The Chicago Bears are bringing back a familiar face in wide receiver Dante Pettis, who’s signing a one-year deal with the team as the offseason program gets underway.
The Bears signed Pettis to a one-year deal last offseason where the expectation was he’d serve as WR6 and contribute on special teams. Instead, Pettis wound up more involved on offense than many expected during the 2022 season.
Pettis, who played in 17 games, was the team’s fifth-leading receiver with 245 yards on 19 catches and led all Bears receivers in touchdowns (3) in 2022. While Pettis had his struggles with drops, he did have his moments in the passing game, highlighted by some deep receptions.
Pettis was also the team’s primary punt returner — after Velus Jones Jr. struggled with muffed punts early in the season — serving a dual role for Chicago.
Now, Pettis returns to an improved receiving corp that acquired DJ Moore in a trade. Pettis projects as WR6 on this team behind Moore, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, Velus Jones and Equanimeous St. Brown, who also signed a one-year extension before the end of the 2022 season.
