-agent wide receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., to a one-year deal worth nearly $1.2 million. They also added Darnell Mooney out of Tulane via the draft.

The productivity of the receiving corps will solely depend on the play at the quarterback position. Mitchell Trubisky is potentially entering his final season in Chicago, as the Bears declined his fifth-year option. They added Nick Foles as an insurance policy while also applying pressure on Trubisky.

Back in May, Pro Football Focus ranked the receiving corps fifth-worst in the NFL, but they noted the potential Foles has in moving the needle.

Let’s take a look at what the Bears’ quarterbacks have to work in terms of wide receivers heading into training camp.

Allen Robinson

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Robinson is likely the best wide receiver the Bears have had since Brandon Marshall. The 26-year-old is entering his final year of a three-year deal and should be a prime candidate for an extension after the season. He got off to a slow start in Chicago, hauling in 55 receptions – the lowest since his rookie year – for 754 yards and four touchdowns.

However, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Robinson showed why the Bears signed him, recording a franchise record ten receptions for 143 yards and a score. While the game resulted in a loss, it propelled the Penn State product into 2020, as he tallied a career-best 98 receptions along with 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns.

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6 Bears that should take a major step forward in 2020

Despite having a relatively down year, these six Bears players are poised to step it up in 2020.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Chicago Bears are looking to rebound following a disappointing outing that concluded with a 8-8 record last year. If they’re going to make a run back to the playoffs, they’re going to need several players to step it up this season.

There are a slew of Bears players that are poised to have rebound or breakout seasons after down years, whether it’s experienced veterans or young players on the rise. And if they’re able to rise to the challenge, that will only mean good things for Chicago.

Here are six Bears players that should take a major step forward in the 2020 season.

1. RB David Montgomery

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While David Montgomery had a solid year in 2019, his rookie season certainly didn’t go as expected. Montgomery had 889 rushing yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and six touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie, also adding 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. But Montgomery certainly wasn’t helped by a struggling offensive line and Matt Nagy’s aversion to the run game.

Montgomery had more than 20 rushing attempts in just four games, and there were seven games where he had less than 15 carries. With a bigger emphasis on the run game this offseason and a full season in Nagy’s offense, expect Montgomery to improve on his rookie year.

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