The Chicago Bears made a splash in free agency with the addition of tight end Jimmy Graham. But instead of addressing a need at the position, the addition of Graham only serves to raise more questions at a position that doomed the Bears a season ago.
While general manager Ryan Pace got a front-row seat to Graham’s breakout years in New Orleans, he’s not exactly the same player he once was. At 33, he’s the oldest player on the Bears, and he hasn’t necessarily impressed enough to warrant a contract with $9 million in guaranteed money.
Graham will certainly factor into Chicago’s offense this season. But with Graham now in the mix, what does that mean for Trey Burton?
When the Bears signed Burton to a four-year deal worth $32 million, they were expecting to add their version of Travis Kelce to this Bears offense. That certainly hasn’t been the case over the last couple of seasons. While Burton had a solid 2018 season, injury struggles and lack of production doomed him in 2019.
Would the Bears consider releasing Burton despite owing him $4 million guaranteed in 2020? Considering Burton’s cap savings would be roughly $1 million with a dead-cap hit of $7.5 million, it doesn’t seem likely. But it’s not impossible.
It’ll be interesting to see how Matt Nagy utilizes the tight ends in his offense in 2020, especially considering that there’s no shortage of them currently on the roster. Not to mention, Chicago is likely to add another tight end in the NFL Draft next month.
Burton might remain on the Bears roster, but his role could surely look different.
[lawrence-related id=440794,440399,440743,440753,440756]