Bears head coach Matt Nagy said in April that he sees a “big ceiling” for wide receiver Kevin White despite the fact that White has missed all but five games since being drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft.
That belief didn’t lead the Bears to pick up their option on White’s contract for the 2019 season, but he’s still on the cap for over $5.2 million this season and that gives them plenty of reasons to see if they can help White reach that ceiling. On Saturday, Nagy said the approach to doing that won’t involve a lot of yelling and screaming during the next six weeks of practices.
“We’re not gonna harp on anything that happens — a dropped ball, a route run the wrong way, a wrong split, a missed assignment,” Nagy said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “We don’t harp on any of that with any of the players — and in particular with him. We just want him to be him and play — play fast. And he’s done that so far. Again, it’s going to be up to him to do it in the preseason games and see where it takes him.”
With Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and second-round pick Anthony Miller joining the team this year, the Bears hope to have the receiver spot squared away whether White finally makes good on the potential he showed in college or not. If he does, it would make for a nice story and open up a chance for White to have a second act in Chicago or another town after the rough start to his professional career.