Bears WR Byron Pringle bringing energy team needs on offense

Chicago Bears wide receiver Byron Pringle isn’t a superstar. At least, not yet. And that’s why it shouldn’t be surprising that a team-first attitude guides him in 2022.

Pringle signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Bears in free agency this year after primarily serving as a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs since 2018. His contract is a pennies-on-the-dollar deal compared to what wide receivers earned his offseason. It indicates the blue-collar mentality Pringle is bringing to the Bears this year.

“I came here to play at a high level, execute and win,” he said Wednesday following the team’s mandatory minicamp practice. “Whatever it takes, be it the blocking, kick return, gunner, wherever they need me at. I’m just trying to win.”

The Bears will need all that and then some from Byron Pringle. Aside from Darnell Mooney, Chicago’s wide receiver room is full of unknown upside. Pringle joins veterans like Equanimeous St. Brown, David Moore, Dante Pettis, and Tajae Sharpe, vying for reps with the first team. It’s an unheralded yet talented group that has a chance to play above expectations this fall, in part, because of coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense.

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“I love everything about the offense,” Pringle said. “It’s new coming from the old club I was at. But I love everything about it. Being able to get a lot of 1-on-1 matches and move around a little bit and find spaces to get me the ball.”

Byron Pringle was the subject of offseason criticism after his arrest for reckless driving in April. It’s a subject he seemed disinterested in discussing with the media on Wednesday, but he wasn’t confrontational. Instead, Pringle met questions with an ear-to-ear grin and the kind of attitude teams want in a locker room. He was upbeat to the point that his energy was contagious. He has an excellent chance to emerge as the personality the Chicago Bears’ offense lacks right now.

“I always keep a smile on my face wherever I go,” Pringle said. “Keeping that positive energy. Coming here, we’re not worried about the past. We’re trying to go forward. We’re not looking back at what happened in the past. As a unit, we’re trying to be better and hold each other accountable.”