1. TE Trey Burton
Trey Burton was one of the prize free agent acquisitions for the Bears last year, but he was never quite able to get it all clicking between him and Trubisky. This year is where it all needs to come together for them. The tight end has always been a major component of the style of offense that has come from the Andy Reid coaching tree, and Burton has the ability to be that guy. He just has to get that timing right.
He set career highs in all receiving categories last season, but it wasn’t enough considering he was the eighth-highest paid tight end in football last year. 54 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns are numbers you expect to see out of your average tight end. It’s not good enough when you’re expected to be a top-10 guy at your position.
A few guys that outperformed him last year were David Njoku, Eric Ebron and George Kittle. All made at least $1 million less than Burton last year. Burton has the ability to take this offense from a good unit to a great unit simply because of how much difference a good tight can make. If he’s regularly creating mismatches and warping defenses, it opens up everything for everyone else on the field.