Bears: Receivers by committee heading into preseason opener

BOURBONNAIS - Critics would say the Bears' wide receiver corps is just a bunch of guys. The common perception is that the Bears don't have a No. 1 receiver.

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

They have a guy, Marty Booker, who has been a No. 1 receiver. He caught a combined 197 passes for 2,260 yards for them in 2001 and '02, but Booker has averaged 49 catches and 668 yards in the five years since then. Solid numbers, but not go-to-guy caliber.

The Bears have another guy, Brandon Lloyd, who may be in the starting lineup Sept. 7. But he hasn't scored a touchdown in almost three years, he had 2 catches last season, when he missed eight games with a shoulder injury, and he has a reputation for being a character concern.

Then there's the immensely talented Devin Hester, whose greatest value to the team still is as a return specialist. He will be a bigger part of the passing game and probably get a lot of snaps in the starting lineup.

But it's doubtful that he can remain the league's best return man while also becoming an every-down receiver. Even wide receivers coach Darryl Drake admits that Hester "is a work in progress" as a pass catcher.

Rashied Davis is pushing for a bigger role in the offense than in the past two years, when he had a total of 39 receptions, and that should happen.

Hence the perception of no No. 1.

"I always remind them of what the perception is," Drake said, "and sometimes perception is reality. If you don't like it, you change it."

There's a better chance that the Bears will have several players with 40 or 50 catches rather than one with 80 or 90, but Drake doesn't consider that a negative.

"That's a good thing," he said. "The guys know when they get the opportunity they've got to get in there and get the job done."

The listed starters at wide receiver on the Bears' depth chart may not be as significant as many other teams, since there could be several players who get a similar number of snaps throughout the season.

That was made abundantly clear late Monday afternoon when the Bears released their depth chart for Thursday night's preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.

At one wide receiver spot, the starter was listed as: Rashied Davis/Devin Hester. On the other side, it was: Marty Booker/Brandon Lloyd.

"We've got, in my opinion, four, five, six guys who have the ability to play," said Drake, who probably will be limited to five wide receivers on game days.

"You can only dress 46," he said. "But the guys who are going to be out there, they're all going to have to play. Again, that's a good thing. You shouldn't have a guy who goes out there and has to play 70 plays a game. That should be split, keep guys fresh, keep guys ready. That's probably what we'll do."

It was assumed when the Bears brought Booker back from his four-year exile to Miami that he would be their No. 1 receiver - and he might be.

But it could be Lloyd and Hester on the field when the Bears begin their first possession of the season. It could be Booker and Hester. And when the Bears go with three wide receivers, as they often do, any combination of the top five could be in the game.

"I'm still trying to find that out," Booker said. "Right now we're just out there practicing, trying to get a feel for one another and get a little chemistry going in this offense. Once we get later into preseason games and the regular season, I'll figure out what (my) role is."

If you're any wide receiver on the Bears, it's pretty much the same situation. Sooner or later it will all be sorted out. Probably later.