The Chicago Bears have added a potential replacement for the departed Alshon Jeffery in free agency. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Chicago has agreed to terms with former Pittsburgh Steelers starting receiver Markus Wheaton.
Source: The #Bears are signing WR Markus Wheaton, formerly of the #Steelers
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2017
This comes on the heels of the Bears losing Jeffery to the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year contract earlier on Thursday (more on that here).
In no way is Wheaton expected to duplicate the production Chicago saw from Jeffery, but the team had to start somewhere. At the very least, they are getting a young receiver that’s just 26 years old and coming off his rookie contract.
Wheaton missed all but three games this past season after suffering a shoulder injury. He did put up a solid 748 yards and five touchdowns for Pittsburgh the previous season. Depending on what happens from here on out this offseason, there’s a decent chance Wheaton will start opposite Kevin White for the Bears in 2017.
With both Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer no longer on the roster, they will both be catching passes from high-priced free-agent signing Mike Glennon. That’s not what we’d call the most-talented skill-position group in the NFL.