Bears Cut Loose Veteran WR Ahead of Titans Matchup

Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

The Chicago Bears are cutting loose veteran wide receiver Dante Pettis ahead of their first game of the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

According to The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, the Bears released Pettis from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement on September 5, officially closing the book on his tenure in Chicago after injuries marred the past 13 months of his NFL career.

Pettis caught 19 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns and played in all 17 games for the Bears during the first year of their comprehensive roster build in 2022. While the Bears re-signed him for the 2023 season, he suffered a back injury that landed him on season-ending injured reserve in August and cost him the entire season as a result.

The Bears opted to give Pettis one more chance in 2024 despite the significant upgrades they made to their receiving corps during the offseason, re-signing him to a one-year contract just one day after trading for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen in March. He made a solid case for the 53-man roster in the preseason, too, with five receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns before another injury took him out of the running.

Because the Bears placed Pettis on injured reserve before the 53-man roster cutdown and did not give him a return designation, the team had two choices: either keep Pettis on IR for the remainder of the season or release him with an injury settlement to give him a chance of joining another team at some point in 2024. The Bears chose the latter.

Pettis will now become a free agent; although, how healthy he is remains unclear.

DeAndre Carter Replaces Value Lost With Dante Pettis

Pettis’ two-touchdown game in the preseason helped his case for the 53-man roster, but it is possible the Bears would have gone another direction anyway given that another of their veteran wide receivers — DeAndre Carter — had taken over their punt return role.

Carter, 31, is older than the 28-year-old Pettis, but he also has more experience as both a pass-catcher and a punt returner. He has hauled in 108 total receptions over his first six seasons and returned more than 115 punts and kickoffs each, which made him an ideal candidate to compete with Pettis and the others for the top punt returner role.

Ultimately, the Bears picked Carter and his career average of 9.7 yards per punt return once Pettis landed on injured reserve, but Carter might have won the job even if Pettis had remained healthy. Pettis returned just two punts during the 2024 preseason and netted minus-3 yards, muffing his first attempt for a turnover at the 38-yard line.

Meanwhile, Carter returned three punts for 25 yards; though, he also muffed one. The Bears will most likely keep an open mind about the position if Carter struggles during the regular season, but — for now — they appear to have a better solution than Pettis.

Bears Have Plenty of WR Depth Heading into 2024

The fact that Pettis has been with the Bears since 2022 makes his departure relevant, but Chicago should be just fine at the wide receiver position without him in the fold.

The Bears enter the 2024 season with one of the best starting wide receiver trios the franchise has ever had with D.J. Moore, Allen and first-round rookie Rome Odunze all expected to play meaningful roles for their offense. The Bears also have 2023 fourth-round pick Tyler Scott looking to make a second-year jump as a deep-threat option.

Outside of their top four receivers, the Bears also have Velus Jones Jr. — who is as much a running back as he is a pass-catcher now — and Carter to add depth at the position. The six of them should be enough for the Bears to get by nicely if they stay healthy, but in case they don’t, they also have preseason standout Collin Johnson and former Green Bay Packers draft pick Samori Toure on their practice squad to consider for elevations.

Considering their depth, the Bears should hardly notice Pettis is gone.