Bears top position battles to watch: No. 3, who will earn the last WR spots on the roster?
Bears training camp is less than a month away and all eyes will be on Chicago this summer. The Bears have the No. 1 overall draft pick in Caleb Williams, and they will be the featured team on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
It’s a good time to be a Bears fan.
Also taking center stage during camp, which begins July 19, will be the position battles heading into the 2024 season. The Bears added significant talent to the roster over the off-season, and that’s only going to make it harder for some players to win starting jobs.
This week we’re ranking the top five position battles to watch during training camp. Here’s a look at No. 3 on the list. Check back each day this week for the next installment.
No. 3 wide receiver
Returning players:
DJ Moore, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., Dante Pettis, Collin Johnson, Nsimba Webster
Departed players:
Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Trent Taylor
Newcomers:
Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, DeAndre Carter, Freddie Swain, Peter LeBlanc, John Jackson
Why it’s worth watching:
The starting spots at wide receiver aren’t where the drama is. Those, at least on paper, appear pretty clear. DJ Moore, Kennan Allen and Rome Odunze will be the top three receivers when everyone is healthy.
The Bears traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Chargers for Allen and drafted Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick in April. They have completely transformed the receiver position from a year ago, adding two talented pieces to play alongside Moore, who totaled 1,364 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023.
But outside of the top three, snaps are up for grabs. Darnell Mooney and Equanimeous St. Brown are gone. Several Bears could be in line to fight for playing time, most notably Tyler Scott, Dante Pettis, Velus Jones Jr. and DeAndre Carter.
Scott, a fourth-round draft pick last year, had an up-and-down rookie season. He totaled 17 receptions for 168 yards in 17 games last year. He certainly wants to show more in 2024, but there are some talented receivers ahead of him on the depth chart.
For Pettis, Jones and Carter, special teams jobs will play a big role in whether they make the team. The Bears signed Carter to challenge for the kickoff and punt return jobs. A change in the kickoff rule could save Jones’ spot on the team, but Carter adds an interesting challenge. Pettis was the punt returner for part of the 2022 season, but he missed all of last season due to injury. None of those three seem likely to contribute a whole lot to the offense.
The Bears have a great top three at receiver, but they’re going to need more than three receivers. Scott appears to be the most likely to contribute on offense. Offensively, Jones has hardly been involved during his first two seasons. He has just 11 career receptions. Carter caught 46 passes for the Chargers in 2022, but the Bears aren’t bringing him here with that in mind.
Most teams keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster. By that math, the Bears will probably keep only two of Jones, Carter or Pettis.