Chicago Bears: A familiar face is back on a 1-year deal

The Chicago Bears brought back a familiar face on Monday as wide receiver Dante Pettis is signing him to a 1-year deal.

Pettis played a good amount of last season’s rotating reps with Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, and Velus Jones Jr.

He finished the year with 3 touchdowns and 245 receiving yards. Two of those touchdowns were big plays in their respective games.

In week 1 vs the San Francisco 49ers, Fields scrambled out of the pocket and found Pettis wide-open for a touchdown. The play jump-started the offense and the Bears went on to win 19-10. In week 6 vs the Washington Commanders, Fields hit Pettis deep for a 40-yard touchdown.

Pettis also did well in the preseason. He caught a touchdown from Justin Fields versus the Cleveland Browns and finished fifth on the team in PFF grades in the preseason.

Pettis also offered value on special teams as well by returning punts for the Bears. He returned a punt for 10-plus yards in seven games in 2022. He ended the season with 163 yards returning punts.

The Chicago Bears are hoping for some contribution from Dante Pettis.

He joins a wide receiver room that consists of DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Velus Jones Jr as they try to have an improved passing game this year.

Pettis can be a serviceable backup receiver in the NFL. He’s played a good amount of football as he’s entering his sixth year in the league.

The Bears will likely end up drafting a receiver at some point in the upcoming NFL Draft too which means Pettis will likely be fighting for a roster spot.

If he doesn’t end up making the team, Pettis could be a solid practice squad candidate. He spent a year in Luke Getsy’s system and is no stranger to stepping in and playing a good number of snaps.

The bottom line is that Pettis will have to make a splash in training camp in order to make the squad because of the depth that they all of the sudden have at the position.