Chicago Bears 2022 Free Agency: Poles Signs Two Receivers

The Chicago Bears finally found some wide receivers when general manager Ryan Poles went and signed Equanimeous St. Brown and Byron Pringle.

The Chicago Bears finally signed some wide receivers. After sitting pat and watching other teams sign receivers that many fans felt Chicago should target, general manager Ryan Poles got who he felt fit in the new-look offense.

Some fans might disagree with his choices.

Poles opted to go for two receivers who were down in their teams’ depth charts. These players had to play behind some big-time receivers so they might not have gotten their opportunity to shine.

While fans might be disappointed or angry about picking up these types of receivers, this is exactly what Poles said he was looking for. He wanted the second or third-tier receivers who cost less. He wanted low risk, high reward.

Poles signed former Green Bay Packers receiver Equamineous St. Brown. The Packers had a very productive wide receivers room last season. They had Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and Randall Cobb.

St. Brown could hardly find any time on the field in his three seasons with Green Bay. In 2021, he made 9 catches for 98 yards and zero touchdowns. Those are good numbers in a game but not necessarily for a season. In his career, it’s 37 catches for 543 yards and one touchdown.

Poles sees something in St. Brown

In watching film, Poles obviously saw something. At 6-foot-5, 214 pounds he has a good body. He just hasn’t been able to put all his tools together yet. Perhaps getting more snaps in Chicago gives him that opportunity and he performs better.

Together with his development, the Chicago Bears might have to deal with an interfering father. John Brown is St. Brown’s father. He is a former two-time Mr. Universe bodybuilder. He draws comparisons to Lavar Ball, the father of two sons in the NBA. St. Brown has a younger brother, Amon-Ra St. Brown, who plays for the Detroit Lions.

We don’t know what Poles sees in St. Brown, who was the Packers’ sixth-round pick in 2018. Apparently, he signed him to just a one-year deal. St. Brown might just be here for some depth and if he succeeds then that is even better.

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Poles signs a familiar player

Poles wasn’t finished signing wide receivers, however. He also signed former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Byron Pringle (I’m suddenly hungry for some chips).

Pringle was in a similar situation as St. Brown. The Chiefs have a plethora of very good receivers so Pringle didn’t have many opportunities to shine. He did have his moments, though. He had 42 catches for 568 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2021. In his career, he has 67 catches for 898 yards and 7 touchdowns. He averaged 13.5 yards per catch in 2021 and 13.4 yards for his career.

Poles was there when Kansas City signed Pringle as an undrafted rookie in 2018. He missed his entire rookie season because of a high ankle sprain. He can make some big plays and has moves to evade would-be tacklers.

Like St. Brown, Pringle signed a one-year deal.

Poles looking for players with chips?

Poles appears to be assembling a team with chips on their shoulders. Of the five players signed, one was drafted in the sixth round and three were undrafted. Those players tend to play really hard to prove their doubters wrong. We’ll see how that works out for Poles and the Chicago Bears offense.

Poles’ job at wide receiver isn’t done yet. These two receivers aren’t considered players who you can depend on as consistent targets. They are complementary pieces. Chicago still needs a big-time outside receiver. Pringle is similar to Darnell Mooney. Both players thrived coming out of the slot. The offense still needs the outside receiver. They’ll definitely pick one up early in the draft. There is also the possibility of them making another free agent signing.