A Bears Camp Featuring Recycled Receivers
Part of the Ryan Poles plan for rebuilding the Bears on the cheap this season has been looking for wide receiver bargains.
They're looking for a few contributors who may have had career detours and cost little after they once held great promise to start their careers. It's the route they've deemed necessary while trying to clean up their salary cap mess.
A few of those players have come from the New York Giants, where Bears receivers coach Tyke Tolbert was a receivers coach working with them from 2018-21.
It's possible they could even have a chance to choose to add another receiver Tolbert worked with for New York, as Zack Rosenblatt of the Star-Ledger and NJ.com reported the Giants might release Darius Slayton at some point, either during training camp/preseason or even prior to it. Slayton had 98 catches for 1491 yards and 11 TDs in his first two years before tailing off to 26 for 339 yards and two TDs in the all-important third season of his career.
The Bears countdown to camp resumes with a few of those former Giants players among those wearing jerseys from No. 88 to No. 85.
No. 88 WR Tajae Sharpe
6-foot-2, 194 pounds
The Dossier: The seventh-year receiver had a 2017 season-ending foot injury during preseason and missed every game but has been around and healthy since then without ever approaching the 41 catches he put up for the Titans as a rookie 2016 fifth-round draft pick. He has had 41, 26, 25 and last year 25 receptions. The Titans parted ways with him after 2019 and he eventually signed with Minnesota but played in only four games for them without a reception for 2020. Last year he came in with 25 catches on 37 targets for the Falcons over 15 games, including seven starts.
2022 Prospectus: If the Bears had a few more capable receivers, Sharpe would seem to be just another camp body. But he's being given another lease on NFL life and is desperate to take advantage of it. He has the size to play outside for them and is a slot who has respectable route-running skills but ran only a 4.55 40 coming into the league. So expect they'll give him reps at camp in the slot. He has been on the field for only nine special teams plays in his career and this will weigh heavily against him as he tries to make the team as a fifth or sixth receiver.
No. 87 TE Rysen John
6-7, 220
The Dossier: This former Division II tight end for Canadian school Simon Fraser was retained last year by the Giants on injured reserve with a vague injury suffered with only 14 seconds remaining in a preseason game. He was waived this spring and signed by the Bears. He had a college career that included 132 receptions for 1,928 yards and 20 TDs, but against D-II opponents. He's one of six tight ends on the roster and is vying with undrafted rookies Jake Tonges of California and Chase Allen of Michigan for the fourth position.
2022 Prospectus: It would seem he was being stashed by the Giants with something in mind regarding development but the new coaching regime saw no need. From time to time at OTAs, John popped out as a target over the middle who could easily be found because of his great height, so his roster hope would be as freakishly tall red zone target. Being lighter than many taller wide receivers, there's little chance he could develop into a regular tight end unless he lived in the weight room and added 30 pounds or so, while also figuring out how to block. Best-case scenario is sticking around until it's apparent Tonges or Allen can do enough to back up Cole Kmet, Ryan Griffin and James O'Shaughnessy.
No 86 WR Dante Pettis
6-1, 195
The Dossier: Another Poles wide receiver reclamation project. Coming out of Washington in the 2018 NFL Draft to the 49ers, Pettis had set the NCAA career TD record for punt returns with nine and was said to run a 4.32-second 40 but never did it at the combine. He had an MCL injury as a rookie and never really developed into the player San Francisco hoped for at the 44th pick of the draft. He had 38 catches on 70 targets for seven TDs with the 49ers in 28 games, then worked with Tolbert with the Giants and added 14 catches on 21 targets for 163 yards and two more TDs over 26 games.
2022 Prospectus: After a spectacular college career on returns, he has made only 13 career NFL punt returns for just 3.2 yards an attempt. It would seem that unless an ability to run past coverage deep or to beat defensive backs with route-running skill suddenly surface, he'll be just a camp and preseason body because there doesn't appear much special teams value here. Remember, the fifth or sixth wideout needs to be a contributor on returns as well as coverage to be active on game day.
No. 85 TE Cole Kmet
6-6, 260
The Dossier: Kmet looks to have made great strides with 60 catches averaging 10.2 yards last year after just 28 for 8.7 yards a reception as a rookie. Kmet has cited a lack of consistency with the passer and a need for improving his ability to make hands catches for this year. His blocking has improved but needs more of it. Still, a jump from 28 to 60 receptions indicates the possibility he could develop into a very dependable part of the offense.
2022 Prospectus: With no Jimmy Graham on the team, Kmet should get more red-zone looks from Justin Fields and he has made himself available for offseason work with Fields in an attempt to know his QB's tendencies better. Seeing Kmet improve to 70 catches or more wouldn't be a shock and the new offense could help in this regard. A real target for him needs to be upping his touchdowns from two total and none last year.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
