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The Chicago Bears have plenty of promise in their wide receivers room, but what they don't have is a ton of experience, which is at least a bit concerning.
The elder statesman of the room is Kalif Raymond, who has a ton of NFL experience under his belt. However, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, the two receivers expected to lead the group, sport a combined total of 44 games of experience.
Behind those three are Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker. The former is a rookie and the latter, who is expected to make the roster, played in nine contests during his rookie season.
Scotty Miller is the next most experienced player on the roster at wide receiver after Raymond, yet he might not even make the cut.
Knowing all that, it wouldn't hurt to add another veteran wideout to the mix.
Bears named landing spot for Deebo Samuel
In an article listing the top landing spots for former Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel, NFL Trade Rumors' Ethan Woodie mentioned the Bears as one of them.
Woodie believes Samuel would be a strong replacement for DJ Moore, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason. Woods points to Chicago's need for more depth as the reason behind his linking the Bears to Samuel.
Woods says, "Samuel would be a pretty seamless replacement in an offense that doesn’t have a proven WR3. Behind Odunze and Burden, the Bears don’t have much depth at wide receiver."
"Samuel and Moore have different skillsets, but as long as Samuel is willing to slide into a lower-usage role now, this would be a good landing spot for him. Burden is ready for a larger target share and Odunze is this lead man on the outside. It’s an arms race in the NFC right now, and the Bears can’t afford to lose either one of those guys. Samuel would be a great addition as depth and insurance," Woodie added.
Bears have experience and depth concerns
Along with the aforementioned experience concerns, it's fair to question Chicago's depth at the position.
While he's a decent No. 3 receiver, Raymond hasn't been all that productive the past two seasons, and he has missed seven contests in that span.
We have no idea what to expect out of both Thomas and Walker and, truth be told, nobody can confidently say we know what to expect out of Odunze and Burden, either, and Odunze is coming off an injury-plagued season, which only adds to the concerns about depth.
This is not a division in which the Bears can afford to fall behind on the offensive side of the ball.
The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions will be both be good or elite offensively, and the Minnesota Vikings should at least be slightly improved with Kyler Murray, assuming he wins the job.
Can Deebo Samuel help?
Samuel is now 30 years old and we could start to see a significant decline, but the Bears don't need him to be a prominent player in the offense with Burden and Odunze atop the depth chart, assuming both can stay healthy.
Instead, Samuel just has to be a complementary piece, and he's a piece head coach Ben Johnson can have fun with. Samuel can line up anywhere, including out of the backfield as a running back.
It's not like Samuel fell off a cliff last season production-wise. He was still solid, posting 72 catches for 727 yards and five scores in 16 games with the Washington Commanders.
We wouldn't bet on the Bears adding another wide receiver before training camp, but if an injury occurs or the Bears aren't happy with what they see out of their current group and Samuel is still available, we could see it happen.
Today's best reads
- Bears Depth Chart Entering Training Camp: Who's Starting, Who's Fighting for Their Job
- Chicago Bears Roster Ranking: How Does Their Receiver Room Stack Up to the Rest of NFL?
- Top 26 Chicago Bears for 2026: Luther Burden is Ready to be the Bears' WR1
- Bears' No-Show in Top Receiver Rankings is a Big Problem for Ben Johnson's Offense
- Bears Roster Bubble: Who's In and Who's Out This Training Camp?
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Bears Connected to Former Pro Bowl Free Agent Amid Experience, Depth Concerns at WR.
