Chicago Bears Interested In Free Agent Wide Receiver Albert Wilson

Albert Wilson to the Chicago Bears appears to be a perfect match. Wilson, a free agent wide receiver from the Kansas City Chiefs is expected to test the market. In all likelihood, the Bears are the frontrunners to land Albert Wilson.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Bears are one of the teams looking to add Albert Wilson. Various reports suggest that the Bears are at the front of the line for Albert Wilson’s services. Albert Wilson makes sense for the Bears for several reasons.

One of the primary reasons is the Bears’ need for help at wide receiver.

Last season was an abysmal time for Chicago Bears’ receivers. Failure to gain separation from defenders and failure to stand out in the passing game was a couple of the ails suffered by the Bears’ pass-catchers. It gave way to the former Bears’ coaching staff’s failure to produce a game plan to establish the pass.

Despite being designated as a slot receiver, Albert Wilson is regarded as an upgrade over whom the Bears played at either receiver position. Because of his ability to have game-breaking speed, Wilson could come in and provide the Bears a boost in the passing attack.

The possible addition of Albert Wilson would help the Chicago Bears regarding getting a receiver who can get open in tight spaces. The trickle-down effect would lead to the Bears being covered differently, opening up their running game.

Albert Wilson has worked primarily under new Chicago Bears’ coach Matt Nagy during their tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs. Nagy served as the Chief’s offensive coordinator for two seasons. Wilson, a four-year veteran has familiarity with Matt Nagy’s offense. This makes for a natural fit for the Bears.

Matt Nagy’s offense is said to a be a complicated one to learn. Having someone in place who knows the nuances of the playbook would help the Bears have a swifter transition. What helps is the idea that Albert Wilson is considered to have some upside. Wilson could thrive in a situation with the Bears where he would be in a featured role.

Albert Wilson has averaged 12.5 yards per catch throughout his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season, Wilson averaged 42 receptions, for 553 yards as the Chief’s slot receiver. Wilson was third on the Chiefs in those categories. Conversely, Kendall Wright caught 59 passes, covering 614 yards as the Chicago Bears’ leading receiver.

The Kansas City Chiefs employed a short-passing attack, which would occasionally test the waters downfield. That was with Alex Smith taking the majority of the quarterback snaps under center. Bears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who has been compared to Alex Smith has a stronger throwing arm.

Did Kansas City's general manager guarantee the Bears will sign Albert Wilson?https://t.co/RuFyTOVwaH pic.twitter.com/NBUjYnTLHV

— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) March 1, 2018

One person suggesting that Albert Wilson is a match with the Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach. Veach went on record to cite that Albert Wilson is leaning towards joining the Bears (courtesy of the Chicago Tribune) in NFL free agency.

“Well, Matt’s [Nagy] in Chicago, so he knows all about him. When teams watch Albert, they’ll understand how valuable he is. We certainly feel the same way. We’d be super excited to get him back, but we know we have to go through the process here.”

For the Chicago Bears and Albert Wilson, their familiarity is difficult to deny. The admission of Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach nearly confirms the match between the Bears and Wilson. If nothing else, Veach confirms that Albert Wilson will not return to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As NFL free agency quickly approaches, look for the Bears to be one of the most active teams on the market. The Bears need three receivers. Each receiver the Bears target must possess at least two of five elements: hands, on-field awareness, route running ability, size and speed.

Albert Wilson has all of those attributes except for size. Listed at 5-foot-9, Albert Wilson is a lot shorter than most of the receivers on the open market. That will not deter the Bears in their pursuits of him.

The biggest plus for Albert Wilson and his fit with the Chicago Bears is the fact that his contract demands would not hurt their efforts to bring in a second passing target. The Bears are also linked to Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Jarvis Landry.

According to Pro Football Talk, the Chicago Bears are currently in trade discussions with the Miami Dolphins for Jarvis Landry. The report is that running back Jordan Howard is part of those trade talks. The possibility of adding both Jarvis Landry and Albert Wilson would signal a shift in philosophy for the Chicago Bears.