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I’m old enough to remember when Chicago was the place receivers went to die. It’s also fresh in my memory when the Chicago Bears trotted out Tanner Gentry and Tre McBride as their startling X and Z receiver. So when looking over the talent and upside among the Bears receiving corps now, I’m excited to see how this unit will grow in year two of the Matt Nagy system with third year quarterback, Pro Bowler Mitchell Trubisky, pulling the trigger.
SB Nation has recently ranked the Bears wide out group as the 10th best in the league, and that has more to do with what is expected of them rather than what they did in 2018. Last year it was Taylor Gabriel leading their receiver room with 67 catches, which ranked 37th in the NFL. Allen Robinson’s 764 receiving yards led the Bears, but ranked only 38th in the league. And Anthony Miller's 7 receiving touchdown’s was tops on the Bears, but tied with eight other players for 16th in the NFL.
Those three all return for the Bears, as does promising second year pro Javon Wims, but they also have added the electrifying Cordarrelle Patterson and rookie Riley Ridley — whom has looked very good at OTAs do far — that expect to bolster their receiving depth.
Chicago still may not have a wide out rank in the top 10 in any category in 2019, but as a collective, these guys could be as effective as any we’ve seen in Bears’ history.
Here are the nine receiving corps that SB Nation ranks higher that the Bears.
1) Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu, Justin Hardy
2) Cleveland Browns: Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Rashard Higgins
3) Los Angeles Rams: Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds
4) Minnesota Vikings: Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Laquon Treadwell, Chad Beebe
5) Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross, Alex Erickson
6) Oakland Raiders: Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, J.J. Nelson, Marcell Ateman
7) Philadelphia Eagles: Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
8) Los Angeles Chargers: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dylan Cantrell
9) Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, DeAndre Carter
Do you agree with their rankings?