Chicago Bears Would Benefit from Plaxico Burress Next Season

The Chicago Bears should take a serious look at Plaxico Burress as a serious option at receiver once the lockout is lifted and free agency begins. He might be 34 and two years removed from the league, but if he still has something left in the tank, he's worth the gamble.

If Plaxico can get back to a semblance of his form prior to entering prison, he'd immediately be a solid target for the Bears, whose current receiving threats are Matt Forte out of the backfield or Johnny Knox on a fly pattern.  They lack the true possession receiver that Burress with his size can definitely contribute.

Although obviously Matt Forte and the ground game will again be the cornerstone of the Bears offense, there is a need to balance it out after they ranked a dismal 28th in passing offense last season.  The risk with Plaxico is worth it because the Bears' passing offense can only go in one direction, and that is up.  And adding a veteran wide receiver with Super Bowl experience can't hurt.

A healthy and effective Burress would also relegate Devin Hester to at best the No. 3, possibly the No. 4 receiver, which would benefit the Bears greatly.  Hester could then be used sparingly on offense, and can concentrate on what he does best: the return game.

Now there are the obvious character questions when it comes to Plaxico, and most likely the front office would have him on a pretty tight leash.  However, during a radio interview yesterday, Brian Urlacher seemed confident that he wouldn't be a locker room distraction.  Also some of the undoubted media attention he would get might take some of the eyes off Jay Cutler and let him finally get into a true groove here in Chicago.

The Bears still have a lot to work on, like improving the protection for Cutler, but taking a gamble on Plaxico Burress wouldn't be the worst idea.  It'd give them a great opportunity to improve their receiving corps and if he doesn't pan out, they still have plenty of young guys coming up to fill the void.