Chicago Bears: 3 Things to watch in Preseason Week 3

Is the combination of Trubisky and Burton one we’ll see for some time?

A quarterback’s security blanket, especially in the red zone, is his tight end. Having a big, athletic tight end with good hands is coveted around the league. Trubisky is blessed with two of them in Adam Shaheen and Trey Burton.

Here we’ll talk about Burton, as Shaheen is currently injured and there is no timeline for his return yet.

Burton, famous for the “Philly Special” play that helped the Philadelphia Eagles win last season’s Super Bowl, is now the top tight end in Chicago. While he is now a hero in Philadelphia, he spent the regular season buried behind Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. He’ll get to show his abilities with Trubisky throwing to him.

Last week against the Broncos, the Trubisky-to-Burton combination did well. They connected on four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. They connected on a nice 19-yard gain as well. I’m interested in seeing more of the two of them together.

According to Pro Football Focus, Burton was the NFL’s best tight end in the red zone. They rated him ahead of other more noted tight ends like Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, and Marcedes Lewis.

So far this preseason, he’s doing the same with the Bears, per PFF:

"The former Eagle joined the Chicago Bears as a free agent this offseason, and now two preseason games into his Bears career, he is seemingly picking up right where he left off. Among tight ends with at least five preseason targets, Burton ranks fourth in offense grade (86.9), catching five of six targets for 50 yards and a score in the process. Surprising no one, his lone touchdown came on his only snap inside the red zone this preseason."

This bodes well for Trubisky’s development and the team’s ability to get some wins. The Bears had a tough time scoring, and if you don’t score you don’t win, despite how good the defense is. Hopefully we see some great things from Trubisky and Burton.