Complete Chicago Bears 2017 53-man roster predictions
Wide Receivers
Starters: Cameron Meredith, Kevin White and Kendall Wright
Backups: Victor Cruz, Deonte Thompson and Tanner Gentry
PUP: Markus Wheaton
The wide receiver position was probably the most difficult one for me to do. I am pretty confident in my top four. Cameron Meredith and Kevin White will be the starting duo on the outside, while Kendall Wright appears to be the favorite in the slot. Victor Cruz looked good in training camp and I expect him to be in the mix as well.
However, after that, it is all completely up in the air. I have no idea what to do with Markus Wheaton. The Bears invested in him in free agency (I was never a fan of that move), but then he came in, was sub par and now has a broken finger. It is hard to determine when Wheaton will return, but for now, I will predict that he begins the year on the PUP list, meaning he does not count against the 53-man roster.
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If Wheaton starts the year on the PUP and the Bears decide to keep six receivers, that leaves two spots for three primary contenders; Deonte Thompson, Tanner Gentry and Joshua Bellamy.
Bellamy has obvious special teams value. He is one of the Bears’ best coverage unit players, but he has little to no upside at the wide receiver position. Thompson has shown a lot of ability as a kick returner and has flashed a lot of upside at receiver. Gentry is an undrafted rookie who shows a fantastic ability to simply go up and get the ball. Gentry undoubtedly has the most upside at wide receiver of the three.
It will be a tough decision, but I am going to go with Gentry and Thompson over Bellamy. The Bears have been giving Gentry a chance to prove himself on the kick coverage teams and he looks like he can perform well that. Add in his upside at receiver and he makes Bellamy’s special teams value expendable.
Thompson is a dependable kick returner who can really fly. Getting rid of Bellamy is not ideal, but it makes more sense than losing Thompson or Gentry. Thompson and Gentry would then have six weeks to battle it out before Wheaton returns from the PUP list.