The Bears receiving corp is still a little suspect. I don't think anyone is surprised by that. With the new, pass-oriented offense that is likely to be installed, there are still many who are saying "Well, that's great...who're they throwing it to, exactly?
Much like they were last year, the strong rumor floating around recently is that the Bears are interested in Torry Holt, who is likely to be released by the Jacksonville Jaguars soon. (But not today, according to Neil Hayes over at the Sun-Times.) Would he be a good fit? If so, what role? Let's see if we can't figure it out.
Torry Holt is a seven-time pro-bowler that was part of one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NFL. He's very familiar with the system, and the coordinator, and would likely be able to fall into rhythm pretty quickly. His career stats (courtesy of pro-football-reference.com):
920 Receptions, 13,382 yards, 74 touchdowns, 14.5 Yards/Reception
Now, obviously these numbers are slightly inflated by his playing for a very prolific passing team. That being said, he's going to be on a team run by the very guy who installed that offense, so there's no reason to think they'd go down too much by switching teams. He knows the style of offense, and he knows what the coach expects.
The big concern, obviously, is his age. He's played 11 seasons, and would be going into 12. His numbers have dropped off a bit over the last two years, but there are other factors there, as well. In 2009, again from PFR:
51 Receptions, 722 yards, 0 TD, 14.2 yards/rec
That was as he switched teams, and was re-learning a system. Still, you can see he stayed at his average/reception.
His speed is the key--he's lost some of his speed over the years, but he's got pretty decent hands. He could possibly work well, not so much as a deep threat (That'd be Mr. Knox), nor as the big dude, (That's Greg or Aromashodu), but as a 3rd receiver that you can count on in a medium to short route.
So should the Bears pick him up? Perhaps if you can get him to give a good deal--he should be amped to go somewhere that has a big arm QB, and an offensive coordinator who likes his skill set.
What say you, guys and gals?