Free Agency: Bears Reunite Jay Cutler and Eddie Royal
When the Chicago Bears traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, it was an obvious fit because of Marshall’s history and tremendous chemistry with Jay Cutler from their Pro Bowl days with the Denver Broncos.
Marshall and Cutler combined for some fine statistics in their time with the Bears as well, but that marriage has come to an end as Marshall was traded this offseason to the New York Jets. The Bears couldn’t let that be the end of it, so they went out and signed former Broncos and San Diego Chargers receiver Eddie Royal, who has become really solid out of the slot and could be a huge addition for Cutler this season.
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Since his 91 catch rookie season with the Broncos where he looked like one of the next best things in the NFL, Royal took a downward spiral before signing with the Chargers in free agency after his rookie deal was up. He picked up where he left off in Denver with a 23 catch season his first year in San Diego, and it looked like hope was lost for the former second round pick out of Virginia Tech.
While his stats have been nothing that are going to send him to the Pro Bowl, Royal has since put together two fine seasons for the Chargers with 47 and 62 catches over the last two years, finishing those two seasons with eight and seven touchdowns respectively.
For 15 touchdowns, Royal received a three-year, $15 million deal from the Bears. Not bad for a guy who looked like he was on his way to flaming out.
The bigger (and better) story for Royal is that he’s now going to be playing with Jay Cutler again, who is known to throw a high volume of passes at guys he trusts. Ask Martellus Bennett or Brandon Marshall.
Royal stands to benefit greatly in the Bears’ offense run by Adam Gase, which has seen excellent production from the slot when needed and used properly. The Broncos saw Wes Welker score 10 touchdowns as a slot man back in 2013 and Gase was a master of designing plays to get him open in the red zone.
Much of the same can be expected for Royal.
This signing is one that most people won’t really care about outside of Chicago, but it’s a phenomenal value for the Bears who got rid of one former Bronco and got another. I think Royal has the potential for double digit touchdowns in Chicago this year if used properly.