Are the Chicago Bears trying to sneak Tanner Gentry to the practice squad?

Are the Chicago Bears not showcasing undrafted rookie wide receiver Tanner Gentry in the preseason so they can get him on to their practice squad?

The Chicago Bears have an impressive group of rookies this season. Mitch Trubisky is clearly the quarterback of the future, tight end Adam Shaheen has a lot of long-term upside, running back Tarik Cohen already looks like an elite change of pace back and safety Eddie Jackson is a major playmaker on the back end. However, do not forget about undrafted wide receiver Tanner Gentry, who was the talk of training camp not long ago.

Gentry is a 6-foot-2, 209-pound receiver from the University of Wyoming. Last season, Gentry exploded onto the scene with 72 receptions for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns at Wyoming. He showed big-time playmaking ability on the outside but did not have the ideal skill set for the NFL draft process.

Gentry is not the fastest or most athletic receiver on the outside, but he can go up and get the ball extremely well. The young receiver shows great timing with his jumps and balance in the air. He does a fantastic job of high-pointing the football and has the strength to take the ball away from a defender.

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At training camp, Gentry showed off his skill set and seemed to find a good rapport with Trubisky. He was impressive and I was among those who figured he would ball out in the preseason games.

Well, we are two preseason games in and Gentry has not made a huge impact on the game field. Through two games, Gentry has only been targeted three times by Bears quarterbacks. With three receptions for 32 yards, Gentry has brought in all of his targets, but he has not made the splash plays that many of us expected.

I inserted Gentry as the sixth receiver on my recent Chicago Bears 53-man roster predictions. I stand by that prediction and think Gentry has a good chance to make the Bears’ roster for Week 1. However, Wednesday’s Locked on Bears podcast by Lorin Cox has me wondering if the Bears have something else in mind for Gentry.

In Wednesday’s episode, Cox breaks down the Bears’ top five position battles. It is certainly an episode worth checking out. Wide receiver is among the position battles that he lists and I think Cox raised a great point on Gentry.

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Essentially, Cox wonders out loud if the Chicago Bears are trying to hide Gentry a bit in the preseason. To me, that would certainly make a lot of sense.

If Gentry doesn’t make the 53-man roster, the Bears would undoubtedly love to get him on the practice squad. In order for that to happen, he would have to pass through waivers. Any team interested in Gentry would have to place him on their 53-man roster if they claim him. If he passes through, the Bears can place him on the practice squad.

Sure, he was a training camp star, but other NFL teams do not have film of Bears’ practice. Would any team be willing to give Gentry a spot on their 53-man roster primarily based on media hype? I highly doubt it. However, if Gentry balls out in the preseason where all other 31 NFL teams can watch the film, I could certainly see someone taking a chance on him.

I think Cox may be on to something here. The Bears seem to like Gentry, but would rather have him on the practice squad as opposed to the 53-man roster to start the season. It makes sense. So, exposing him too much in the preseason would create more of an opportunity for Gentry to impress and increase the chances that the Bears lose him.

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Again, I think that Gentry still has a chance to start the season on the Chicago Bears 53-man roster, but hiding him in the preseason so he can be a member of the practice squad is not a bad plan either.