The Chicago Bears suddenly have a very good problem at wide receiver. Only one season removed from arguably the worst collection of starting wideouts in the NFL, second-year QB Mitch Trubisky has, potentially, four legitimate playmakers at the position.
Two of them -- Allen Robinson and Kevin White -- made headlines after Wednesday's OTA session.
MULLIN: Good things coming from Kevin White?
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Robinson made his much anticipated on-field debut for the Bears, running routes and catching passes for the first time since tearing his ACL last September. White, who's dealt with a laundry list of his own injuries, opened eyes with improved downfield speed and flashed the playmaking upside that made him a first-round pick.
All great news. But something's gotta give, right?
Coach Matt Nagy said recently that White has been focusing on only one position -- Robinson's -- this offseason. The coaching staff wants the former West Virginia star to get back to just playing football, which makes sense after the equivalent of three lost seasons. But now that Robinson is getting closer to full health, what's going to happen with White?
Robinson isn't expected to fully participate in practices until training camp kicks off in July. White still has time to hoard reps. But that time will soon run out, and if the Bears don't diversify his role, the coaching staff will face an unnecessary dilemma.
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The goal should be for Robinson and White to be on the field at the same time. In fact, that's the best-case scenario for the offense. Two big-bodied outside receivers with speed to burn will challenge secondaries in ways Chicago hasn't seen since the best years of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. But Nagy's offense calls for a talent like Taylor Gabriel to fill Tyreek Hill's 'zebra' role, leaving White as the potential odd-man-out.
The Bears declined the fifth-year option in White's rookie contract, a move that makes 2018 a make-or-break year for his future in Chicago. If his reps are blocked by a healthy Robinson and an offense that doesn't have room for his skill set, he could go down as one of the more disappointing first-round picks in the last several years.
We're a long ways away from that reality, however. Talent always finds its way to the field and if White proves in training camp that he's just too good to bench, the onus will be on Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich to devise a plan that feeds all of the Bears' pass catchers.