Dickerson covers the Chicago Bears for ESPN’s NFL Nation.
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The Bears on Saturday retained two of their own free agents, agreeing to terms with receiver Marc Mariani on a one-year contract and defensive lineman Mitch Unrein on a two-year deal.
Mariani, a Havre native, was signed last season primarily as a kick returner but made key contributions as a wide receiver after injuries forced him into action on offense.
Following the season finale, Mariani spoke of the “honor” he had of playing for the Bears, while expressing his optimism for the future.
Unrein has seen playing time in 70 games with seven starts over six seasons with Denver (2011-14), San Diego (2015) and Chicago (2015), recording 81 tackles – including three tackles for losses and one sack – and one fumble recovery.
On the season Mariani caught 22 passes for 300 yards and zero touchdwons but an impressive 13.6 yards per catch which is comparable to top receivers in the league like Julio Jones (13.8), Antonio Brown (13.5), and DeAndre Hopkins (13.7), albeit with a much smaller sample size from Mariani.
Mariani produced first downs on 19 of his 22 catches, including all 11 on third down. Due to injuries, Mariani started five games for the Bears and quickly developed a good rapport with QB Jay Cutler.
“Have faith – please have faith in us”, Mariani said.
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What are your thoughts on the Bears bringing back Mariani for the 2016 season?
