Bears could use help at WR

Wide receiver is not a Bears position that cries out for improvement as much as the offensive line does, but there still is plenty of room for improvement in the pass-catching corps.

There's no doubt that Jay Cutler needs better protection than he received last year, when the Bears allowed the most sacks in the NFL.

But it's almost as important that the Bears provide Cutler with more weapons in the passing game.

They have just three wide receivers with NFL experience under contract. Six-year veteran Rashied Davis is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and four-year pro Devin Aromashodu was not tendered a contract offer, so he will be free to sign with any team when free agency begins.

That leaves the Bears with only Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester returning in 2011, a group that is small in numbers and in physical size.

None of the three is taller than 6 feet, and only Bennett weighs more 190 pounds.

Canadian import Andy Fantuz was signed to a reserve/futures contract last month, and the 6-4, 220-pounder is coming off a huge season (87 catchers for 1,380 yards) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

But there's no guarantee he will enjoy the same success in the NFL.

So the Bears will be looking for a big, rangy downfield threat at some point in the draft, even though coach Lovie Smith is downplaying the need.

“It's amazing,” Smith said when asked if his team needed more size at wideout. “Bigger body, faster guy … we're going to try to improve the receiver corps just like all our positions.

“But our receivers did some good things this past year. Johnny Knox had some games where he really played well.”

Knox did play well. His 960 receiving yards were 399 more than Bennett, the Bears' runner-up.

But there also were games when Knox wasn't much of a factor. He had five games with fewer than 35 yards, and Hester seemed to regress a bit as a receiver while recapturing his magic in the return game.

This year's rookie WR crop is fairly deep behind the two superstars, Georgia's A.J. Green and Alabama's Julio Jones, both of whom are big and fast and will be long gone by the time the Bears pick at No. 29.

There might not be another wideout worthy of the first round. But there are at least another dozen more with second- and third-round grades, some of whom could slip into the fourth round.

If the Bears are looking to go big, Pitt's Jonathan Baldwin, Indiana's Tandon Doss, North Carolina's Greg Little and Boise State's Austin Pettis are all 6-2 or taller and 200 pounds or heavier.

But it's doubtful that Baldwin still will be available at the end of Round 2, and all except Pettis are underclassmen who might take some time to develop.

Doss lacks great speed, but he may be the most NFL ready of the group, and he could contribute as a slot receiver right away.