3 Bears on the Chopping Block Next After Shane Waldron Firing

2. Chris Beatty

The Bears brought in Chris Beatty this offseason as the new wide receivers coach after parting ways with Tyke Tolbert.

Before joining the Bears this summer, Beatty spent the prior three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers as their wide receivers coach. 

In Los Angeles, Beatty worked with veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, which was viewed as a positive for this offense. He also coached DJ Moore at the University of Maryland, so there was a lot to like about this hire.

Nonetheless, things have not gone well for the Bears’ WR unit, which has struggled mightily this year to make explosive plays in the passing game. 

Rookie Rome Odunze leads the team in receiving yards (414) but only has 28 receptions and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Moore leads the team in targets (66), and receptions (40), and is tied for first in touchdown receptions (3).

However, he’s only on pace for 76 receptions (125 targets) for 752 yards and six touchdowns. The receptions and receptions would be career-lows for Moore, which isn’t what people had expected coming into this season.

Lastly, Allen has been a major disappointment after the Bears traded for him in the offseason from LA. The Bears thought that the 32-year-old receiver would be the percent complement to Odunze and Moore. 

But that hasn’t been the case as Allen only has 26 receptions (48 targets) for 241 yards and two touchdowns. 

Could part of Allen’s frustrating play be the playcalling under Waldron? Maybe, but he hasn’t looked like the same explosive receiver we saw in LA. With Beatty’s connection, there was a thought that he could have another 1,000-yard season. That said, it doesn’t look like Allen will hit 1,000 yards, which could impact his free agency in the offseason.