After two polarizing seasons, it seems Eric Ebron’s time with the Indianapolis Colts will be coming to an end this offseason. But there are some suitors for the tight end in free agency.
As Pro Football Focus made predictions on where their top-50 free agents will sign, Ebron would be trading in the horseshoe for a Chicago Bears jersey where he would be working with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Projected contract: 3 years, $7.5 million per year ($14 million guaranteed)
Chicago desperately needs a reliable tight end — Trey Burton didn’t play too well in his first year with the Bears in 2018, producing a 64.4 receiving grade. And he responded in 2019 by lowering his grade to 48.2 in limited action. The Bears’ second-round pick from 2017, Adam Shaheen out of Ashland, has never seen more than 14 targets in a single season. There’s a pretty steep drop-off among free agent tight ends after Hunter Henry, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Chicago get themselves in a situation where they are reaching for an Eric Ebron. He’s been consistent as a receiver by posting receiving grades between 69.4 and 71.4 in each of the past four years, but he might be someone to be cautious investing in — especially considering the Bears have minimal cap space.
The Colts have already made it clear they are likely moving on from Ebron this offseason. After a tumultuous 2019 season that included inconsistent play, injuries and a public complaint about his role, the Colts are likely going in another direction.
The Bears have a solid group of skill players but their tight end position has been lacking since Matt Nagy took over as head coach. The struggles of Trubisky haven’t helped either.
It should be an interesting offseason for Ebron to see what kind of market he will have, but the Bears could be a potential suitor in free agency.
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