Tag: Trey Burton

Colts moving on from TE Eric Ebron, should the Bears pursue him?

Upgrading the TE position will be one of the top priorities for Bears GM Ryan Pace this offseason, and Eric Ebron is now available.

Upgrading the tight end position will be one of the top priorities for Bears general manager Ryan Pace this offseason. And an intriguing talent will be hitting free agency this year.

Eric Ebron, who spent the last two seasons with the Colts, won’t be returning to Indianapolis next season. That much was confirmed by Colts general manager Chris Ballad and Ebron himself.

When asked about Ebron on Thursday, Ballard said, “We’ll probably move on.” Ebron also tweeted the following, a clear indication that he’s hitting the open market.

Given the Bears need at tight end, should Pace pursue Ebron in free agency?

While Ebron’s production in his second season with the Colts dipped from his first year, the 26-year-old Ebron would be an immediate upgrade for the Bears at tight end.

Trey Burton continues to be plagued by injuries, Adam Shaheen’s future remains in question and aside from promising play by J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted, the Bears really don’t have certainty at the tight end position.

But considering the Bears’ current salary cap situation — they currently have roughly $16 million in cap space for the 2020 season — it’ll be a challenge. While Pace is likely to find ways to free up more cap space, there are still in-house priorities that need to be addressed, including receiver Allen Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson and linebackers Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis. Still, the Bears could certainly bring Ebron in on an affordable deal.

With tight end such an important offseason need for the Bears, expect Pace to consider free agency and the NFL Draft to upgrade the position.

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5 takeaways from Bears end-of-year press conference

Bears GM Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy expressed frustration for the team’s lack of success, but maintained belief to right the ship in 2020.

The Bears final press conference of the 2019 season came and went with many quick answers, a few bold statements and lots of praise for a team that underachieved in almost every way.

Speaking to the media for the first time since early September, general manager Ryan Pace, along with coach Matt Nagy, expressed frustration for the team’s lack of success, but maintained belief in their core players and the system in place to right the ship and steer the team back to the postseason.

With the rather short availability of roughly 30 minutes, Pace and Nagy gave their answers to the media’s tough questions. Here are my five biggest takeaways from what the Bears’ brass had to say.

1. Pace and Nagy are committed to Mitchell Trubisky – but only to an extent

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

When asked about quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and whether he’d be the starter going into 2020, Pace was quick to say yes. It’s not surprising, given he has one more guaranteed year under contract and they gain nothing by showing their hand and creating a quarterback controversy in late December.

But they did stress the need to bring in additional competition with quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray entering free agency. Pace also wouldn’t commit to picking up Trubisky’s fifth-year option, a decision that must be made this spring. Chances are the Bears find someone this offseason to push Trubisky, but the front office still sees promise in the now-veteran quarterback.

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Ryan Pace offers injury updates on Roquan Smith, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller, Mitchell Trubisky

Bears GM Ryan Pace offered updates on the statuses of injured Bears Roquan Smith, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller and Mitchell Trubisky.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace offered some injury updates during his end-of-the-year press conference regarding the statuses of some Bears starters heading into 2020.

Second-year linebacker Roquan Smith was playing his best football of the season when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle on the first drive of a Week 14 game against the Cowboys. Smith had surgery to repair his pec, and the goal is for him to be ready for training camp.

Tight end Trey Burton’s health struggles have been well-documented, and that’ll remain so heading into the offseason. Burton landed on injured reserve with a calf injury on Nov. 16. Burton had surgery on his hip, and he’s expected to be back in time for training camp.

Speaking of health trends, second-year receiver Anthony Miller injured his left shoulder during a kickoff return in last Sunday’s game against the Vikings. It was the same shoulder he had surgically prepared last offseason. Pace said they’d just learned that Miller needs surgery on that same left shoulder, and like Smith and Burton they hope to have him back for training camp.

Third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who injured his left shoulder in Week 4, might require surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, according to Pace. They’re still determining that. Trubisky only missed one game and wore a harness through the remainder of the season.

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Will TE Trey Burton be part of Bears’ plans heading into 2020?

While TE Trey Burton’s health has been in question since last January’s Wild Card game, his future with Bears doesn’t seem as cloudy.

While tight end Trey Burton’s health has been in question since last January’s Wild Card playoff game, his future with the Bears doesn’t seem as cloudy.

When Bears head coach Matt Nagy was asked whether Burton intends to play in 2020, Nagy said:  “Yeah, I would hope so. I don’t see why not.”

It’s no secret that the tight end position has been one of the most disappointing aspects of this underachieving season. But for Burton even more so, whose health has been a looming question mark since the night before the Wild Card game against the Eagles where his groin “completely locked up.”

Burton underwent sports hernia surgery in the offseason, but he experienced a setback during training camp. Burton made his season debut against the Broncos in Week 2, but he was never the same.

Burton was ineffective in the eight games he did play in before he landed on injured reserve with a calf injury. His health certainly is a huge concern that looms over the position heading into the offseason.

“He’s had a year of trying to get healthy, and he’s not there yet,” Nagy said. “He’s just going to be working through that, and we’ll see where he’s at here as he goes. He’s still working on getting healthy.”

The Bears need a healthy Burton next season — if he’s to remain with the club. If Chicago were to release Burton, it would result in $7.5 million in dead money, which isn’t exactly ideal.

Tight end is definitely a position that general manager Ryan Pace will look to shore up this offseason. Between Burton and Adam Shaheen’s ineffectiveness, it’s a concern for a Nagy offense that leans heavily on an effective tight end.

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Who’s to blame for Bears’ offensive struggles this season? Everyone.

There hasn’t been just one thing that’s doomed the Bears’ offense. It’s been a plethora of factors that have contributed to their struggles.

For all of the struggles that have plagued the Bears offense this season, there hasn’t been just one guilty party. It would’ve been easier if it was. Instead, it’s been a plethora of factors that have contributed to the Bears’ offensive deficiencies.

Whether it was the play calling or the poor execution by players, everyone on offense deserves a portion of the blame for the unit’s inability to sustain a rhythm this season.

Let’s take a look at the different factors that have contributed to the offense’s struggles this season:

Play caller Matt Nagy

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Ultimately an offense is only as good as its play-caller, and Matt Nagy hasn’t done his unit any favors this season. There have been many times this season where Nagy has been criticized for his aversion to the running game, which has doomed any sort of balance the offense was looking for this season.

He’s also recently come under attack for his inability to cater to his struggling young quarterback’s strengths, among them rolling him out to help both Mitchell Trubisky and the offensive line. The simple fact of the matter is that the responsibility of Matt Nagy’s offense falls on, well, Matt Nagy. And he simply hasn’t put his offense in a position to execute.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ primetime loss to the Chiefs

The Bears were embarrassed in all facets of the game by the Chiefs on Sunday night. But there are five things that really stand out.

The final game at Soldier Field for the 2019 season was a lot like the first back in September. The offense only put up three points, penalty flags rained all over the field and the fans showered the team with boos throughout the whole game as the Chicago Bears lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 26-3, dropping them to 7-8 with one final game to go in arguably the most disappointing season this decade.

The Chiefs were able to stifle the Bears offense and the defense was able to slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but they couldn’t stop him. Here are my takeaways from Sunday night’s embarrassing loss.

1. The entire offense was abysmal

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chicago Bears offense didn’t exactly set the field on fire. For the third time this season, the Bears were held to single digits on the scoreboard. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky missed throws, his receivers dropped his passes when they were on target and the playcalling was suspect once again.

It’s the 10th time this season the offense has failed to score a touchdown in the first half, as well as being held to under 300 yards for the entire game. Everyone is to blame for the lack of production, but one player still looms large…

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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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Bears’ J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted bring production to TE position

For the first time this season, the Bears got production from their tight ends in J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted.

It’s no secret that tight ends have been virtually nonexistent this season on the Bears’ offense. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen were supposed to be an integral part of Chicago’s offense — especially in an offense that needs production from its tight ends. Instead, they’ve failed miserably and now sit on injured reserve.

With Ben Braunecker still in concussion protocol, J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted have been thrust into starting roles. And unlike their predecessors, they produced when their team needed them to.

In last Thursday’s 31-24 victory over the Cowboys, Holtz and Horsted combined for seven catches for 92 yards. Holtz had three catches for a team-high 56 yards, and Horsted added four receptions for 36 yards. Both Holtz and Horsted caught every ball thrown their way.

For the first time this season, the Bears got production from their tight ends. But more importantly, they gave opposing teams something to think about moving forward in these final games against the Packers, Chiefs and Vikings.

“You don’t know exactly what you’re getting from them,” Nagy said. “They’re new to the offense, let alone their skillset. I think now we’re kind of getting an idea what their strengths and weaknesses are, and we’re trying to feed off their strengths.”

While the Bears aren’t likely to settle at the tight end position during the offseason, Holtz and Horsted have proven to be reliable prospects that the Bears can continue to develop moving forward.

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Deshaun Watson, Texans borrow trick play from Bears

The Texans borrowed a page out of the Bears’ playbook with a trick play in their win over the Patriots on Sunday night.

Chicago Bears fans watching the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans game on Sunday Night Football may have seen something that looked familiar when the Texans scored their final touchdown of the night.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Texans leading the Patriots 21-9, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston offense entered the redzone. On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Watson handed the ball to running back Duke Johnson, who then gave it to receiver DeAndre Hopkins on an end around, then pitched the ball back to Watson as he dove over the pylon for the touchdown.

The score put Houston up 28-9 and essentially sealed the game while fans were going nuts over the fake play they just saw. But Bears fans have seen this done before.

Back in 2017 during quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears ran a nearly identical fake play as a 2-point conversion following Trubisky’s first career touchdown pass. Trubisky handed the ball to running back Jordan Howard, who gave it to tight end Zach Miller, then pitched it back to Trubisky for two points.

Flashing back to the present, Watson wasn’t shy about revealing where he learned the play from following their 28-22 win.

“We were watching a game, and actually, I think it was Chicago that did it,” Watson revealed. “We brought it up, me and A.J. McCarron were looking at it, was watching film one day and was like ‘actually, we probably can run that.’ So we kind of through it out there to (offensive coordinator) Tim Kelly and OB (head coach Bill O’Brien) and Hop (Hopkins) saw it and Hop of course said ‘yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it.’ He was excited so we kept working on it, kept working on it, and we knew it was the perfect time once we got inside the 5 (yard line), it was going to come. It was good.”

This isn’t the first time a team took a specific play from the Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles’ famous “Philly Special” play from Super Bowl 52 that saw tight end Trey Burton throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles against the Patriots was originally run by the Bears in 2016. Both plays were orchestrated by former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

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Could Cordarrelle Patterson be Bears’ answer at tight end?

Bears versatile weapon Cordarrelle Patterson asked Matt Nagy if he could potentially fill in at the tight end position.

Cordarrelle Patterson is as versatile as they come. He can play wide receiver, kick returner and running back. But what about tight end?

With the Bears thin at the tight end position, could Matt Nagy employ the versatile Patterson as a tight end? It’s not as crazy as it may sound, considering that discussion has gone back to August about the idea, according to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jason Lieser.

The struggles of the Bears’ tight ends have been well-documented this season, as they’ve been virtually non-existent in this offense.

With Trey Burton on injured reserve and Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker ruled out this week, the Bears will turn to Jesper Horsted and JP Holtz at tight end. Patterson has even gone to Nagy to inquire about potentially filling in at the position.

The kick return specialist/receiver/running back is the kind of player that you want to have on the field as often as possible, and given the struggles of the offense — particularly tight ends — this season, why not try Patterson at tight end? The mismatches would be incredible and could open up this offense.

While tight end requires different responsibilities that would require an offseason to learn, Patterson couldn’t possibly be worse than what the Bears have put on the field this season at the tight end position.

Patterson did line up at tight end at times with the New England Patriots last season, so it wouldn’t be entirely new for him.

We’ll see how Nagy ultimately decides to utilize Patterson in this offense on Thursday and in these final five games of the season.

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