Chicago Bears wide receiver Marquess Wilson was expected to take a big step forward during the 2014 season, but an injury in training camp slowed down his development.Now that he is healthyand a couple of Chicago's top receivers are hurtWilson has a chance to become a go-to receiver for quarterback Jay Cutler.In 33 games at Washington State between 2010 and 2012, Wilson hauled in 189 catches for 3,207 yards and 23 touchdowns. However, he left the team after playing just nine games in 2012. Wilson cited problems with the coaching staff as his reason for leaving the program.Despite being a talented receiver, Wilson dropped down draft boards in the spring of 2013, but the Bears selected him with the 236th pick in the seventh round.After the draft, then-general manager Phil Emery discussed why he felt confident in taking Wilson with his final draft pick, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com:We felt at that point in the draft that a person of this kind of talent deserved a second chance. His biggest sin is he walked out. He made a young decision. He's just 20. He's going to be 21 this fall. We felt very comfortable that this was a good person who made an immature decision. He's owned up to that decision. He's ready to roll. We're very excited he's with the Chicago Bears.The young receiver played in 10 games in his rookie season and made one start, but he was targeted just three times in the passing game and ended the season with two catches for 13 yards.Wilson spent part of last offseasonworking out with receivers Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, and he began training camp as the team's No. 3 wide receiver. He suffered a clavicle injury early in training camp, and the Bears were forced to place him on injured reserve with the designation to return.He re-joined the team late in the season and played the final seven games of the year. He started six games and recorded 17 catches on 32 targets for 140 yards. His first career touchdown came in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints onMonday Night Football."We had him really going at training camp before he got hurt so we were really excited about him," said Cutler after Wilson returned last season, per the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell."Guy gets hurt, goes on IR and you kind of forget about him a little bit because you have to move on. So getting him back is a little bit of a boost for us."After the Bears traded Marshall to the New York Jets in March, Wilson looked like a lock to begin the 2015 season opposite of Jeffery as a starter. However, the team signed veteran receiver Eddie Royal to a three-year deal once free agency began and drafted West Virginia's Kevin White with the seventh overall pick in the draft in late April.Even though the team added two new receivers in the offseason, head coach John Fox liked what he saw from Wilson during OTAs."It was probably a frustrating start to his career, but he caught our eye as a guy that we were impressed with on the tapealbeit limited tapeand I've liked what I've seen during these first six practice opportunities," Fox said in June, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson.White missed all of training camp due to a shin injury, and the Bears were forced to place him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in late August. White's injury opened up an opportunity for Wilson to get more reps with the first-team offense, but he suffered a hamstring injury in the team's second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.He did not play in Chicago's final two preseason games, but he did play in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 64 of the team's 77 offensive snaps and finished the game with two catches for 59 yardsincluding a 50-yard reception in the fourth quarter.Wilson started the Bears' Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals in place of Jeffery, but he recorded just one catch for 10 yards. He did not record a reception in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks with backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen under center in place of Cutler, but Wilson came up big against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.The former Washington State standout finished the game with six catches for 80 yards, but his biggest impact came on the final drive of the game.After Oakland marched down the field and took a 20-19 lead with just over two minutes remaining on the clock, the Bears began their final drive with the ball at their own 20-yard line.Following a reception for a first down by tight end Martellus Bennett, Cutler looked Wilson's way on first down. Wilson worked his way back toward the football near the sideline but dropped the pass. Despite Wilson's drop, Cutler looked for Wilson two plays later on third down.Wilson lined up to the left of the formation with Raiders cornerback Neiko Thorpe playing him roughly eight yards off the line of scrimmage:Wilson worked up the field past the first-down marker and ran toward the sideline in front of Thorpe:Cutler threw a dart to Wilson, and the young receiver made a nice catch on the sideline:After the Bears were able to get to Oakland's 43-yard line with 40 seconds remaining, Cutler once again looked in Wilson's direction.The Bears came out with three wide receivers, one tight end and one running back, and Wilson lined up on the outside to the right of the formation opposite of cornerback David Amerson:Wilson ran roughly eight yards up the field and cut toward the sideline in front of Amerson:Cutler threw another strong pass toward Wilson, and Wilson was able to haul in the catch and tap his feet in bounds before he was pushed to Chicago's sideline:Running back Matt Forte picked up two yards on Chicago's next play before Robbie Gould kicked the game-winning 49-yard field goal. After the game, Wilson talked about his performance.I took a big step, he said, per Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. Being able to make the plays when the plays come to you. Get openall that stuff. The little things. Doing the little things right and getting open for the quarterback to have a place to throw the ball.Despite Wilson's drop early in the final drive of the game, Cutler was not afraid to look in his direction when the team needed the young receiver to make a play.I thought Wilson did a heck of a job, coming up big, said Cutler, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkush. Some big-time catches. He had that drop, came back, had a couple of catches in a row.Wilson ran crisp routes all afternoon and did a terrific job of working back toward the football. Even though he still needs to get stronger, he was a willing blocker in the running game and received praise for his development from Bennett after the game.Marquess Wilson grew up right before our eyes today, said Bennett, per Potash. Im very proud of him and the work hes been doing. Hopefully he can continue to build on that.The Bears have struggled with injuries at the wide receiver position all season, and neither Jeffery nor Royal fully participated in practice on Thursday, per Campbell:With Royal and Jeffery both on the mend, Wilson will have a chance to build off his strong Week 4 performance this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.Cutler showed a willingness to go back to Wilson time and time again against the Raiders, and if Wilson can continue to run good routes and work his way back to the football like he did in Week 4, he could become one of Cutler's go-to receivers in the passing game moving forward.Statistical information courtesy ofNFL.comand Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.MattEurichis a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.Follow @MattEurich
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