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The Chicago Bears seem content with the wide receiving corps they currently have, but that isn’t stopping analysts from urging them to add more firepower at the position.
As it stands, the Bears are heading into the 2022 season led by wideout Darnell Mooney, who has his fist 1,000-yard season last year. He’s followed by rookie third-rounder Velus Jones Jr., Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe, Dante Pettis and David Moore, none of whom is an established WR2 in the league.
In his June 1 column for Bleacher Report, Maurice Moton had an interesting — and affordable — trade suggestion for Chicago.
“Even if the Bears strongly believe at least one wideout will emerge from a group that lacks leaguewide recognition, the front office should do its due diligence,” Moton wrote. “The Bears should make the first call to the New York Giants, who may have a former fifth-round standout on the outside looking in at a spot on the depth chart.”
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Moton Thinks Bears Should Check Into WR Darius Slayton
Moton proposed Giants wideout Darius Slayton as someone Bears general manager Ryan Poles should inquire about.
“The Bears should at least pick up the phone and gauge the asking price for Slayton, who posted WR2-level receiving numbers in his first two pro years,” Moton suggested, adding he thinks a “middle- or late-round 2023 pick” would be enough compensation for New York to trade away the 25-year-old receiver.
Behind rookie 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney, 2021 second rounder Wan’Dale Robinson and veterans Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard, there isn’t much room left for Slayton, who has been the subject of trade rumors for months.
“The Giants added Robinson in the second round to a position group that looks deep on paper but could be in a state of flux,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported on May 2 . “The odds of trading or cutting Slayton for $2.5 million in cap savings increased with the addition of Robinson.”
But would the Bears be a good fit?
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Slayton Could Be Intriguing Add for Bears, But Has Glaring Issue
In the final year of his four-year rookie deal, Slayton would be an affordable add, as he’s due a $2,540,000 base salary in 2022, per Spotrac. There’s always a risk involved when trading away future draft capital, but it might be worth a fifth- or sixth-round pick in order to see if quarterback Justin Fields vibes with Slayton on the field.
Slayton is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023, so he’ll be looking to impress with his play in order to secure a solid deal in the future. He’s an intriguing option in that regard, as well. That said, he has one major red flag that shouldn’t be ignored.
The Giants selected Slayton out of Auburn in the fifth-round (171st overall) of the 2019 draft, and he played well his first two seasons, finishing with 98 receptions for 1,491 yards and 11 touchdowns in 30 games and 24 starts, per Pro Football Reference.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound WR fell a bit on the depth chart in 2021, playing in 13 games and starting five. He finished with 26 catches for 339 yards and two scores, and he had issues with dropped passes in particular:
Per PFF, Slayton dropped six passes last season, and QBs had an unimpressive 56.6 passer rating when looking his way. He has 15 drops in his three seasons, which is problematic.
The bottom line? Slayton is an intriguing possibility, but the Bears might be better served seeing what they have in their wide receivers room. His issue with dropping on-target passes has been a tad too glaring, and it wouldn’t be worth sending future capital away to get him.
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