Getty Former Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.
The Chicago Bears could have one of the top wide receiver trios in the NFL in 2024 if they can keep DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze healthy, but the depth behind them is questionable heading into training camp. Just two of their non-starters have caught at least 20 career passes, and both of those receivers — veterans Dante Pettis and DeAndre Carter — are firmly on the roster bubble.
To improve depth, could the Bears venture once more into free agency for a veteran?
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey recently suggested the Bears might find a solution to their depth issues in former Las Vegas Raiders veteran Hunter Renfrow, who has been a free agent since March 13 when the Raiders cut him for $8.21 million in salary-cap savings.
Renfrow caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns for the Raiders in 2021 and earned recognition as an alternate for the Pro Bowl. Since then, however, the 28-year-old’s production has fallen off sharply with him putting up just 61 receptions for 585 yards and two touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. In other words, Renfrow — and the market that has ignored him — has shown that he isn’t a starter.
Still, the Bears would be looking for an experienced No. 4 receiver who could compete with youngster Tyler Scott in the slot, and Renfrow fits the bill with 269 career catches.
“Renfrow could be utilized in third-down situations in the tight pockets of space in the middle of the field,” Tansey wrote on June 26. “The Bears just need a possession-based wideout like Renfrow to give Williams one more option in certain situations.
“He certainly would not be an every-down player, but he could have some use when the Bears need to pick up first downs.”
Could Bears Sign Hunter Renfrow for Cheap in 2024?
Tansey’s suggestion is not without basis. The Bears are lacking experience behind their top three receivers– and one of those three, Odunze, has not played an NFL snap yet. Scott is the top candidate to be their No. 4 receiver in the rotation, but he caught just 17 of his 32 targets for 168 yards in a limited role as a rookie in 2023 and is still unproven. There is also Velus Jones Jr., who may win his roster spot due to his return ability but has been unimpressive on offense over his first two seasons in Chicago.
If the Bears believe they need more firepower in the receiver room to set up rookie quarterback Caleb Williams for success in 2024, Renfrow could make some sense.
Renfrow benefits from having solid return experience on his resume. He averaged 9.7 yards on 70 punt returns for the Raiders over his first four seasons; though, he did not return punts in 2023. If Renfrow still has it in him, though, his receiving experience paired with his return ability would put him a notch above either Pettis or Carter.
Renfrow might fit into the Bears’ budget, too. He signed a $32 million extension with the Raiders in 2022 after his 1,000-yard season, but his value figures to be substantially lower now after his production plummeted over the past two seasons. A one-year deal also seems likely considering most training camps start reporting in a few weeks.
From the Bears’ end, offering Renfrow a one-year, $3 million contract with playtime or performance incentives could be a smart play — if they feel they need depth, after all.
Are Bears Prepared to Trust Youth Instead at WR?
The Bears could add someone like Renfrow, or another veteran like him, if they feel they need more experience at receiver. Some options might not even emerge until closer to (or after) the August 27 deadline for 53-man roster cuts. For instance, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton are each fighting for their roster spots in a crowded New England receiver room and could become available before September.
With clear starters and a young quarterback, though, maybe the Bears would be better off sticking with their young talent and seeing if they can grow into something more.
Scott is the big question mark of the Bears’ receiver room. Odunze is going to command the developmental focus of fans as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but Scott — a 2023 fourth-round pick — has the speed and ball-tracking skills to be an asset in the slot for Chicago.
Ryan Poles told NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund after the 2023 NFL draft that Scott reminded him of Seattle’s Tyler Lockett when they scouted him at Cincinnati. If he is right, surely Shane Waldron — the Bears’ new offensive coordinator and the former OC in Seattle — will recognize that in Scott, too, and try his best to pull it out of him.
Perhaps the Bears will also get stronger-than-expected roster challenge from Carter. Carter only just signed to the Bears’ roster on June 18, but he has more than 100 career receptions — which makes him the third-most experienced wideout on the roster behind Allen and Moore. He wouldn’t be a young solution, but the 31-year-old could lock down a roster spot if he can win a return specialist role.
