The Bears traded a third-round pick in 2020 to the Dolphins for wide receiver DeVante Parker. This trade shows that the new head coach is willing to do anything to help his young quarterback succeed.
The Matt Nagy is a coach of the Chicago Bears. He has been struggling to help his quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, become more successful. So he decided to trade for a struggling Dolphins WR in order to help Justin Fields succeed. Read more in detail here: matt nagy.
Following the Chicago Bears’ Week 4 victory against the Detroit Lions, two things occurred.
First, they acquired Jakeem Grant, a struggling wide receiver with the Miami Dolphins. Second, Justin Fields, a rookie quarterback, has been designated the full-time starting quarterback going forward.
Some of the dots in this diagram need to be connected.
Jakeem Grant had a hard time finding work in Miami.
Before we get into why the Bears made the Grant deal, let’s take a look at Grant’s previous experience with the Dolphins. It’s a mediocre one for the most part.
Grant caught 91 passes for 1,001 yards in six seasons with the Dolphins. He’s had a long history of drop problems, with a career catch percentage of just 62.3 percent.
Grant was always regarded as a good special teams player, even if he didn’t provide much in the way of receiving productivity with the Dolphins. For the most of his Dolphins career, he was the team’s primary punt and kick returner, scoring three special teams touchdowns in the process.
Even yet, Grant’s special teams prowess wasn’t enough to keep him on the Dolphins’ roster this season. Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, he battled with drops once again and even fumbled a punt in his own red zone. That seems to have been the last straw for the Dolphins’ management.
The Bears swoop in at this point.
Justin Fields needs more weapons, according to the Bears.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images/Jakeem Grant
With Fields at quarterback, one of the major adjustments the Bears made in Week 4 was to include more long shots down the field. Fields’ arm power was one of his greatest qualities coming out of college, in striking contrast to the Bears’ former starting quarterback, Andy Dalton.
Grant will most likely start his Bears career as a return specialist, but there’s a possibility he’ll be able to push his way into the offense as a deep threat on occasion. Despite his poor route-running and inconsistent hands, Grant is one of the quickest players in the NFL.
One of the reasons Grant failed in Miami may have been due to their respective quarterbacks’ lack of arm power. Since his NFL debut, Tua Tagovaila has shown to be more of a check-down artist than Fields, who is more of a modern-day gunslinger.
Grant isn’t going to walk into Chicago and set the world on fire. Once he establishes a rapport with Fields, he might be good for one or two huge bombs down the field.
The Bears are already exhibiting symptoms of desperation.
Matt Nagy, the Bears’ head coach, has announced that Justin Fields will be the team’s starting quarterback moving forward.
October 6, 2021 — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
From the Bears’ viewpoint, there are many reasons to justify the Grant deal. It’s worth noting, though, that trading a sixth-round selection for a failing return specialist is a little risky.
The Carolina Panthers, for example, just acquired CB Stephon Gilmore in exchange for a potential sixth-round selection.
The Bears are eager to help Fields flourish in the future, as shown by this deal. Grant provides an instant (though little) boost to the team’s attack, since their offensive line is poor and their wide receiver space is tiny.
Grant may be able to make an impact if Matt Nagy is ready to use Fields’ big arm.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
RELATED: With a simple play-calling change against the Lions, the Chicago Bears just announced Matt Nagy’s impending demise.
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