Brandon Lloyd: Would Bears Benefit to Signing Free Agent WR?

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

As the Chicago Bears prepare for their week one matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, there are still a couple of question marks hovering over certain parts of the roster. One, in particular, is the third wide receiver on the depth chart.

If healthy, Earl Bennett would certainly have that spot locked down. But, due to his continuous issues with concussions and concussion-like symptoms, some are wondering if his health is repairable at this point. For that reason, the Bears are looking to play wideouts Joe Anderson and rookie Marquess Wilson a decent amount of time until Bennett can completely heal.

The question is, are either of them good enough to fill that slot role? Anderson has little to no experience as a pro and Wilson, a rookie of course, is still very raw.

Wilson, specifically, has drawn attention from coaches and fans because of his potential. He is quick and at times has shown great hands in camp, but the problem, historically, with him has been his attitude. There were rumors at the beginning of camp that stated he talked back to coaches and didn’t cooperate 100 percent of the time during practices — not a good sign for a young player. Of course, nothing official came from the team on that matter and his issues with attitude are supposedly behind him.

Wilson progressed nicely throughout camp and made the roster without a problem, but the seventh-round pick still has a ways to go. Similarly, Anderson is still extremely raw and might not pan out. Who knows, I could be dead wrong — for the Bears’ sake, I hope I am.

A free agent wideout that still hasn’t found a home, Brandon Lloyd, would look real good in a Bears uniform right about now. Lloyd, who spent a year with Chicago in 2008, is still a free agent and surprisingly will not be suiting up in week one for the first time in his career.

With a career average of 14.8 yards per catch, Lloyd would be a fantastic option for the Bears to sign if Bennett’s health continued to decline. They would absolutely need somebody, and Lloyd would fill that slot role perfectly. To have Lloyd along with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery — the twin towers on the outside — would be a great lineup for quarterback Jay Cutler, especially as they begin the Marc Trestman era.

Lloyd has always been a sure-handed receiver and under Trestman would surely be utilized. Trestman’s offense spreads the ball around and will see Cutler targeting plenty of different wideouts and tight ends in 2013. If I’m Phil Emery, I would be thinking real hard about bringing in Lloyd for a workout and see where things go. He still has a lot to offer the right team, and that team could be Chicago.

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.