Bears WR ‘Should Be Under Trade Consideration,' Says NFL Analyst

The prospect was recently considered by Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox, who pondered the Bears' strategy of putting veteran wide receiver and return specialist Dante Pettis on the trading block. The allure here lies in Pettis's unique mix of field experience and special teams capabilities, which could potentially intrigue teams on the prowl.

At 27, Pettis hauled in 19 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears in 2022, while also handling 18 punt returns with an average of 9.1 yards after the sidelining of third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr. Just this past April, he signed a fresh one-year contract with the Bears, but then came the twist: the team drafted Scott in the fourth round. Now Pettis is scrapping for playing time with two newly-drafted players and Equanimeous St. Brown. Could the Bears be considering a trade, swapping him for future prospects?

Knox suggested in his June 5 piece on potential trade candidates that, «With Jones also capable of returning punts, the Bears should explore trading Pettis while the window is open. He's one of four Chicago receivers whose contracts expire in 2024 — [Darnell] Mooney, Claypool, and [Equanimeous] St. Brown being the others — and is the least likely to return.»

Entering the final week of OTAs, Pettis's future with the Bears appears uncertain. Despite his knowledge of Luke Getsy's offensive system and familiarity with quarterback Justin Fields, his reliability has come into question, due to several crucial drops in 2022, a number of them on third down, and inconsistency in his performance.

Still, Pettis's real opportunity to prove his worth lies in his role as a return specialist, a position where he left his mark in 2022. However, the question remains: can he fend off the competition come training camp?

The greatest challenge to Pettis's roster spot comes from Velus Jones Jr. The Bears are betting on Jones to step up his game in his sophomore season, especially after a lackluster rookie year. Jones's standout return skills were a significant factor in his third-round selection last year, but his college success struggled to find footing in the NFL. Despite the rocky start, there were sparks of brilliance towards the end of the year, including a formidable 63-yard kickoff return in a Week 17 defeat to Detroit.