The Bears have several positional concerns they need to address this offseason, and tight end is near the top of the list.
While the Bears have already added a veteran tight end this offseason in Demetrius Harris, they’re still expected to sign a veteran in free agency and draft a tight end.
There are a few high-profile tight ends slated to hit free agency, including Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry.
Pro Football Focus believes that the Bears will sign another big-name tight end in Eric Ebron, who they rank as the 30th best free agent. PFF projects Chicago to sign Ebron to a three-year deal worth $22.5 million with $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.
After underwhelming with the Lions for his first four seasons, Ebron was reborn in Indianapolis. Ebron had 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018.
While Ebron’s production took a dip last season — he had 31 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns — that was better than all of the Bears’ tight ends combined in 2019.
Considering the lack of production and injury history of Chicago’s top two tight ends — Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen — the Bears desperately need dependable tight ends.
Given the Matt Nagy offense thrives off tight end production, the Bears need to turn to all avenues — free agency and the NFL Draft — to finally get reliability out of the position. Ebron would be a good place to start.
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