The Chicago Bears will have former Seattle Seahawks veteran wide receiver Freddie Swain competing for a spot on their 90-man offseason roster when their two-day rookie minicamp officially gets underway on Friday, May 10.
Swain — a 2020 sixth-round pick — caught 38 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns over his first two seasons with the Seahawks, but he did not make the initial 53-man roster cut in 2022 and has since struggled to find playing time. Most recently, he spent the final three months of the 2023 season on the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad.
Swain is far from the most experienced free agent pass-catcher on the market, but his experience is comparable to several of the other receivers competing for depth spots on the Bears’ 2024 roster. Dante Pettis and Collin Johnson are the only non-starters on the roster with at least 30 career catches. Swain also has some experience returning punts.
While Swain will compete with 26 other tryout players listed on the Bears’ minicamp roster for a limited number of spots, he could prove useful as Chicago crafts its roster.
The Bears are also hosting two other veterans — linebacker Parry Nickerson and tight end Tommy Sweeney — for tryouts during this minicamp, which runs until May 11.
How Committed to Velus Jones Jr. Are Bears Now?
The Bears have a top-heavy group at wide receiver for the 2024 season after adding six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen and first-rounder Rome Odunze in the past two months. There are still questions about which receivers will occupy the backup/depth spots in their 2024 rotation, though, and none are more prevalent than the ones about 2022 third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. heading into a make-or-break third season in Chicago.
Jones is arguably one of the biggest whiffs of Ryan Poles’ tenure as the Bears’ general manager up to this point. While Jones has done an admirable job as a kickoff returner (27.4 yards per return in his career), he has mostly failed to make an impact at all on offense. In 26 career games, he has just 11 catches, 17 carries, 281 all-purpose yards and two total touchdowns and has played a total of just 256 offensive snaps.
Not exactly confidence-inspiring stuff.
The Bears may feel that Jones is good enough to be their sixth or seventh wide receiver in the pecking order given what he brings to the table on kickoffs. If another receiver starts to shine in training camp, though — or a better return option emerges — he could possibly find himself on the chopping block if he fails to stand out in training camp.
Caleb Williams’ Friend Also Trying Out for WR Spot
Swain will have a chance to win a roster spot with the Bears this weekend, but so too will the three rookie wide receivers they have invited as tryout players — including one of quarterback Caleb Williams’ friends and former USC teammates, John Jackson III.
Jackson did not have much production in college. He caught just one pass for three yards in his lone season with Williams and the Trojans in 2022, then transferred to Nevada in 2023 in pursuit of a more featured role. Jackson got his wish and played in 12 games, but the Wolf Pack struggled tremendously as a passing offense. He finished with a team-high 35 receptions for just 267 yards and zero touchdowns.
Still, there is something to be said about a receiver’s connection with a quarterback. If Jackson can show there is a bit of magic between him and Williams, he might be able to persuade the Bears to give him a shot — even if it only takes him as far as training camp.
The Bears have also invited Marcus Rogers (25 catches in four seasons at Troy) and R.J. Mobley (43 receptions and seven touchdowns in 2023 for Division II Winston-Salem) to compete for spots in their receiver room.
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