Unpopular Former Bears WR Lands With AFC Contender

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Recently-released Bears WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette was released by the Chicago Bears on October 18, and it didn’t take long for him to find a new home.

According to the NFL’s October 22 waiver wire, the Kansas City Chiefs are signing the former Bears wideout to their practice squad. Smith-Marsette recently drew the ire of Bears fans everywhere in back-to-back games before ultimately being released by the team.

The 23-year-old wide receiver caught just one pass for 15 yards in his six games with the Bears and played just 17% of the team’s offensive snaps, so he will likely be more remembered for the plays he failed to make rather than the ones he did — at least while wearing a Bears uniform.

Ihmir Smith Marsette’s Mistakes With Bears Did Him In

Unfortunately, the former Bears and Vikings wide receiver made a few too many glaring errors in his month and a half with the Bears, and as a result, his release didn’t come as much of a shock.

Week 5, in the Bears’ 29-22 loss to the Vikings, Smith-Marsette was flagged for an illegal block on Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cam Dantzler that negated a 52-yard touchdown run by Bears quarterback Justin Fields with 12:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Later in the game, on what turned out to be Chicago’s final drive, Smith-Marsette caught a short pass on the left side of the field from Fields with just over a minute remaining in the game.

He made one Vikings defender miss, gaining a few extra yards, but instead of stepping out of bounds to stop the clock, Smith-Marsette stayed inbounds, and Dantzler took the ball away from him. “I tried to do too much on my end,” Smith-Marsette said after the loss, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ve just got to be smarter.”

The following week, in a 12-7 loss to the Washington Commanders, Smith-Marsette failed to catch multiple passes late in the game that could have been impactful had he hauled them in.

After witnessing a few too many costly mistakes, the Bears parted ways with Smith-Marsette and promoted wideout Isaiah Coulter from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Now, Smith-Marsette will get another opportunity with Andy Reid and the 4-2 AFC West-leading Chiefs.

Is it Finally N’Keal Harry Time in Chicago?

The Bears should be getting some help at wide receiver soon when N’Keal Harry returns to the lineup. Chicago traded a 2024 seventh-rounder for the former New England Patriots wideout this summer, and he has been sidelined by an ankle injury since training camp.

As it stands, he’s set to make his debut with the Bears Week 7, when Chicago squares off against the Patriots in prime time on Monday Night Football.

“I’m trying not to get too caught up in it being the Patriots and it being my former team,” Harry said, via the Bears’ official website. “I’m obviously excited. I’m excited to see some of my guys pregame. I went through a lot with some of those guys that came in with my [rookie] class. So I’m excited to see them, but I’m just excited to get out there finally.”

“My body has healed the right way,” Harry added. “I’ve got a chance to get my feet up under me in this offense, so I’m feeling pretty comfortable and I’m excited to go.”

We’ll see if he can make his former team regret letting him go while also filling a big void for the Bears, who have been in desperate need of playmakers at wide receiver since the season began.