Could the Chicago Bears Be an Ideal Landing Spot for WR Hines Ward?
Published by Andrea Hangst on March 1, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced yesterday that they would be releasing veteran wide receiver Hines Ward after 14 years with the team. Not long after, Ward issued a statement that included mention of his intention to continue to play football.
The 36-year-old had just 46 receptions for 381 yards and two touchdowns in 2011, as the Steelers chose to target their younger receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown more instead of Ward.
However, Ward had 95 receptions for 1,167 yards and six scores in 2009, isn’t injury-prone and offers the type of veteran experience that’s almost impossible to come by at the receiver position these days.
It won’t be surprising if Ward attracts a lot of attention in the offseason, with a number of teams needing to bolster their receiving corps.
One that comes to mind immediately is the Chicago Bears, who are almost certainly on the lookout for attractive free agent wide receivers just as much as they are interested in picking up someone new in the draft.
The Bears already have two slot receivers on the roster: Earl Bennett, who showed flashes of talent when both he and quarterback Jay Cutler (his former Vanderbilt teammate) were healthy, and Dane Sanzenbacher, brought on in 2011.
However, one cannot discount the usefulness of adding Ward into the mix. Though he would primarily be used for slot duties by whatever team that takes him, he’s also versatile in the screen game and his blocking skills are unparalleled by any receiver in the league.
According to Pro Football Focus‘ advanced statistical measures, no Bears wide receiver performed all that well in pass-blocking, screen-blocking or run-blocking. Though Ward’s stats in those areas were lower than usual in 2011, much of that can be attributed to the fact he was asked to do less than he ever has for the Steelers.
For his blocking skills alone, the Bears should give Ward a look. He’s also incredibly sure-handed, provides the type of veteran leadership their receiving corps lacks and generally has a passion for the game that could help out the oft-irritated Cutler.
These qualities will put the affordable Ward in high demand this offseason; though many teams would be a good landing spot for him, none look as ideal as the Bears.
As a Steeler, Ward had 1,000 catches for nearly seven miles’ worth of yardage. Perhaps he can add to that total in Chicago.
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