Chicago Bears roster: Position group previews ahead of training camp
Chicago Bears Tight Ends
The Chicago Bears surprised many by signing free-agent tight end Jimmy Graham. The previous season, he had the fewest yards since his rookie season. Also, he had the second-lowest number of touchdowns in his career. He did that despite having future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing to him.
If he did that with Rodgers as his quarterback, how bad would it get with Mitchell Trubisky throwing to him?
Well, he had a pretty good season. He had 456 receiving yards. Even though it wasn’t much more than the 447 yards he got in 2019, but, again, it was with a struggling Trubisky and Nick Foles throwing to him.
He did have an incredible season touchdowns-wise, though. After only having three touchdown receptions in 2019, he had eight last season. That total was the second-most by a tight end over 30 years of age (Travis Kelce had 11). He was a pleasant surprise for the Bears.
The Bears used one of their two second-round picks last year on Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet. He showed flashes of his abilities. He especially played well down the stretch of the season.
This offseason, Kmet attended the tight end university, a camp with some of the top tight ends trying to get even better. Getting tips from guys like Kelce, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen should only make him better this season.
Many expected Graham to get cut for salary cap reasons but it hasn’t happened yet. There is still a chance that the Bears end up cutting him, but he’s survived thus far. It’ll be interesting to see if he has another good season in him before he rides off into the sunset.
Chicago brought in Jake Butt to compete for a backup spot. Butt has some talent but he’s dealt with injuries throughout his career. In his three years in the league, he’s played in only eight games. He plays similar to Kmet so if he does make the team he’ll likely be Kmet’s backup. The Bears also have J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted.
The Bears need to hope that neither Kmet nor Graham gets injured and that Graham has another strong season. There isn’t much in terms of backups. Perhaps with an improved quarterback situation that could happen.