Are We Underrating the Importance of WR

Dejo

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I do wonder about QBs with early success.

Watson had Hopkins, Fuller and don’t recall when Cooks came into the picture, but he had a go to.

Mahomes has Hill and Kelce.

Jameis had Evans and then Godwin

Stafford had a MFing Cyborg.

Herbert had Keenan, Williams, and Ekeler.

Burrow was interrupted with injury, but prior to dipping into the WR pool with Chase, they had Boyd and Higgins.

Allen struggled until the team built around him with Diggs.

Goff had Cooks, Kupp, and Woods

Fields got Allen and Mooney. Allen has been a disappointment this year, but I do wonder how much this has stunted growth. I remember Watson and Mahomes just throwing shit up and his playmakers making some ridiculous catches.

I don’t know what this means, but it feels like it means something.
I am quoting myself from a prior post. This has been something that keeps circulating in my head.

OL is always brought up as a priority, which I 100% agree with but I feel like WR talent is often overlooked. How much of the development of the above guys is due to the talent available to them?

Most of those guys (Watson and Burrow) had terrible OLs to begin their careers. Calling them bottom 10 would be generous.

For Fields to take the next step, OL would be a tremendous boon, but we HAVE to get skill players on the edges for him. FO will need to go all in here.

I could add more QBs to this list who had success early like Dak, but he did have a fantastic OL and WR talent. He was able to start off with a boom.
 
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Nelly

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Yes and no. Yes you need dynamic WR talent to have a dynamic offense, but no in that establishing the run game with Montgomery and the threat Fields' poses with his legs first and pass off of that requires a big beefy nasty line first and foremost. The smartest way to build your team is from the inside out as the game is ultimately won in the trenches.

In other words, I'm prioritizing my line right now over WR.
 

NCChiFan

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Yes and no. Yes you need dynamic WR talent to have a dynamic offense, but no in that establishing the run game with Montgomery and the threat Fields' poses with his legs first and pass off of that requires a big beefy nasty line first and foremost. The smartest way to build your team is from the inside out as the game is ultimately won in the trenches.

In other words, I'm prioritizing my line right now over WR.
That's fine, IF the Bears had more than just 2 WR under contract for next year. You do sort of need more than just 2.
 

Rise

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Besides obviously QB, the OL is the most important part of an offense. Any extra time you can get for your QB to process what he sees, and for WR to get open are critically valuable. Then combine that with blowing open holes for your RB. It’s not really close.

WR is important of course, but it can’t be prioritized over the oline. The Bears must finally really invest in the oline if they want to have sustained success on offense.
 

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Every one of the greats had a favorite receiver when they were young, so yes, WR is very much a position of need.

All you need to do is look at Cincy. The "experts" were suggesting they draft a LT for Burrow, but instead, they get Chase for him and look at what happened.
 

ThatGuyRyan

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Justyn Ross please - should be there in the 3rd (because of injury imo). Injury history though, if Pace was still here would be a slam dunk.

6'3" 205 lbs 4.5 40
 

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WR, CB and then OL for me.
WR and OL in either order. And in abundance.

CB way way lower.

We need to figure out if Fields is the guy or not and get him all the help we can. If that means short changing the D for a year then it is what it is.
 

Nelly

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That's fine, IF the Bears had more than just 2 WR under contract for next year. You do sort of need more than just 2.
Yes but I wouldn't spend premium assets on WR before OL. I'd put my premium assets, be it picks and/or free agent space into shoring up the OL and then stop-gap the WR spot until the next offseason cycle. At minimum we need a new center, and that's assuming you're bringing back Daniels and comfortable with Borom/Jenkins at the tackle spots. I'd want to add another guy to that mix capable of doing the job.
 

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Fields game needs a big/fast 50/50 guy to complement mooney. Think Jefferies minus the fat and slowness
I think mostly this. The 50/50 part. It can be Rentfrow in Vegas or a TE…but it’s someone nobody can cover on third down.

if you get one each of those at WR, Slot, TE, RB…you are going to do your young QB and protection a lot.

hard to find guys like that who can stay healthy.
 

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Every one of the greats had a favorite receiver when they were young, so yes, WR is very much a position of need.

All you need to do is look at Cincy. The "experts" were suggesting they draft a LT for Burrow, but instead, they get Chase for him and look at what happened.

Chase is like the greatest rookie of all time. Of course if that talent is available draft him, no brainer.
 

Dejo

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Besides obviously QB, the OL is the most important part of an offense. Any extra time you can get for your QB to process what he sees, and for WR to get open are critically valuable. Then combine that with blowing open holes for your RB. It’s not really close.

WR is important of course, but it can’t be prioritized over the oline. The Bears must finally really invest in the oline if they want to have sustained success on offense.
Agree with you, but plenty of times we have seen time for Fields and limited to no separation from the WRs.

Maybe some of that is scheme but the QBs I listed developed once they had talent on the edges.
 

Dejo

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Every one of the greats had a favorite receiver when they were young, so yes, WR is very much a position of need.

All you need to do is look at Cincy. The "experts" were suggesting they draft a LT for Burrow, but instead, they get Chase for him and look at what happened.
This is probably the most relevant comparison due to it having the most recency.

Their OL is not that good either.

Edit: I think the OL troubles will show up more in playoffs than regular season for sure
 

ThatGuyRyan

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WR and OL in either order. And in abundance.

CB way way lower.

We need to figure out if Fields is the guy or not and get him all the help we can. If that means short changing the D for a year then it is what it is.
I think you could argue CB, WR or OL with #39. I would go BPA then add DT for rounds 3 / 5 and add safety for 5.2 and / or 6
 

Tillman33

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The Bears should have been bad enough in 20 to get a top 10 pick and draft Fields without giving up future capital. What was the point of getting the 7th seed and embarrassing themselves on national TV?

This off-season they could have paired Garrett Wilson with his former college QB, Justin Fields. Look at what that QB/WR college connection has done for the Bengals.

For those of you that don’t know, Garrett Wilson will be one of the best receivers in the NFL the moment he is drafted. He’ll be a mid 1st round pick. He’s one of the fastest players for his size that I’ve ever seen and him and Fields had a sizzling connection even in Wilson’s freshman year.

I agree that the team should build inside to outside, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t do both in parallel, especially with big time talent available. The Bengals have an average OL but they have the best receivers in the game.

As appealing as this “destination job” is for the Bears, as Bernstein put it, them not having a 1st round pick next year is absolutely disastrous.

Sorry for the essay. I should have just written this in my diary.
 
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BaBaBlacksheep

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I think you could argue CB, WR or OL with #39. I would go BPA then add DT for rounds 3 / 5 and add safety for 5.2 and / or 6
If you want to go BPA then sure.

Personally I'm loading every free agent dollar and draft pick possible on offense. Nothing is more important than developing Fields.
 

dennehy

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The Bears have a ton of holes, too many to fill with limited capital this year.

Draft the BPA at any of several positions. If you go big in free agency, and that will leave you with bare bones signings elsewhere, shore up OL and WR. I think getting above average at both those spots, rather than trying to be great at one, is the way to go.
 

ZOMBIE@CTESPN

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I will let you know what’s important when they sign the hc and his staff

but one constant that is always important no matter what is the qb/ol/dl
 

DeerBrinker34

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Off the top of my head I do believe that Chicago only has Mooney and Newsome under contract at WR in 2022.

Expecting Fields to be successful in that situation is complete insanity in my opinion.
 

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