By Jordan Long
The NFL trade deadline came and went yesterday. The Chicago Bears decided to release wide receiver and punt returner Ted Ginn Jr. who never found consistent playing time in the Bears’ offense.
Ginn agreed to a 1-year $1.88 million contract in the offseason. The Bears were expecting he could help this team in the return game. He had 3 kick returns for touchdowns and 3 punt returns for touchdowns in his career. His ability to run the ball on special team plays was going to help the Bears flip the field. It could create the offense to start in decent field position and have a short field for them to score. On offense, he was going to catch the football and gain yards to move the chains.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Ginn returned 5 punts for 24 yards, an average of 4.8 yards per return. His longest being 10 yards. On offense, Ginn was targeted 6 times with 3 catches totaling 40 yards. He averaged 13.3 yards per catch. He wasn’t a fit on the team. The Bears had no choice but to let him go.
Ginn will be put on waivers. This means any team can claim him and hope he falls to them. The teams are in order of the standings meaning the Jets have the #1 shot to claim him. If he is taken by a team, they will need to pay the rest of his 2020 salary. There is the possibility Ginn goes unclaimed and meaning he is a free agent to sign with any team.
Ginn can be a returner for a team that needs special team help. When his squad blocks for him, his speed allows him to create large returns to set up his offense. He is hard to take down because he makes defenders miss. The only downside with him is his fumble history. Ginn fumbled 3 times on kick returns and 17 times on punts, a total of 20, far too many.
Whoever picks him up needs to make sure he is holding the football tight to his body or with two hands. He can’t muff a punt because that is potentially a turnover. Teams will decide if they would like to pick him up. Ginn is worth the risk because he can be a difference maker on special teams maybe even improve a franchise’s playoff chances.
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