Photos: Don Juan Moore-Getty Images/Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday evening, the Chicago Bears were busy adding to their offense. GM Ryan Poles signed a pair of wide receivers to help out second-year QB Justin Fields.
Tajae Sharpe
First, the Bears signed 27-year-old WR Tajae Sharpe to a one-year deal.
The Tennessee Titans selected Sharpe in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent his first four years in Nashville. However, Sharpe missed all of 2017 due to a foot injury. In 2020, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and played in only four games. Sharpe spent all of 2021 with the Atlanta Falcons, appearing in fifteen games. During his six-year career, he has logged 117 catches for 1,397 yards and eight TDs.
Dante Pettis
A few hours after signing Tajae Sharpe, Ryan Poles was at it again. This time, the Bears signed WR Dante Pettis.
The 26-year-old Pettis is a former second round (44th overall) pick of the San Francisco 49ers back in 2018. After having a decent rookie year, Pettis had a poor sophomore season for the 49ers. Unfortunately, on November 3, 2020 the team waived the WR. The following day, the New York Giants claimed Pettis. However, he appeared in only two games for them. In 2021, the Giants waived and re-signed Pettis to the practice squad. On November 5, the team placed him on the season-ending IR due to a shoulder injury.
In five seasons, Pettis sports 52 catches for 739 yards and nine TDs on his stat sheet. He is another low-risk move for the Bears, who seem to be willing to take the gamble on his upside. That is the same upside the 49ers saw in 2018.
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