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Is this former first-round WR the Bears' Plan B?

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

If Bears miss out on Marvin Harrison Jr., is this former first-round WR their Plan B?

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/1/24

With two picks in the top nine selections of the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s been speculated that the Chicago Bears are targeting Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with one of them.

However, there’s a chance the team will miss out on the Buckeyes star if it trades too far down in the top 10, which is where free-agent-to-be Calvin Ridley comes into play.

Chicago could make a run at the 29-year-old former first-round pick in free agency if general manager Ryan Pace already knows he’s either going to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick (thus taking Harrison Jr. out of the equation at pick No. 9) or he’s going trade the first pick and fears he might not be able to move back up to land Harrison Jr.

Ridley isn’t as dynamic as the 21-year-old Harrison Jr., but according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, adding him to Chicago’s wide receiver room would open up the playbook quite a bit for newly hired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

The TRUTH about Calvin Ridley

➖3rd in Red zone Targets (25)
➖8th in Deep Targets (28)
➖14th in Targets (136)

People were “upset” with Ridley for being inconsistent.. he DIDN’T play football for nearly 2 straight seasons y'all.

To come BACK to the NFL after a multiple year… pic.twitter.com/p5i96EFA38
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 26, 2024

“With D.J. Moore in place, Chicago could get two players who are interchangeable as X-receivers up on the line and as good move/Z-receivers with alignment versatility,” Spielberger wrote. “Both can create separation vertically, but Ridley could take the top off defenses even more and let Moore utilize his high-end after-the-catch abilities at the short and intermediate levels.”

Ridley showed flashes of the player he was during his breakout 2020 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons. He caught 76 of his 136 targets for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns, including four 100-yard games, and he led the Jaguars in receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions of 20 or more yards (17).

Despite being close to 30, Ridley doesn’t have as many miles as most 29-year-old receivers. He’s played just four full seasons since joining the league in 2018 (he missed 11 games in 2021 due to injury and all of the 2022 season due to a gambling-related suspension).

Losing out on Harrison Jr. would sting, but Ridley isn’t the worst consolation prize. He would make a strong 1-2 punch with Moore, who totaled 96 receptions, 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns this year, and it would allow 2023 fourth-round pick Tyler Scott to find a rhythm as a slot receiver.

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