Chicago Bears may have gotten a steal in Byron Pringle

The Chicago Bears made a lot of different moves this offseason. From free agent signings to trades, the Bears sure were busy. However, the addition of Byron Pringle might have been the most important.

Coming into this offseason, the Bears were receiving a lot of concern from analysts and fans alike. The 2021 wide receiver room itself was far from spectacular. The Bears as a whole finished 26th in the NFL in passing yards.

On top of this, the Bears lost Allen Robinson. Since 2018, he was the leader of the wide receiver room. Aside from a down season in 2021, Robinson posted 2 1000-yard seasons in the navy blue and orange. These too facts alone are enough cause for concern.

At the moment, Darnell Mooney is the clear leader of the receiving room. In 2021, Mooney caught 81 passes for 1055 yards and 4 touchdowns. At only 24 years of age, it’s fair to say that he has a bright future in this league.

Mooney has never been the concern. The depth behind Mooney is what has the media ranking the Bears receiving core near the bottom of the league. The good news is that they have added a boatload of receivers this offseason to try and fix this problem.

The most newsworthy addition came as recently as July 13th. The Bears traded a 2024 7th-round pick to the Patriots for N’Keal Harry. Harry is a former first-round selection who could turn his career around with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears need Byron Pringle to show up and play well in 2022.

The trade for Harry mainly got positive feedback but the Bears needed a guy who has been productive in the past and has played winning football. This is where Byron Pringle will come into play.

Last season, Pringle grabbed 42 passes for 568 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pringle also put up this type of production as the wide receiver number four in the dynamic Chiefs offense. On top of that, Pringle’s catch percentage was 70. This is well above the league average.

However, the most impressive attribute that Pringle brings to Chicago is his ability to move the chains and pick up first downs. Out of Pringle’s 42 receptions in 2021, 32 of them resulted in a first down.

If Pringle can continue to keep up these types of percentages, he will become a great complimentary piece to Darnell Mooney. Only time will be able to tell but the experience and production that Byron Pringle brings to the table will help out not only the rest of the wide receiver room but also Justin Fields as he looks to further develop in 2022.