LAKE FOREST – While there will be a number of changes on the roster, another one of the wide receivers Justin Fields threw to last season will return in 2023.
That’s the person he tossed his first touchdown of last season to in the opening game last September.
Dante Pettis is back on the Bears for a second season as the team signed him to a one-year deal on Monday morning.
The receiver had signed as a free agent in 2022 after spending three seasons with the 49ers and the 2020, 2021 campaigns with the Giants.
Pettis started his first season with the Bears by catching a 51-yard touchdown pass from Justin Field in the team’s opening week win over the 49ers at Soldier Field. He would go on to make 19 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns on the season, playing in all 17 games for the Bears.
Along with the receiver spot, Pettis offers the Bears options in the return game, as he caught 18 punts for 136 yards last season.
He’s one of a few returners to the Bears’ receiver group, including Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr., and Nsimba Webster. D.J. Moore, who was acquired from the Panthers in the trade for the top overall pick, will enter as the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver.
