Chicago Bears mid-season report card

Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The wide receivers — Incomplete

Going into the season, the wide receiving corps appeared to be a strength of the offense. Many felt that Jeffery, White and Royal could be a pretty good trio.

Since the season started, though, the three amigos have not been on the field at the same time for an extended period of time. Jeffery missed half the season because of a hamstring injury. Royal has missed two games and parts of others because of a variety of injuries. White has yet to play because of a fractured shin.

When Jeffery is in there, he is a dynamic athlete. He had 11+ in every game he’s played, and has recorded more than 100 yards receiving in three of the four games he played. He leads the NFL with 123 yards per game.

Jeffery shows that he can be a very good receiver when he is on the field. Keeping him on the field is the key thing. He is a free agent after the season, and I don’t think the Bears will give him a large contract when he can’t stay on the field.

Royal is a possession receiver who can make some key catches and can be depended upon to convert some first downs. He is pretty consistent, and has Cutler’s confidence since he knows him from their days with the Denver Broncos.

Losing White really hurt the team. They were depending on him to make big plays on the other side of Jeffery, and he was to replace Brandon Marshall. We don’t know what he can do yet, since his day-to-day status went to week-to-week, month-to-month, and now, apparently, season-to-season. What started out as something minor has now probably cost him the season.

Next: How has the running game gone?