Chicago Bears: Team cuts Eddie Royal, brings Victor Cruz in for a visit

The Chicago Bears’ revamp of their wide receivers corps continues. After some free agent and draft signings, they cut veteran Eddie Royal and bring in former Pro Bowl receiver Victor Cruz for a visit.

Just because the draft is over and free agency has slowed, it doesn’t mean that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace finished making moves to strengthen the roster. On Thursday, the Bears announced that they cut wide receiver Eddie Royal. Also, they announced that former Pro Bowl wider receiver Victor Cruz would come in for a visit.

Royal was one of the Bears’ big free-agent signings in 2015. Pairing him with Alshon Jeffery would give the offense a dynamic receiver tandem. Additionally, Royal played with Jay Cutler earlier with the Denver Broncos so he’d be a target Cutler could trust.

Well, it didn’t work out that way. Royal missed 14 games due to injuries in the two seasons he played in Chicago. He couldn’t get into enough of a rhythm to do much. In fact, none of the three players who were supposed to be integral to the Chicago Bears offense are around anymore. Jeffery bolted through free agency this year, and the Bears waived Cutler when the new season started. Now, they also cut Royal.

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Royal had a total of 70 catches in his time with the Bears. He had 607 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. That production is pretty good for a season, but those numbers cover two seasons.

Cruz is scheduled to meet Bears officials at Halas Hall on Monday.

Cruz played his entire career with the New York Giants. He made 303 catches for 4,549 yards and 25 touchdowns. He helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI in the 2011 playoffs. During that championship run, he had 21 catches for 269 yards and a touchdown. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012.

Cruz suffered a torn patella tendon in 2014 and missed 10 games. He suffered a calf injury in 2015 and missed the entire season. His injury history is a concern. On the other hand, in 2016, he came back and had a good season, making 39 catches for 586 yards and a touchdown in 15 games.

With the Giants’ signing of former Bears receiver Brandon Marshall this offseason, Cruz became expendable. He can be an effective slot receiver for the Bears. He showed he was over his injury trouble. His ability to make catches and reach the end zone could really help the Bears. Last season, there were too many dropped passes and the end zone seemed to be closed to Bears receivers.

Next: Predicting the Bears' 2017 depth chart

Pace is certainly trying his best to turn the Chicago Bears around. Some may question how good the moves are, but everyone can agree he is trying hard to bring a winner back to Chicago.