Chicago Bears: Wide receiver Tre McBride an interesting waiver wire addition
The Chicago Bears may have found a real waiver wire gem in wide receiver Tre McBride.
On Sunday, the Chicago Bears made a series of moves in preparation for the upcoming regular season. They claimed running back Taquan Mizzell, long snapper Andrew DePaola and wide receiver Tre McBride. To make room for the three players, the Bears cut ties with running back Jeremy Langford, tight end Ben Braunecker and long snapper Jeff Overbaugh. Now, their 53-man roster is set and ready to go for next Sunday.
Mizzell is an interesting running back prospect who shined with the Baltimore Ravens during the preseason. However, today we are going to focus on the addition of McBride.
McBride entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL. He was predicted by most to be a mid-round selection by most in the draft community but his lack of explosive speed and athleticism caused him to slip down the board.
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The 6-foot-0, 210-pound McBride has spent most of the past two seasons on the Titans’ practice squad. Honestly, McBride as a prospect kind of reminds me of Tanner Gentry, who the Bears signed to the practice squad on Sunday. Like Gentry at Wyoming, McBride beat up on lesser competition at William & Mary. Their styles of play are also similar, as both Gentry and McBride has a knack for making plays in the air.
McBride is not the fastest or most athletic receiver, but he high points the ball in the air extremely well. He times his jumps to perfection and has a knack for making catches in traffic. The Chicago Bears undoubtedly found a smooth receiver who can go up and get the ball well on Sunday.
McBride does not create much separation, but he is the kind of receiver who is basically always open. Put the ball in a good spot and he will go up and get it.
While we have not seen much game action out of McBride in recent years, he is known as a player who can make an impact both in the slot and on the outside. He also has plenty of kick and punt return experience and ability.
We know that the Chicago Bears are short at the wide receiver position. Kevin White, Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton are their top three, but Wheaton is currently with an injury that could hold him out for the first few games. After the top three, Josh Bellamy and Deonte Thompson are better known for their abilities on special teams. This could create ample opportunity for McBride to shine right away for the Bears.
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If he can come in and learn the playbook quickly, McBride could easily end up being a premier target in this offense. That probably says more about their options at wide receiver than it does about McBride, but he is a talented player nonetheless.