The Bears added two veteran receivers to their weakest position group Wednesday, agreeing to sign Tajae Sharpe and Dante Pettis.
Sharpe, who caught 25 passes for 230 yards with the Falcons last season, agreed to a one-year deal with the Bears, a source confirmed Wednesday night. Pettis, who caught 10 passes for 87 yards last season, posted a photo of himself signing a Bears contract on social media.
The 27-year-old Sharpe’s best season came as a rookie in 2016, when he caught 41 passes for 522 yards. He played his first four seasons for the Titans, who drafted him in the fifth round, before appearing in four games for the 2020 Vikings.
Sharpe started seven games in Atlanta last season after spending about a month with the Chiefs — and future Bears general manager Ryan Poles — in spring 2021.
Pettis, a 26-year-old former second-round pick out of Washington, also had his best season as a rookie, catching 27 passes for 467 yards for the 2018 49ers. He played for new Bears receivers coach Tyke Tolbert as a member of the Giants the last two years.
They join a receiver room that includes Darnell Mooney and new additions Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown and David Moore, among others.
Bears cut Horsted
Tight end Jesper Horsted, who counted three touchdowns among his 10 career catches with the Bears, was cut with an injury designation. A Princeton wide receiver whom the Bears converted to tight end, Horsted was a preseason darling in his three years with the team.
The Bears claimed tight end Rysen John, who spent last year on the Giants’ injured reserve. The Vancouver native played at Simon Fraser in British Columbia.
New general manager Ryan Poles re-signed Horsted as an exclusive rights free agent a month ago — but also gave veteran tight ends Ryan Griffin and James O’Shaughnessy one-year deals in free agency.
