Bears waive TE Dax Raymond

The Bears trimmed their tight end group from 10 to 9 players with the release of undrafted free agent Dax Raymond on Monday.

When the 2020 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday evening, the Chicago Bears nearly had enough tight ends to field an entire offense following their selection of tight end Cole Kmet. The team had 10 players on their roster, but general manager Ryan Pace has already begun the process of pairing the position down.

On Monday morning, the team announced they were waiving tight end Dax Raymond, leaving nine players in the position group.

#Bears Roster Update:
We have waived TE Dax Raymond.

— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) April 27, 2020

Raymond was signed as an undrafted free agent just one year ago and was a favorite to make the team considering the uncertainty at the tight end position. The former Utah State standout didn’t appear in a game for the Bears after getting injured during the preseason. He joined the practice squad in October before signing a futures deal with the team following the regular season finale in December.

Raymond’s release leaves nine tight ends on the roster for now, including Kmet, Ben Braunecker, Darion Clark, Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris, Jesper Horsted, J.P. Holtz, Eric Saubert, and Adam Shaheen.

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5 things to know about new Bears TE Jimmy Graham

The Bears have made it a point to address tight end this offseason. Get to know Chicago’s newest tight end Jimmy Graham.

The Chicago Bears have made it clear that addressing the tight end position was a priority for them this offseason.

After signing veteran Demetrius Harris, who has experience in Matt Nagy’s offense, general manager Ryan Pace turned to the free agent market and signed veteran Jimmy Graham.

Pace certainly overpaid for Graham — $16 million with $9 million on a two-year deal. But we’ve seen what Pace does when he finds his guy. And apparently, once Austin Hooper was gone, Graham became his fallback plan.

It’s safe to say that the Bears aren’t done at the tight end position this offseason. Expect them to draft a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft.

With that in mind, let’s get to know the newest Bears tight end:

1. Jimmy Graham has played with three sure-fire Hall-of-Fame QBs in his career

Jimmy Graham has been quite lucky during his 10-year career, as he’s gotten to play with some future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in Drew Brees, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. Graham started his career with Brees in New Orleans, where he exploded onto the scene.

Graham then took his talents to Seattle, where he got to play with Wilson and made it to two Pro Bowls. Graham’s latest stop was in Green Bay with Rodgers, where he was good enough but not nearly the same player he was with the Saints.

Going from Rodgers to Trubisky should be a culture shock, to say the least.

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5 tight ends the Bears could target in free agency

There was arguably no position worse than tight end for the Bears in 2019. Here are five tight ends Chicago could target in free agency.

There was arguably no position worse than tight end for the Bears in 2019. Chicago’s top three tight ends — Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker — all wound up on injured reserve before the end of the season.

Not that they were productive before being sidelined by injury. Considering the disappointing output from Bears tight ends last season — they combined for 46 catches, 416 yards and two touchdowns — Chicago is certainly in the market for a tight end.

They’ve already signed veteran Demetrius Harris, someone familiar with Matt Nagy’s offense. But they’re expected to pursue a top free agent tight and add a young player in the NFL Draft.

Let’s take a look at five tight ends the Bears could target in free agency:

1. Austin Hooper

Austin Hooper is the best tight end on the free agent market, and he’s going to have no shortage of suitors. Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler, had a career year in 2019, where he caught 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns.

While it’s been reported that the Bears will be targeting Hooper in free agency, considering Hooper’s projected price tag north of $10 per season, the Bears likely won’t be able to afford him.

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Who’s a realistic free agent signing for the Bears?

Hunter Henry would be a realistic signing for the Bears in free agency. That is, assuming the Chargers don’t place the franchise tag on him.

The Bears need to address several needs this offseason both on offense and defense. But overwhelmingly, fixing an offense that was one of the worst in the NFL last season ranks high on the list.

While Chicago isn’t in the most comfortable situation salary cap wise, they’re expected to make some moves in free agency to address needs like quarterback and tight end.

Bleacher Report believes that tight end Hunter Henry would be a realistic signing for the Bears in free agency. That is, assuming the Chargers don’t place the franchise tag on Henry.

Assuming the Chicago Bears stick with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, they would be wise to address the tight end spot. Trey Burton has been a disappointment, and Trubisky—who is still developing—could use a reliable outlet receiver.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry could fill that role perfectly. Injuries have been an issue for the Arkansas product—he missed all of 2018 and four games last season—but Henry is an elite tight end.

If Henry were to hit free agency, he’d be one of the hottest commodities on the market, alongside the Falcons’ Austin Hooper. But he’d figure to be cheaper than Hooper, who is believed to get around $10 million per season.

One of the issues that plagued Chicago tight ends last season were injuries, as Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker all wound up on injured reserve before the end of the season. Henry is someone that has struggled with injuries these last two seasons, and it’s fair to wonder if you’d take a chance on an injury-riddled, elite tight end.

Considering the ineptitude of the tight end position last season, general manager Ryan Pace needs to explore all avenues to fix tight end in free agency and the NFL Draft.

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5 questions for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy ahead of NFL Scouting Combine

Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy will meet with the media ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are sure to be no shortage of questions.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will meet with the media on Tuesday ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are sure to be no shortage of questions directed at them.

Pace will meet with reporters at 9:00 a.m. CT and Nagy is scheduled to talk to the media at 11:15 a.m. CT.

While reporters will come out firing with questions, it’s unlikely that Pace or Nagy will give away any information that could tip off any teams. Still, there are important questions that will be asked — and then those questions will be answered without answering at all.

Still, here are five questions we have for Pace and Nagy heading into the NFL Scouting Combine:

1. How are the Bears going to continue to clear salary cap space?

The Bears have already freed up $13.5 million in salary cap space with the release of cornerback Prince Amukamara and receiver Taylor Gabriel. But those are just the first cap-casualties of this offseason, and Pace is expected to make some more roster cuts to free up more cap space.

Pace needs to make a decision on outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who is due to make $13.2 million this season. The Bears have until the start of the new league year to release Floyd and save an additional $13.2 million guaranteed by his fifth-year option.

Other players that Pace will need to make some decisions about include at the tight end position with Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker. While Braunecker is a valuable special teamer, Shaheen is at the greatest risk of being cut this offseason.

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Adam Shaheen could use fresh start away from Bears

Bears tight ends were woefully ineffective in 2019. But Adam Shaheen has been the most frustrating disappointment.

The Bears had no shortage of struggles on offense last season. But there was one position that, aside from quarterback, was the most frustrating.

And it just so happens to be one of the most important positions in Matt Nagy’s offense.

Bears tight ends were woefully ineffective in 2019. While Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker all wound up on injured reserve before season’s end, their production — or lack thereof — wasn’t anything to brag about.

While Chicago’s tight ends collectively struggled — they combined 46 receptions, 416 yards and one touchdown in 2019 — Shaheen has been one of the more frustrating players. The former second-round pick hasn’t lived up to his draft stock, and it’s becoming clearer that his future with the Bears is well in doubt.

ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson believes, like many, that Shaheen would benefit from a fresh start outside of Chicago.

The 6-foot-6 tight end hasn’t accomplished much since the Bears drafted him in the second round in 2017. Shaheen, who struggles to stay healthy, has only 26 career receptions for 249 yards and four touchdowns over three NFL seasons. Shaheen doesn’t seem to have a defined role in Matt Nagy’s offense — Nagy was not the head coach when Chicago drafted Shaheen. Bears general manager Ryan Pace said Shaheen will still be on Chicago’s roster when the team reports to training camp in July, but expectations surrounding Shaheen’s 2020 season are understandably low.

The Bears are expected to address their tight end need this offseason, through free agency and the NFL Draft. While Burton will likely remain on the roster, given the $7.5 million in dead cap money, Shaheen’s spot isn’t as safe.

While Shaheen will likely remain on the roster heading into training camp, he’s going to have to compete for his roster spot. And that’s a battle that he might just lose.

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Grading the 2019 Bears by position: Tight ends

There is no way to sugarcoat the following statement: Bears tight ends were historically bad in 2019. Let’s break them down, shall we?

There is no way to sugarcoat the following statement: The Chicago Bears tight ends were historically bad in 2019.

All three players who started the season with the team, finished on injured reserve (Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, and Ben Braunecker), with two relatively unknown commodities left to pick up the pieces (J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted).

When a group of five tight ends combine for just 395 yards and two touchdowns for the season, you can expect some harsh grades. Here are the grades for the 2019 tight ends.

Trey Burton: F

After a strong start to the 2018 season, Burton trailed off and ultimately missed the Bears wildcard playoff game against the Eagles due to a sports hernia. The expectation heading into 2019 was that Burton would be 100 percent entering training camp, but ended up missing even more time due to other injuries and failed to string together any sort of momentum in the preseason.

Even when he was on the field when he was deemed “healthy,” Burton was invisible in nearly every game he played. When he was targeted, he struggled with drops and wasn’t willing to take the big hit in order to secure the catch on multiple occasions. Burton wound up catching 14 passes for 84 yards in eight games with no scores.

His health will be a major question mark heading into next season, but with two more years left on his deal and a significant amount of dead-cap attributed to his contract, Burton will likely begin the 2020 season on the Bears. It can’t get worse than 2019, right?

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4 Bears that could be on the chopping block this offseason

The Bears have needs this offseason and they don’t have a lot of cap space to make it happen. That means some players’ futures are in doubt.

The Chicago Bears have plenty of needs to address this offseason. Although, outside of the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s going to be difficult given their limited salary cap space. They currently have a little over $6 million in cap space for 2020, according to Over The Cap.

Although that’s never stopped general manager Ryan Pace before. Pace has already his work on the salary cap by restructuring cornerback Kyle Fuller’s contract to free up cap space.

But aside from that, there are players the Bears could part ways with this offseason to free up a good chunk of salary cap space, which would allow Pace to extend some players in-house or bring in some new faces through free agency.

Here are four players that could be on the chopping block this offseason:

1. RG Kyle Long

Technically Kyle Long has already announced his hiatus/retirement from the NFL, which would free up the $8.1 million in salary cap space the Bears were set to free up by releasing the veteran right guard.

Long has struggled with injuries throughout his season, especially over the last four seasons where he’s finished each of those years on injured reserve. The Bears have are likely to turn to the NFL Draft for his replacement or look in-house with rookie offensive lineman Alex Bars.

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Should Bears pursue Falcons TE Austin Hooper in free agency?

Considering the importance of the tight end position in Matt Nagy’s offense, TE needs to be a top priority for Bears this offseason.

As far as positional needs go this offseason, tight end ranks near the top for the Chicago Bears. Considering the importance of the tight end position in Matt Nagy’s offense, this has to be a top priority for general manager Ryan Pace this offseason.

Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen underperformed and underwhelmed — and that was before both were placed on season-ending injured reserve, along with Chicago’s third tight end Ben Braunecker.

There will be several attractive tight end options in free agency, among them Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, who has yet to be locked down to an extension by his team.

“I obviously would like to be here,” Hooper said. “I’m open to coming back here. I haven’t received an offer yet. If I do, I’d definitely like to be here. But, at the same time, it’s a business. So, I’m going to let my representation and the representation of the Falcons handle that.”

Hooper, who missed three games due to injury, had career highs with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns with Atlanta in 2019. His performance earned him a Pro Bowl alternate spot.

Before his injury, Hooper was tied for the league lead in receptions and touchdowns for tight ends. He ended up finishing the season tied for fourth in touchdowns among tight ends and sixth in receiving yards.

“It was cool leading the league for a little bit,” Hooper said. “And then I got hurt and saw all of my stuff go away, but it’s the reality of the sport. People get hurt; all I could do from there is when I was back on the field try to bounce back as best I could, and I feel like I did that.”

For comparison sake, Bears tight ends combined for 46 receptions for 416 yards and a single touchdown in 2019. This, for an offense that relies heavily on tight end production.

None of Chicago’s tight ends broke the 100-yard receiving mark. The Bears’ leading tight end was J.P. Holtz, who had seven receptions for 91 yards followed by rookie Jesper Horsted with eight receptions for 87 yards.

While Hooper expressed his desire to return to the Falcons, if he hits the open market, the Bears need to pursue him as a viable free-agent addition to the roster.

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The Bears have now placed three TEs on injured reserve in 2019

With Ben Braunecker being placed on injured reserve on Saturday, he’s now the third Bears tight end to land on IR this season.

To say that the Chicago Bears haven’t gotten production out of the tight end position this season would be an understatement.

Until J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted last week against the Dallas Cowboys, tight ends were virtually non-existent in the Bears offense. Which isn’t exactly ideal when your offense requires a productive tight end to make it go.

No matter how you look at it, Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen were complete and utter disappointments this season. In eight games, Burton had 14 receptions for 84 yards and zero touchdowns while Shaheen had 9 catches for 74 yards and zero touchdowns. They were both placed on season-ending IR, and they haven’t been missed in this offense.

With Ben Braunecker (who’s dealt with a concussion for three weeks) placed on injured reserve Saturday, he became the third tight end for the Bears this season to end up on IR.

In their absence, Holtz and Horsted are rising to the challenge as the Bears offense is taking off. Last week against Dallas, Holtz and Horsted combined for 7 receptions for 92 yards. But it’s too little too late as the playoffs seem all but a 2% far-fetched dream.

This offseason, tight end has to be a major focus for general manager Ryan Pace. Even though Burton is almost assured to return, as his release would result in $7.5 million in dead money, the Bears are surely going to look to the NFL Draft for some tight end assistance. Shaheen, on the other hand, might not be as safe. The Bears could free up $1.3 million in cap space by cutting him this offseason.

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