Is Bears WR Equanimeous St. Brown being overlooked as key offseason addition?

Byron Pringle and Velus Jones Jr. are the first two wide receivers mentioned whenever the Chicago Bears’ additions on offense are discussed. Pringle was signed to a one-year deal in free agency, and Jones was added in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But what about former Green Bay Packers wide receiver, Equanimeous St. Brown? He, too, was signed in free agency but is rarely mentioned as a potential breakout player in 2022.

According to Bears offensive Luke Getsy, that should change.

“I was really excited that we were able to snag him up because I think all his best football is ahead of him,” Getsy said Sunday. “So, I’m excited to see, he’s one of those guys again, you know, you talk about a big body, a guy that can run, his toughness and all that stuff and everything that we’re going to preach in this system. He’s that expectation. He’s that leader of that mindset.”

Equanimeous St. Brown entering a prove-it year with Bears

Perhaps St. Brown’s addition hasn’t received much fanfare because, well, he hasn’t produced in the NFL. He’s totaled 37 catches in 37 career games and has just 543 yards and one touchdown — total — over three seasons. His best season came as a rookie, when he finished with 21 catches for 328 yards.

Injuries have plagued St. Brown so far in his career. He missed all of 2019 (ankle) and spent time on injured reserve in 2020. Last season, he bounced back and forth between the Packers’ practice squad and active roster before signing with the Bears in free agency.

Still, St. Brown does have appealing traits. He’s a gigantic target at 6-foot-5 and 214 pounds, and he ran an impressive 4.48 40-yard dash at that size. To put St. Brown’s size into perspective, he’s an inch taller and just five pounds lighter than Drake London, who was selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons this year. London didn’t run the 40-yard dash prior to the 2022 NFL Draft.

St. Brown was graded by NFL.com as an eventual NFL starter when he was entering the league and was issued a 3rd-4th-round grade. He ended up getting drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, and now that he’s on a Bears team with a wide open path to starting reps, his scouting report might come to fruition.

By no means am I suggesting St. Brown will be the answer Chicago is searching for at wide receiver. But he turns just 26 years old in September and has all of the traits needed to be a productive starter if given the opportunity.

St. Brown will get that opportunity in 2022, and it’s up to him to prove Getsy is correct that his best football is in front of him.