Chicago Bears: Time to start treating Kevin White like a top receiver

With Cameron Meredith lost for the year, the Chicago Bears must now look to Kevin White as their top receiver. And that means taking the training wheels off.

Ready or not, Kevin White; the time has come to see exactly what the Chicago Bears‘ 2015 seventh overall pick is made of.

With the reality setting in that Cameron Meredith will miss the 2017 season with a torn ACL and MCL, White has now become, by default, the centerpiece of the Chicago Bears passing attack.

On one hand, that’s not a terribly inspiring thought. After all, White boasts just 19 career receptions for 187 yards right now. And just when it looked like he was finding his groove last season, he suffered a second freak leg injury, landing him on season-ending IR for the second year in a row. As such, what can the Bears realistically expect to get from him for a whole season? I don’t think even they know at this point.

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One thing seems clear, though; if the Chicago Bears want to find out what he is, then it’s time to start throwing him the ball. A lot. And more than that, it’s time to take the training wheels off of him and truly treat him like the featured pass-catcher in the Bears offense.

At first glance, that statement might not strike anyone as something groundbreaking. Of course, they’re going to have to throw him the ball. With Meredith out, who else are the Bears going to throw it to?

Markus Wheaton hasn’t even practiced with the team yet and, therefore, hasn’t developed any rapport with either Mike Glennon or Mitch Trubisky. Kendall Wright has proven a nice find as a slot man and third-down security blanket, but he’s not a high-volume target. The tight end group of Dion Sims, Zach Miller, and perhaps Adam Shaheen will merit targets, but none of them can function like a top receiver.

Only one player on this roster has the ability to fill that void, and that’s White. Fittingly enough, that’s precisely what the Bears drafted him to be two years ago.

Treat Him like a True Number One

But more so than just keeping him involved in the Chicago Beargame planlan, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains may have to reimagine his usage of White in his passing attack.

That means not throwing him multiple ill-fated screens that their small army of little slot guys can’t effectively block. I mean, even though this one worked out fine, look at what happens to poor Kendall Wright…

And that also means not simply running him on five-yard crossing routes or hitches when screens don’t suffice.

If the Bears want to find out what Kevin White is capable of, they need to let him run routes down the field.

He might not have 4.35 speed in pads, but he’s undoubtedly faster than any Bears receiver outside of Wheaton. Plus, he does possess elite athleticism and has the ball skills to bring down tough catches like this one:

And though his routes still don’t look entirely crisp, this play from Sunday shows exactly how the Bears should use White down the field.

If Glennon (and eventually Trubisky) can connect with White like this frequently, it will open up doors in this offense that no one imagined. And, even though he didn’t come down with it here, the Bears also have to target him in the red zone like the play below. Trust his athleticism, and let him go make a play.

In short, the Chicago Bears don’t have the luxury of easing White along anymore. They now have no choice but to open up the playbook for White and force him to prove himself as a top target.

And that means feeding him the ball like a number-one receiver. Throw it to him when he’s the first option on the play. Sometimes, throw it to him even when he’s not. Throw it to him when he’s open. And even if he’s covered, give him the Alshon Jeffery treatment and throw it to him anyway if you think he can make the play. Throw it to him short, long or over the middle.

For goodness sakes, just throw him the ball a lot. He should easily be getting eight or more targets per game, no matter what. If nothing else, at least force the defense to honor him like a number-one receiver.

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Because at this point, the Bears don’t have the option to deploy him the way they have been. His upside is too high, and his potential impact on the Chicago Bears offense is too great. It’s time to take the kid gloves off and challenge him to be the guy they always hoped he’d be.

If he rises to that challenge, then the Bears at least know they have a potentially top-of-the-line receiver. And if he fails, at least they finally know what he is and can start moving on from him.