Former Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Santonio Holmes and the Chicago Bears agreed to terms on a contract Saturday.
The Bears have been trying to fill the void left by second-year receiver Marquess Wilson, who fractured his collarbone in early August and likely will miss somewhere in the range of 6-8 weeks, but mum’s been the word out at Halas Hall. Last season, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed eight games with a broken collarbone, but he elected to rehab the injury instead of surgery. So there’s a timetable to consider.
Teams only are allowed to designate one player to return from injured reserve in a given season. If the Bears were to place him on IR with the return designation, then he wouldn’t be eligible to play until after Week 8. The Bears’ bye week comes in Week 9, so Wilson would miss a full eight games.
Within a few days of Wilson’s injury, Holmes had worked out in Chicago. But Bears general manager Phil Emery elected to go another route. The other route consisted of signing a young receiver in Greg Herd, along with trying to mix and match a combo of Josh Morgan and Eric Weems. Well, the other route didn't work, as both Morgan and Weems largely have been disappointing through two preseason contests. As a result, Weems was released when the Holmes signing was made official.
We don’t know why Emery passed on Holmes in the first place. It could have been a health issue, seeing as Holmes has been recovering from foot surgery. Maybe it was a money issue; Holmes has a Super Bowl MVP in one pocket and a large ego in the other.
So let’s get down to the brass tacks here.
We don’t know if Holmes is 100 percent healthy. What we do know is that Holmes only played in 11 games last season for the Jets, catching 23 passes for 456 yards and one touchdown. And he played in just four games in 2012 before suffering a Grade-4 Lisfranc injury -- the most serious grade for this type of injury.
It’s hard to imagine the Bears signing him if he weren’t 100 percent healthy or close to it. If that’s the case, then he’ll likely see more single-coverage than he’s ever seen in his career, given the presence of the fantastic foursome of receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Matt Forte.
Right now, Holmes is the Bears’ third-best receiver, and he’ll be lining up in the slot on most plays. That means he’ll be working single-coverage on third cornerbacks, maybe even a few linebackers here or there.
Earl Bennett, the Bears' No. 3 last season, only was targeted 44 times in 15 games. Quarterback Jay Cutler is the kind of passer who locks in on certain receivers or tight ends, ones he loves -- Marshall, Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. Production for those three guys isn’t going to change, unless Holmes somehow reverts back to the guy who made one of the greatest and most clutch catches in Super Bowl history.
A healthy and successful Holmes could help Cutler turn the corner into Top-5 fantasy QB status. Playing behind a resurgent offensive line that started all 16 games together last season, Cutler will have his pick of the litter once the ball is snapped.
But Holmes first needs to make the roster, which shouldn’t be all that tough. Emery already has shown a lack of faith in the team’s other healthy receivers not named Marshall or Jeffery. Once that happens, he’ll have at least six regular-season games to prove his worth to Emery, Marc Trestman and, most importantly, Cutler.
Holmes will see his fair share of opportunities in what is a very prolific offense -- perhaps the most prolific in team history. But anyone with a fantasy football draft should hold off on adding him to their board until we know more about his health status. It's probably best to him on your waiver-wire watch list for now.