The 2017 season one of the worst offensive seasons of the Bears in recent memory. And for a team who had Jay Cutler calling the shots for eight seasons, that is really saying something.
Whether you blame the coaches and their predictable gameplans or the fairly inexperienced Mitchell Trubisky running the show, a lot of the blame undeniably falls on the shoulders of the lousy receiving corps.
Not a single receiver got even close to the 1000 yard mark and it’s pretty dang hard to run an offense when your top receiver tears his ACL in the preseason. With the offseason upon, allow us to wince and cringe as we review this season’s paltry receiving corps.
Kendall Wright:C+
Signed from free agency after a five-year stint with the Titans over the offseason, Wright had easily the best season by any Bear pass catcher, but with only 614 yards and a single score to his name, that’s not saying all that much. He had a couple of bright spots over the season (10 catches and 107 yards against the Bengals); however, in a system bent on the run game and a rookie quarterback in tow, this was really all he could accomplish.
With the barren shelf known as the receiver corps, he will most likely be sticking around next season as he had a serviceable year and was reliable enough for the offense. In a more pass-heavy game plan, maybe he can flash his talents more often but for this season, let’s just take this season for what it is a solid year for an average receiver.
Joshua Bellamy:D+
Being the second leading receiver on a team should be quite the honor. Unless the honor is on the Bears and it only took 376 receiving yards to accomplish. Nobody really expected much out of Bellamy and to be fair, he did deliver on that.
Dontrelle Inman:D
Brought in from the Chargers midseason for a seventh-round pick, he played exactly how you would expect a receiver from the Chargers for a seventh-round pick would play. 334 yards, a single touchdown and 23 catches makes for a woefully crummy season. Only two seasons have passed since his 810-yard campaign in 2016 but clearly, that was not the Inman the Bears brought in.
He had some value as a big play guy with four receptions for more than 20 yards. With his contract expiring this offseason, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for the Bears to move on from the former undrafted receiver here real soon.
Kevin White: F
I feel obliged to at least mention White as he is infamously only three years removed from being the seventh overall pick. Injuries once again struck him down and took this do-or-die season from him leaving his future with the Bears murky as Lake Michigan at nighttime. More than likely though, he won’t be sticking around for much longer. As of right now, who knows if White will even have a roster spot on any team next season. Here’s hoping he will be able to claw back and carve out a solid career for himself.