NEWSLETTER
After GM Ryan Pace decided not to re-sign Alshon Jeffery in the offseason, he re-allocated those funds and spread them among a handful of free agents in an attempt to add depth to the position. Perhaps, having now added that depth, the Bears will find a breakthrough season from a veteran on a short-term prove-it deal.
Kendall Wright is one of those veterans aiming to recapture some of the magic from his former glory days, and he’s been getting some positive attention lately.
Over at CSN Chicago, Chris Boden writes that Wright had been lost in the shuffle a bit before breaking out in practice on Monday. Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has come away impressed, too.
“I can’t say enough about Kendall Wright,” Azzanni told Boden. “He’s totally bought in and been awesome. He’s like having a graduate assistant on the field with me.”
Wright has had a puzzling career. He was a top-flight receiver at Baylor, which made him a first-round pick (20th overall) by the Tennessee Titans in 2012. He caught 64 passes as a rookie, but didn’t truly burst onto the scene until 2013 when he caught 94 passes for 1,089 yards. And while Wright scored just two touchdowns, it didn’t take much of an imagination to think a big time scoring season was on the horizon.
But here’s the thing – it never came. After catching 94 passes in 16 games back in 2013, Wright caught a total of 122 over the course of 35 games over the next three seasons. This targets and catches have been on the decline in each of the last three seasons, which is one of the reasons he and the Titans parted ways.
Wright has all the motivation in the world to get back to the top of the receivers’ depth chart, and should have ample opportunity to do so in Chicago.
