Chicago Bears: Tanner Gentry could easily make the practice squad

Many fans of the Chicago Bears were disappointed that the team waived rookie wide receiver Tanner Gentry. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up finding his way to the practice squad.

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Tanner Gentry has been one of the most interesting players at Chicago Bears camp this year. Gentry has shown an impressive overall skill set on the outside and appears to have a bright NFL future.

As a senior at Wyoming last season, Gentry caught 72 passes for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a major deep threat who showed the innate ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point. Gentry is a fantastic red zone receiver who has great playmaking ability for the next level.

However, despite having the ugliest wide receiver situation in the NFL, the Chicago Bears decided to cut ties with Gentry on Saturday. What gives? Gentry balled out in training camp and showed a great rapport with the quarterback of the future, Mitch Trubisky.

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The Bears likely believe that Gentry is not quite ready to make an impact on an NFL field and think that they can sneak Gentry through waivers and put him on the practice squad. Gentry is an interesting player but it is not like he dominated in the preseason.

The undrafted rookie out of Wyoming did have arguably the Bears’ biggest highlight of the preseason (a 45-yard touchdown catch from Trubisky), but he only had four receptions for 77 yards and that one touchdown in four games. Did NFL teams really see enough out of Gentry to claim him and give him a spot on their 53-man roster? Honestly, I kind of doubt it.

The Chicago Bears have the single-worst collection of wide receivers in the entire NFL, no team needs a guy like Gentry in the system more than the Bears. Plus, they were the only team to see him at his best when he was on the practice field in training camp.

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I like Gentry as a player and think that he can be a legitimate playmaker at the NFL level. However, I also think he has a good chance of passing through waivers, allowing the Bears to put him on the practice squad. I could easily be wrong, but if the Bears end up getting Gentry on their practice squad, it would be the best case scenario.