It’s early, but Alshon Jeffery’s absence looming large for Bears

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Former Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (making a catch against the Eagles last season) signed a one-year contract with the Eagles in the offseason. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

On a team desperate for a go-to wide receiver, it sure seems like Victor Cruz would be near the front of the line.

Of the 12 receivers on the Bears’ roster, the former Giant came in with the best resume — two 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl berth when he was healthy and a Super Bowl ring to boot. And though his best years were in 2011 and 2012, he’s a full year past the injuries that derailed his once-promising career.

And he feels great.

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Cruz said after practice Wednesday. “I’m running great routes. Getting myself open. Being a viable option for the quarterback. I just want to continue to be that throughout the preseason and see where it takes me.”

Two games into the preseason, it doesn’t appear to be getting Cruz very far. He’s been running with backups, getting most of his reps with rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky. What’s up with that? Cruz, in no position to make waves, is just doing what he’s told.

“Coach wants me in there with them, so I’m in there with them,” Cruz said. “That’s it.”

Bears coach John Fox said there’s no particular reason why Cruz is running with reserves.

“Not really,” Fox said. “Just that we have to look at a lot of guys.”

Indeed they do. The percolating quarterback duel between Mike Glennon and Trubisky is the dominant storyline at Halas Hall. But in the shadows, replacing Alshon Jeffery — who spurned the Bears to sign a one-year deal with the Eagles — is even more problematic. Even if Glennon falters, the Bears at the very least will have their quarterback of the future learning the hard way. But at this point, is there anybody on the roster who can come close to giving the Bears the “always open” threat that Jeffery was when he was healthy and eligible?

The Bears will keep rolling the dice and hoping somebody steps up. Kevin White continues to struggle to make an impact. Markus Wheaton, the team’s best deep threat, has missed all but three practices because of an appendectomy and a broken pinkie. And Cruz is, for whatever reason, buried on the depth chart.

It’s early, but at this point it gets late in a hurry. So the wide receiver situation is going to have to sort itself out quickly. Bears wide receivers have combined for 23 receptions for 215 yards (9.3 average) and two touchdowns in the first two preseason games. Only Kendall Wright and Tanner Gentry have caught passes in both games.

Deonte Thompson has the only reception longer than 18 yards — a 24-yard catch from Trubisky. Thompson, expected to be a fringe receiver if he makes the team, is the leading wide receiver with five receptions for 64 yards — all from Trubisky against the Broncos. Nobody else has more than three receptions as the Bears crawl before they walk in developing a wide receiver corps virtually from scratch.

Cruz is waiting patiently for his chance to do that. He has three receptions for 11 yards in the preseason — all from Trubisky against the Broncos, including a two-yard touchdown catch that helped ignite Mitch Mania. His building rapport with Trubisky might come in handy yet.

“We’ll kind of keep rolling those guys through here,” Fox said. “I felt our first group of receivers improved from Week 1. I expect the same thing from Week 2.”

We’ll see about that. Until then, the loss of Jeffery — a move lamented by some but not by all — looms large as one the Bears might regret.

Follow me on Twitter @MarkPotash.

Email: mpotash@suntimes.com

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