Riley

Ridley

Allen Robinson is now the Bears’ lone remaining receiver from the 2019 roster. Calvin’s brother, Ridley was the No. 126 overall pick of the 2019 draft, but he never appeared to be anything more than a low-upside Day 3 pick. Ridley’s fatal flaw is 4.58 wheels. That combined with his age (25 as of July) will make him an unlikely candidate for a late-career breakout even with a change of scenery from the Bears’ dreary environs.

Mooney didn’t practice Friday so he was always a long shot to suit up against New Orleans. Javon Wims and Riley Ridley should see expanded roles in Chicago’s Wild Card game, and Allen Robinson could see even more looks than usual with Mooney sidelined. Just last week, Mooney commanded a team-high 13 targets against the Packers.

The Bears enter this contest as one of the healthier teams across the NFL. Expect David Montgomery to continue to dominate the backfield opportunities.

The Falcons’ inactive and injury list is loaded with important players. The Bears, conversely, are quite healthy heading into this Week 3 contest.

It means rookie Darnell Mooney has passed him on the depth chart. Ridley looks to have taken a step back after a nondescript rookie year. With only Ted Ginn in front of him in three-wide sets, we like Mooney as a dynasty stash.

“The one thing I’m really excited about right now, I think the biggest growth we’re going to see with anybody in our room is going to be Riley Ridley,” Furrey said. “His preparation, his attitude, his desire, the passion he has to become successful in this game, he loves the process.” Ridley wasn’t afforded much opportunity in his rookie year, totaling seven targets across 108 offensive snaps (10%) as he adjusted to learning the playbook and speed of play at the next level, but enters 2020 in competition with veteran Ted Ginn and Javon Wims for the team’s third receiver spot. There’s an outside shot the second-year pro is healthy-scratched on gamedays if he fails to show any significant development during training camp.

Ridley finished his rookie campaign with just 6 receptions, 69 yards, and 0 touchdowns. The 2019 fourth-rounder barely played offensive snaps despite a relatively wide-open position group and isn’t likely to climb the depth chart before the 2020 season. Ridley had below-average college production at Georgia and showed 20th-percentile SPARQ athleticism at the NFL Combine. Ridley will be competing for a roster spot this summer.

No surprises here. Chicago will be forced to compete with an Eagles squad nearing full health with DeSean Jackson, Timmy Jernigan and Darren Sproles (among others) back at full health.

The Bears come into this week remarkably healthy. CB Sherrick McManis (concussion) and DT Bilal Nichols (knee) were the only players listed on Chicago’s injury report and both will be active for Sunday’s 1 PM ET kickoff at Soldier Field.

Ridley missed more than a week with the injury, putting him behind as he looks to steal snaps from Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel. That said, he should get plenty of opportunities to impress in the preseason.