Ask most people about the Chicago Bears receiver position and they think they have most of the slot figured out. Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller were the starters last year. Nothing has happened in the past few months to change that. Cordarrelle Patterson was signed as a free agent so he occupies one spot. Then there’s 4th round pick Riley Ridley. So that’s five slots filled.

Unless the Bears decide to do the unconventional thing of carrying seven receivers this year, that means there is only one roster spot left that will be occupied. So who will occupy it? Thus far most believe the favorite to claim it is undrafted free agent Emanuel Hall out of Missouri. His mixture of size and speed are so tantalizing. Something the Bears can afford to let slip away.

While that may be true, nothing is set in stone. Hall is currently recovering from sports hernia surgery. He won’t return until training camp. In that time it’s possible somebody else can make a strong impression. It appears that has begun to happen. One name is surfacing from practice sessions of late. Somebody with the same last name, no less.

Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic and others have taken notice.

“The play of the day came when Trubisky launched a deep ball down the left sideline and Marvin Hall leapt to snatch it away despite being double-covered. “

Two #Bears that stood out to me today were WR Marvin Hall and TE Adam Shaheen. Thought both had really good days out there on the practice field. — Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) June 5, 2019

Marvin Hall has embraced the battle at Chicago Bears receiver position

Hall was sort of an afterthought addition back in March. Nothing more than another undersized guy who could run fast. The Bears already have somebody like that in Gabriel. Except it’s not like Hall can’t play the position. He just never really got opportunities. In Atlanta over the past two years, he was only targeted 28 times.

He substantially improved last year too. After catching just 2-of-9 passes thrown his way as a rookie, he improved to 10-of-19 in 2018. It feels like this is a young man who is steadily ascending. His strong play in early practices would hint at this. Never mind the fact that he’s every bit as fast as the other Hall. The only issue is he’s four inches shorter.

There is also one other aspect that might be intriguing the Bears coaches. He’s proven to be useful in trick play situations. During his time in college at Washington, he threw three passes. All three were completed, two of them went for touchdowns and each went for 27 yards or longer.

Rest assured for a mad scientist like Matt Nagy, something like that matters in the grand scheme. Especially if it’s for the sixth wide receiver on the depth chart. Don’t ignore Hall as the competition shifts to training camp next month.