Considering Marquess Wilson is a candidate for either the injured reserve list, or the IR with a designation to return, veteran wideout Santonio Holmes has a chance to be more than just a stopgap solution for a Bears offense in need of a No. 3 receiver, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today. A source tells Pelissero that Wilson is expected to be sidelined until at least midseason, so Chicago will have an interesting decision to make on whether to carry the young wideout on the active roster, or shift him to short- or long-term injured reserve. Each club is only allowed to place one player on the short-term IR.
Here’s more on the Bears’ signing of Holmes, along with a couple other items out of the division:
- Holmes may be a viable third receiver, but he won’t solve the team’s kick return issues, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Mullin also points out that the signing of Holmes continues a trend that has lasted all offseason, as the Bears have opted for veteran additions rather than young developmental pieces, strongly suggesting they’re in win-now mode. As we saw when we broke down their offseason moves, the Bears were one of the NFL’s most active teams in signing veteran free agents.
- With an agreement reportedly in place between Chris Kluwe and the Vikings, Kluwe’s press conference will take place tomorrow at attorney Clayton Halunen’s office, according to the Star Tribune (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear it will be a joint presser with the team.
- One of the Packers‘ areas of focus this offseason was on the defensive line, where the team made a concerted effort to get smaller and more athletic — B.J. Raji returns, but wide-bodied players like Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, and C.J. Wilson are no longer in the mix. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines how the new-look Green Bay defensive line is holding up so far against the run.