The Chicago Bears brought in two free agents (Marty Booker & Brandon Lloyd) and two rookies (Earl Bennett & Marcus Monk) to inject some new blood into the receiving corps.  Heading into training camp it appears that 31-year old Marty Booker is the #1 WR for the Bears.  Booker played in 15 games last season in Miami and he caught 50 passes for 556 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Booker did a decent job last year catching balls from a horrible corps of QBs in Miami so he should feel right at home in Chicago.  Booker has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has caught 509 passes for 6,311 yards (12.4 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  Booker has also carried the football 16 times for 31 yards (1.9 ypc).  Booker also has a decent arm and he can make big plays when the Bears get tricky.  Booker has completed 3 of 10 (30%) passes in his NFL career for 126 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (118.8 QB Rating).  Booker would be a solid #3 or #4 WR but the Bears are kidding themselves if they think he can be a go-to man at this point in his career.

The Bears appear to be losing some patience with 26-year old Mark Bradley.  Bradley is a talented played but he always seems to break down.  He did play in 15 games for the Bears last season and he caught 6 passes for 71 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This will likely be Bradley’s last chance to win a starting job with the Bears and it will be interesting to see how he responds.  Bradley has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 38 passes for 583 yards (15.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

27-year old Brandon Lloyd makes a few big catches on Sportscenter every season and that’s probably why he keeps getting chances because he’s not that good of a football player.  He drops a lot of passes that hit him in the hands because he appears to be quite soft.  Lloyd played in 8 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  If Lloyd is anything more than the #4 or #5 receiver for the Bears the offense is in deep trouble.  Lloyd has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 130 passes for 1,889 yards (14.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

Devin Hester makes his money on kickoff and punt returns but the Bears will give him every opportunity to get his hands on the football as a WR.  Hester played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 20 passes for 299 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hester didn’t so as well running the football as he carried it 7 times for -10 yards (-1.4 ypc) last season.  If Rex Grossman is the starting QB for the Bears, Hester will catch some long TD passes but Kyle Orton doesn’t have the arm to exploit defenses deep. 

21-year old rookie Earl Bennett has been the talk of training camp so far for the Bears.  He can shoot right up the depth chart and possibly start as a rookie if he has a strong preseason.  Bennett played in 12 games (all starts) at Vanderbilt last season and he caught 75 passes for 830 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Bennett is big enough (6’1″, 202 pounds) to take a beating and he will have to catching passes from Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton.  Bennett finished up playing in 35 games (31 starts) at Vanderbilt in his career and he caught 236 passes for 2,852 yards (12.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

29-year old Rashied Davis is running out of chances for the Bears.  He played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 17 passes for 165 yards (9.7 avg).  Davis will have to bust his hump on special teams to make the Bears final roster when September comes around.  He has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 39 passes for 468 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Marcus Monk could be a big surprise for the Bears if he can just stay healthy.  Monk is a big guy at 6’4″, 222 pounds but injury problems caused him to slide into the 7th round where the Bears were more than happy to take a chance on him.  Monk played in 43 games (36 starts) in his career at Arkansas and he caught 138 passes for 2,151 yards (15.6 avg) with 27 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D