NEWSLETTER
The 2015 NFL Draft saw six wide receivers go in the first round. Bears fans should be familiar with this crop of pass-catchers, as Kevin White was part of that group. With that in mind, it is worth noting that as of this posting, only one (Miami’s DeVante Parker) remains with the team that chose him.
I provide that context as background because Chicago’s football team is dipping into that class once again, looking to unearth a reclamation project:
Bears are signing former Lions’ WR Breshad Perriman to a one-year deal, per his agent @DrewJRosenhaus.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2021
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Bears are signing Breshad Perriman. And because of how things ended with the Lions, Detroit is essentially paying $2 million for Perriman to play for the Bears. That’s free cheese!
Perriman makes for the second wide receiver addition Chicago has made today, with him set to join Nsimba Webster. But unlike Webster, whose value is largely in special teams contributions, Perriman is a receiver by trade and should be expected to be a contributor to that position group at some level. Remember, the Bears had just five receivers on their roster when the initial 53-player rosters came out on Tuesday afternoon.
Perriman, 27, was chosen with the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He has 125 catches, 2,066 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns on his résumé. The son of former Lions standout Brent Perriman, Rashad’s best two seasons came at his last two stops. While with the Buccaneers in 2019, Breshad Perriman set career-bests with 36 catches, 645 yards, and six touchdowns. He followed that with a 30-catch, 505-yard, 3-touchdown season with the Jets a year later. The Lions signed Perriman this offseason. And for much of the summer, it looked as if Perriman would be Detroit’s WR1. But he didn’t make the cut, and is about to join the Bears — making it six teams for him in the last five years. Not what you’d expect from a first-round talent.
The Perriman addition is an interesting one, at least from a depth perspective. I can’t ignore Perriman’s flameouts at previous stops. Nor can I pretend that him not living up to his draft status bugs me. But between his family pedigree, status as a prospect before the 2015 NFL Draft, and the potential upgrade to the back end of the receiver depth chart, it is an intriguing add by this front office. There is no need to set up unnecessary expectations. But this one is worth keeping eyes on as this position group continues to get a makeover.
