Chicago Bears' passing game could get more aggressive

Chicago Bears wide receiver Markus Wheaton has seen limited playing time this season due to injuries and illness. He is set to make his return Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. John Starks | Staff Photographer

At least on paper, the Bears' timid passing attack should become more aggressive Sunday against the Packers because of the addition of veterans Dontrelle Inman and Markus Wheaton.

Inman has yet to play for the Bears after being acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers for a conditional sixth-round pick on Oct. 26. Praised by coaches for his smarts, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder already has a firm grasp of the playbook thanks to the bye week.

Wheaton has been with the Bears all season -- not that you'd notice.

Signed in free agency to a two-year, $11 million contract that included $6 million guaranteed, Wheaton has yet to earn even a fraction of that because of injury and illness.

He was sidelined at the start of training camp by appendicitis surgery. On his first day back at practice in Bourbonnais, he suffered a broken finger, which caused him to miss the first two regular-season games.

He caught his first, and only, pass of the season in Week Five but went down with a groin injury the next week in practice. After missing three games, he's set to return against the Packers.

With two more legitimate options, the Bears' NFL-worst passing offense is expected to have a different look -- but how different?

"We're trying to figure that out, and I wish I could answer that question better," Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. "Markus has been here, but we don't have a lot of exposure with him. We're trying to figure out still where exactly he is, what exactly he's good at.

"We obviously have a lot of question marks with our roster at wide receiver, trying to get those guys on the same page. It's not going to happen in two practices, but we're gonna keep working at it and we're excited about Green Bay."

Inman, who signed with the Chargers after going undrafted out of James Madison in 2014, had a career year in 2016 with 58 catches for 810 yards (14.0-yard average). But he found himself the odd man out when the Chargers moved to Orange County and drafted Mike Williams in the first round. Inman had just 2 catches for 9 yards in four games before he was traded to the Bears.

Coach John Fox is confident Inman has had plenty of time to assimilate and give rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky another viable target.

"He's a veteran guy," Fox said. "He's had opportunities to throw live with Mitch and the other quarterbacks. I think he's got a good grasp of what we're doing now and what's expected of him.

"It's a feel, understanding coverage, understanding leverage, and coordinate that with the quarterback. I saw that immediately."

Inman is confident he can step in and help his young quarterback sooner rather than later.

"Just be in the right spots and catch everything, even if it's a bad ball, still catch it," Inman said. "I'm definitely ready. I've put in the work. Mitch and I talk all the time. We just continue to build that bond, and we continue to trust one another."

Inman could become a go-to guy in a Bears passing game that has lost its top three targets to injuries -- wide receivers Cam Meredith and Kevin White plus tight end Zach Miller.

"He has the ability to catch the ball away from his body," Loggains said. "Good hands, strong, very confident. He has some football instincts. He's the guy who's in my office at 6:30 in the morning and wanting to go through plays. He does everything the right way. He's a great competitor. He has good football IQ"

Like Wheaton, Inman has played outside and in the slot so both have versatility. The problem for Wheaton is that, until recently, he's been hobbled by the groin injury and has only recently been able to run practice routes at full speed.

"There is a timing element with the quarterback that has to be worked on, and it's hard to do that until you're healthy and ready to go," Loggains said. "So we're going to live through a little bit of growing pains with those two guys, but they're both veteran guys and they should be able to get in there and help.

As they get more exposure, Mitchell will start to feel more comfortable with them."

Trubisky would welcome the opportunity to open up the passing game, and he's encouraged by what he's seen from Wheaton, even if it's just on the practice field.

"He runs really good routes," Trubisky said. "He's got good ball skills, he gets open, and he's fast, so we could use his speed to open up things in the offense."

Inman provides a big target, an experienced veteran and a student of the game.

"He's a smart player, a really hard worker studying the offense," Trubisky said. "He's picked up things really quickly around here. He's a bigger guy, so easier to throw to, uses his body well, great hands, and we're just looking forward to adding him to the rest of the receiving corps."

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