Matt Nagy was spoiled.
In his two years as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, he deployed the best tight end this side of an aging Rob Gronkowski. Travis Kelce led all tight ends in receiving yards in 2016 and in catches in 2017.
When Nagy was named the Bears’ coach last year, he set about finding his own Kelce. Trey Burton, signed to a pricy contract in March 2018, proved solid — until he missed the Bears’ playoff game last year with a groin injury that was never truly healed this year.
General manager Ryan Pace’s gamble on Division II Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round of the 2017 draft busted in a big way. He’s posted 26 catches over three years, and isn’t guaranteed to see a fourth in navy and orange.
The Bears’ two remaining healthy pass-catching tight ends, Jesper Horsted and J.P Holtz, have combined for 13 catches for 145 yards all season. Kelce had 11 catches for 142 yards last Sunday alone — in the snow.
Which is to say that, Sunday night against the Chiefs, Bears fans should aim their envy at more than just star Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“He’s a rare talent — I think that’s a good way to put it,” Nagy said. “And he’s going to be that way for a while.
“He’s very friendly to a quarterback. All over the field. You can be backed up at your own 5-yard line, it an be in the red zone, it can be on a shot play. He’s a mismatch in a lot of ways. You got guys that are too small. You got guys that are too slow.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid described Kelce similarly.
“Normally [the tight end] is the most friendly guy to the quarterback because he’s normally the closest receiver to the quarterback, right? On the routes that he’s running,” Reid said. “So it’s great to have one. We’ve all done it with guys that might not be [Kelce] and they’re productive still. They still make important catches and Matt’s done that with his guys. They’re still productive and making big catches.
“Travis is one of those unique players. He’s a good football player -- a great football player. We’re fortunate to have him here.”
The tight end is supposed to be the most important cog in a Reid — or Nagy — offense.
The most distressing part about the Bears’ tight end struggles this season is the negative effect it’s had on Mitch Trubisky’s development. A competent tight end should be his best friend; instead, he’s throwing to Horsted, who a year ago was a Princeton receiver, and Holtz, whom the Bears snatched off the wavier wire in September.
Then there’s Kelce, whose 86 catches are tied for the sixth-most in the NFL and 1,131 receiving yards rank seventh. He leads all tight ends in both categories.
Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano listed no fewer than 10 qualities to describe Kelce — he’s “a big target,” “crafty,” “smart, “physical,” “a top competitor,” “has got great synergy with the quarterback,” “understands coverage,” “understands leverage,” “finds open zones,” and “bodies you if you’re playing man on him.”
The Bears would probable settle for one such trait in their own tight ends.
“We really feel like he’s the catalyst,” Pagano said. “He’s kind of like the guy that makes that thing go, and they’ve got a bunch of those guys in that offense that make that thing go and a bunch of guys we’ve got to tend to.
“It’s a shame we’ve got to play with 12 or 13. We’re going to have to do it with 11. We’ll have our hands full.”
