Post by Deleted on May 26, 2018 7:57:04 GMT -6
Bears run deep with talent at tight end, a year after Ryan Pace called it a position of strengt
When training camp opened last summer, Bears general manager Ryan Pace declared tight end could be a position of strength.
Then Zach Miller was lost in October with a catastrophic knee injury. Adam Shaheen was caught up in the adjustment from Division II to the pros. By the end of the season, with the benefit of hindsight, it was difficult to agree with Pace.
When you examine a group buttressed by the addition of Trey Burton in free agency, the Bears are positioned to prove Pace right this season in a new offense that highlights the position.
With the Bears also signing wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and drafting Anthony Miller in the second round, and factoring in wide receiver Kevin White and running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, for the first time in a long time they have a crowd of skill-position players. It will be interesting to see how personnel groups shape up and playing time is divided.
“It’s an exciting problem to have to have some of those weapons,” tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride said.
There’s no question Burton will be a featured part of the passing game as the “U” tight end, a position on which coach Matt Nagy puts a premium. The playbook he is installing is largely based off what he learned under Andy Reid in Kansas City and Philadelphia, and no teams got more receptions from their tight ends last season than the Chiefs and Eagles (110 each). Miller, Shaheen, Dion Sims and Daniel Brown combined for 60 receptions, which ranked 23rd.
There’s a lot of projection at work with Burton, who was the third tight end in Philadelphia behind Zach Ertz and Brent Celek and has 95 career targets in four seasons. The Bears’ belief in Burton is underscored by their financial commitment: $18 million guaranteed in a four-year, $32 million contract that makes him the seventh-highest-paid at the position at $8 million per season.
Tight end Travis Kelce was the most targeted player in the Chiefs offense with 122, also the most leaguewide for a tight end. Whether Burton exceeds the Bears wide receivers in targets remains to be seen, but he’s expected to be an integral part of the passing game and a productive player for quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Few teams are as invested in the position as the Bears. Sims signed a three-year, $18 million contract a year ago, and when the Bears opted to keep him at the start of the new league year in March, $4 million of his $6 million base salary for 2018 became fully guaranteed. In practical terms, that ensured his spot on the roster after he caught 15 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown last season. There was some question of whether Sims would figure in the plans with the presence of Burton and Shaheen, a second-round pick in 2017 from Ashland University.
“In my mind, I thought I was coming back,” Sims said. “I signed to be here three years, and that’s what I expect. But I understand how things go, and my job is to come out and work hard every day and play with a chip on my shoulder to prove myself. Just be a team guy.”
Sims and Shaheen need to produce in their roles for it to be a well-rounded position and for the organization to get value on its investments. Sims is working at the “Y” position, the blocking tight end, and Shaheen is also getting a lot of work there. But Gilbride sees upside for both in the passing game.
“They all bring different things to the table,” he said. “Adam has great hands. Dion, for as big of a man as he is (6-foot-4, 268 pounds), has great speed and gets in and out of breaks very well. Trey is very crafty with his route running and also has tremendous hands.
“And then the other guys — Daniel Brown and Ben Braunecker and Colin Thompson — they all bring another set of skills, whether it be special teams or route running or speed, which Braunecker clearly has. They’ve been a fun group to work with.”
Shaheen missed the final three games with a chest injury and rehabilitated early in the offseason to be ready. He caught 12 passes for 127 yards with three touchdowns as a rookie. He was scarcely used before Miller’s injury, and after his playing time increased, he suffered the injury. He’s more comfortable now.
“Really I was pretty blind to it all last year,” Shaheen said. “I was just trying to run the right route and catch the ball. Not like this year, when you really feel like you understand football in Year 2.”
Fullback Michael Burton is a wild card when it comes to roster construction. If a fullback is in the plan — the Chiefs carried one last year — does that affect the number of tight ends? Will the Bears keep only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? A lot will play into final decisions, and there is plenty of time to sort through that. Braunecker and Brown have shown upside on special teams.
The roster moves — and then how all of the pieces are deployed — will be fascinating.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
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Copyright © 2018, Chicago Tribune
Brad BiggsBrad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
When training camp opened last summer, Bears general manager Ryan Pace declared tight end could be a position of strength.
Then Zach Miller was lost in October with a catastrophic knee injury. Adam Shaheen was caught up in the adjustment from Division II to the pros. By the end of the season, with the benefit of hindsight, it was difficult to agree with Pace.
When you examine a group buttressed by the addition of Trey Burton in free agency, the Bears are positioned to prove Pace right this season in a new offense that highlights the position.
With the Bears also signing wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and drafting Anthony Miller in the second round, and factoring in wide receiver Kevin White and running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, for the first time in a long time they have a crowd of skill-position players. It will be interesting to see how personnel groups shape up and playing time is divided.
“It’s an exciting problem to have to have some of those weapons,” tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride said.
There’s no question Burton will be a featured part of the passing game as the “U” tight end, a position on which coach Matt Nagy puts a premium. The playbook he is installing is largely based off what he learned under Andy Reid in Kansas City and Philadelphia, and no teams got more receptions from their tight ends last season than the Chiefs and Eagles (110 each). Miller, Shaheen, Dion Sims and Daniel Brown combined for 60 receptions, which ranked 23rd.
There’s a lot of projection at work with Burton, who was the third tight end in Philadelphia behind Zach Ertz and Brent Celek and has 95 career targets in four seasons. The Bears’ belief in Burton is underscored by their financial commitment: $18 million guaranteed in a four-year, $32 million contract that makes him the seventh-highest-paid at the position at $8 million per season.
Tight end Travis Kelce was the most targeted player in the Chiefs offense with 122, also the most leaguewide for a tight end. Whether Burton exceeds the Bears wide receivers in targets remains to be seen, but he’s expected to be an integral part of the passing game and a productive player for quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Few teams are as invested in the position as the Bears. Sims signed a three-year, $18 million contract a year ago, and when the Bears opted to keep him at the start of the new league year in March, $4 million of his $6 million base salary for 2018 became fully guaranteed. In practical terms, that ensured his spot on the roster after he caught 15 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown last season. There was some question of whether Sims would figure in the plans with the presence of Burton and Shaheen, a second-round pick in 2017 from Ashland University.
“In my mind, I thought I was coming back,” Sims said. “I signed to be here three years, and that’s what I expect. But I understand how things go, and my job is to come out and work hard every day and play with a chip on my shoulder to prove myself. Just be a team guy.”
Sims and Shaheen need to produce in their roles for it to be a well-rounded position and for the organization to get value on its investments. Sims is working at the “Y” position, the blocking tight end, and Shaheen is also getting a lot of work there. But Gilbride sees upside for both in the passing game.
“They all bring different things to the table,” he said. “Adam has great hands. Dion, for as big of a man as he is (6-foot-4, 268 pounds), has great speed and gets in and out of breaks very well. Trey is very crafty with his route running and also has tremendous hands.
“And then the other guys — Daniel Brown and Ben Braunecker and Colin Thompson — they all bring another set of skills, whether it be special teams or route running or speed, which Braunecker clearly has. They’ve been a fun group to work with.”
Shaheen missed the final three games with a chest injury and rehabilitated early in the offseason to be ready. He caught 12 passes for 127 yards with three touchdowns as a rookie. He was scarcely used before Miller’s injury, and after his playing time increased, he suffered the injury. He’s more comfortable now.
“Really I was pretty blind to it all last year,” Shaheen said. “I was just trying to run the right route and catch the ball. Not like this year, when you really feel like you understand football in Year 2.”
Fullback Michael Burton is a wild card when it comes to roster construction. If a fullback is in the plan — the Chiefs carried one last year — does that affect the number of tight ends? Will the Bears keep only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? A lot will play into final decisions, and there is plenty of time to sort through that. Braunecker and Brown have shown upside on special teams.
The roster moves — and then how all of the pieces are deployed — will be fascinating.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2018, Chicago Tribune