Bears free agency primer: Wide receiver The need is great and there are some rebuilding blocks
Wide receiver is the sweet spot of the NFL free agent market. It's loaded with talent, although it was thinned a bit the last few days with Mike Williams re-upping with the Los Angeles Chargers and with franchise tags put on Green Bay's Davante Adams and Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin.
There are young stars, young emerging talents, top talents hampered to date by injuries and a number of aging former No. 1 wideouts that can still contribute.
And, interestingly enough with Adams, Williams and Godwin off the board, Allen Robinson is now the best of the bunch, at least until Amari Cooper was dealt by the Cowboys to the Browns on Saturday.
Best available: Robinson - One of the most underrated No. 1 possession guys in the league from 2018-2020, everything that could go wrong for him in 2021 did. Robinson will have multiple suitors, but what they will pay - he turns 29 at the end of August - will be interesting to see.
• Christian Kirk - A little smaller than the rest of this group, Kirk (5-11, 200) had been a solid second or third option in Arizona his first three seasons until emerging as their top threat after DeAndre Hopkins went down last season. He doesn't turn 26 until November and should emerge with a big payday.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster - After a Pro Bowl season in 2018, his second year in the league, Smith-Schuster has struggled the last three seasons with injuries and the Steelers' declining offense. But at just age 25, teams will compete for at the least a high-end No. 2 receiver.
• D.J. Chark - He's never played a full season, but he did have 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns, which earned him a Pro Bowl trip in 2019, when he played 15 games. At 6-4, 200 pounds, a number of clubs will line up for his services.
• Odell Beckham Jr. - It's hard to believe he'll turn 30 this year. Injuries derailed four straight seasons from 2017-2020, and Beckham tore his left ACL for the second time in the Super Bowl. Also, who knows how much extra baggage he'd bring. But he's OBJ.
• Sammy Watkins and Will Fuller - Both top No. 2 receiver prospects that have been unable to stay on the field due to injuries throughout their careers. That could make them bargains on short-term prove-it deals.
Under the radar: Atlanta's Russell Gage is coming off a breakout season at 26. He will have plenty of interest as a very high-end No. 3 receiver and probably a solid No. 2. Las Vegas' Zay Jones is just 27 and was becoming Derek Carr's go-to guy as the '21 season came to a close.
• Michael Gallup never quite reached his potential in Dallas, but he showed flashes and is still just 26. old He'll command plenty of interest.
Some teams will see New Orleans' Tre'Quan Smith as a poor man's Deebo Samuel.
• Kansas City's Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson will also hit the open market. A slow starter, Pringle is coming off a breakout season after catching 42 balls and scoring 5 TDs. Robinson is a No. 3 or 4 receiver, but he has a nose for the end zone and special-teams abilities to boot.
Level of need: Seismic! Darnell Mooney is the only NFL receiver currently under contract, and Nsimba Webster, Dazz Newsome, Isaiah Coulter are their only prospects.
Best fit: Re-signing Allen Robinson makes all the sense in the world since his price tag has plummeted, but it seems unlikely given how his price tag plummeted while with the Bears.
With the Bears' huge void at the position any of these guys would be welcome but Kirk, Smith-Schuster or Chark may be the most realistic of the top guys, and Cooper assuming he indeed does becomes available.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has history with Pringle and Demarcus Robinson, and the Bears really should re-sign wide receiver/return specialist Jakeem Grant with the uncertainty around Tarik Cohen.