Chicago Bears positional analysis: Wide receivers
Third in a series
Some clarity at wide receiver would be greatly appreciated by Bears head coach Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and their staff.
After three years and as many surgeries for Kevin White, the Bears still don't know what kind of player they have. The seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft has played in just five games and caught 21 passes for 193 yards.
They know the 6-foot-3, 215-pound White is big, strong and fast. But he suffered a season-ending fractured scapula in last year's opener. A year earlier, he started the first four games before a fractured left fibula and high ankle sprain ended his season.
His rookie campaign was wiped out by surgery to repair stress fractures in his left shin.
The biggest knock on White entering the NFL was that he lacked sophisticated route running coming from West Virginia. He hasn't had much opportunity to develop in that regard because of the injuries, and it remains to be seen if White can play to the 4.35 speed he displayed at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine.
Coming off a 66-catch, 888-yard 2016, Cam Meredith was poised to be the Bears' go-to guy a year ago before he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the third preseason game. A restricted free agent, Meredith hopes to be on the field during OTAs in late spring.
In the absence of both expected starters, the 2017 Bears were forced to rely on veteran slot receiver Kendall Wright and midseason trade acquisition Dontrelle Inman, both of whom are unrestricted. In a good offense, either player would be a No. 3 or No. 4.
Wright led the team with 59 receptions for 614 yards but averaged just 10.4 yards per catch and had 1 touchdown.
Inman was an immediate, though inconsistent, contributor. He caught 23 passes for 334 yards in eight games with the Bears.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound, four-year veteran could create separation in the middle of the field and utilize his size to catch 13 passes for 195 yards in his first three games. But in the next four he caught just five throws for 45 yards before finishing with a 5-catch, 94-yard season finale.
Longtime special-teams ace Josh Bellamy took advantage of increased opportunities to post career-best totals in receptions (24), yards (376) and average gain per catch (15.7). He's sneaky fast but lacks reliable hands and is also restricted.
Markus Wheaton was signed away from the Pittsburgh Steelers for $11 million over two years but was virtually invisible in 2017. A series of minor injuries partially prevented him from assimilating, but even when healthy for 11 games he was a nonfactor with only 3 catches for 51 yards.
Wheaton was expected to be an ascending player who could be a field-stretching threat lining up inside or outside, and the Bears still have a need for that type of player if he can stay on the field. But it wouldn't be a surprise if the Bears cut their losses - and Wheaton.
If the Bears let Wright and Inman walk and move on from Wheaton, the need to upgrade at wide receiver is immediate. Critics would argue the same is true even if all three return.
But there are multiple options available in free agency, even if some of the top players never hit the market. The top tier includes four-year veterans Sammy Watkins, Jarvis Landry and Allen Robinson, but all three come with concerns.
Watkins is a deep threat who averaged 1,015 yards and 62.5 receptions in his first two seasons. In the past two seasons, he totaled 1,023 yards and 67 catches and missed half of the 2016 season with a foot injury. Still, he has averaged 15.9 yards per catch in his career.
Landry's 400 receptions are more than anyone in NFL history in their first four years. He led the NFL with 112 catches in 2017, but he averaged just 8.8 yards per grab.
The bigger concern is Landry's volatile behavior, which may make it easy for the Miami Dolphins to let him leave, especially since he believes he deserves close to $15 million a year. That's a lot for a possession receiver.
Robinson missed out on the Jacksonville Jaguars' playoff season because of a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his 2017 after just 1 catch. He had a monster 2015 season, catching 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns but then dipped to 73-883-6 the following season.
The Jaguars have an enviable crew of young wide receivers, but they might not be able to afford to keep Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee, who also is unrestricted and a notch below the top three. Lee had a combined 119 receptions for 1,553 yards and 6 touchdowns the past two seasons.
The Seattle Seahawks' Paul Richardson has mostly flown under the radar since being drafted in the second round in 2014, same as Robinson and Lee, but he emerged last season with 44 catches for 703 yards (16.0-yard average) and 6 touchdowns.
As far as the draft, the general consensus is that no one in this year's crop is worthy of the Bears' No. 8 overall pick. That includes Alabama's Calvin Ridley, who played in a prostyle offense, ran a more complete route tree than most and is equipped to play right away.
But the strength of this class of wide receivers is expected to come on Day 2 or early on Day 3, according to Pro Football Weekly's scouting/draft expert Greg Gabriel. That's when the Bears might look to add a playmaker.
Size is not a concern for the Bears, since Meredith, White and Inman all are 6-3.
Big-play speed would be welcomed, as White is the only true burner. No one, however, knows how much of that speed has been robbed by two surgeries and three years of inactivity?
Anthony Miller of Memphis is not the king-size mismatch most teams want. At 5-11 and 190 pounds, he's big enough, can stretch the field, and he could be a Day 3 steal.
USC's Deontay Burnett is a bit spindly (6-feet, 170), but he should run one of the fastest 40 times at the combine, and he has had success lining up outside and in the slot. He will have difficulty getting off press coverage, but the Trojans had some success putting him in motion, which allowed him to get a clean release.
Boise State's Cedrick Wilson is bigger (6-2, 194) and stronger than Burnett and could be just as fast, but he might not last until Round 3. He's a bit under the radar because he was a full-time FBS starter for just one season after transferring from junior college, but he's an impressive runner after the catch, can outjump most DBs and has returned punts and kickoffs.
• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.