It was overshadowed by some other signings, like Jimmy Graham in Green Bay, and the Bears' own signing of Allen Robinson. But I'm very interested in new Chicago tight end Trey Burton. I have a feeling he's going to be a big part of the offense this season.
Burton is a capable, athletic guy. He put up very good numbers whenever called upon to take on a leading role in Philadelphia (when Zach Ertz was sidelined for one reason or another). That happened six times in the last three seasons.
| BURTON IN LEADING ROLE, 2015-2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Site | No | Yds | TD |
| 2015 | at Det. | 2 | 49 | 0 |
| 2016 | at Chi. | 5 | 49 | 1 |
| 2016 | Pitt. | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| 2017 | Den. | 2 | 41 | 1 |
| 2017 | at Sea. | 4 | 42 | 0 |
| 2017 | at LAR | 5 | 71 | 2 |
| Avg. | 3.3 | 45 | 0.8 | |
| Proj. | 53 | 723 | 11 | |
But also, the Bears' offense will now be overseen by new head coach Matt Nagy. Nagy was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City the last two years, and that team put up some of the very best tight end production in that time: No. 1 in yards, No. 2 in receptions from the position. Granted, they had one of the NFL's best players in Travis Kelce. But no reason to think Nagy's offense in Chicago (which was one of the worst for tight end production in those same two seasons) won't tap into that.
| TE TEAM TOTALS, 2016-2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | No | Yards | TD |
| Kansas City | 215 | 2620 | 14 |
| New England | 177 | 2566 | 20 |
| Philadelphia | 239 | 2500 | 19 |
| Washington | 199 | 2272 | 14 |
| Indianapolis | 207 | 2157 | 16 |
| Tennessee | 177 | 2019 | 15 |
| LA Chargers | 172 | 1994 | 22 |
| Tampa Bay | 160 | 1923 | 24 |
| Seattle | 169 | 1917 | 23 |
| Carolina | 140 | 1862 | 6 |
| Baltimore | 214 | 1740 | 10 |
| Houston | 168 | 1724 | 9 |
| San Francisco | 125 | 1705 | 13 |
| NY Giants | 175 | 1658 | 11 |
| Buffalo | 145 | 1627 | 9 |
| Cleveland | 136 | 1577 | 10 |
| Minnesota | 164 | 1554 | 16 |
| Detroit | 141 | 1553 | 8 |
| Dallas | 148 | 1445 | 10 |
| Atlanta | 119 | 1436 | 14 |
| Oakland | 129 | 1425 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh | 132 | 1400 | 10 |
| Green Bay | 120 | 1310 | 5 |
| Arizona | 110 | 1296 | 9 |
| New Orleans | 115 | 1288 | 8 |
| Cincinnati | 122 | 1275 | 14 |
| Denver | 103 | 1248 | 7 |
| Jacksonville | 127 | 1237 | 12 |
| Chicago | 118 | 1215 | 11 |
| LA Rams | 102 | 1123 | 6 |
| Miami | 111 | 1076 | 10 |
| NY Jets | 80 | 689 | 4 |
The Bears still have Dion Sims, but we'll see if that's still the case a few days from now. Overpaid and a bad free agent signing. They drafted Adam Shaheen in the second round a year ago, but he might fit better as a blocker; just 12 catches a year ago, and he weighs 270 pounds. He has some athleticism, but not like Burton.
It's not necessarily an ideal landing spot for Burton, but Nagy's presence and awareness of the impact a tight end can make on an offense make it a favorable one. I like his potential. Could be a big part of Chicago's game plans this season.
--Andy Richardson