After a chaotic two years, the Bears are done with Trey Burton.
He went from being a key piece of their offense to a player constantly hindered by injuries, and the Bears released him Friday. The move came shortly after they signed former all-pro Jimmy Graham and as they eye tight ends in the upcoming draft.
Burton, 28, signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Bears and immediately rewarded them with a career year in 2018. He missed the playoff game at the end of that season because his groin muscle “completely locked” up on him the night before and hasn’t been right since.
Burton eventually underwent sports hernia surgery, and his injury trouble continued from there. He believed he was ready for the start of training camp, but within a few days, the Bears had him working out separate from the team. He missed the season opener against the Packers.
His health was inconsistent throughout the season and he never established momentum. He played a career-low eight games and was on the field for just 26 percent of the Bears’ offensive snaps. He finished with 14 catches for 84 yards and no touchdowns before going on Injured Reserve in November.
“I’d never been through anything like this,” Burton wrote in a blog entry for Sports Spectrum in November. “Usually, when I’m on the field, I’m playing to thrive, but more recently... I’m just trying to survive.”
By cutting Burton now, the Bears will absorb a $7.5 million dead salary-cap hit, but escape the $17.4 million they were set to pay him the next two seasons. He was set to collect a $100,000 workout bonus this spring.
He has been expected to be back for the start of training camp, assuming that happens in late July, so it’s likely he will find a new team shortly after hitting the open market.
Despite Burton’s rocky season and uncertainty about his health, Bears coach Matt Nagy made clear in December he envisioned him as part of the team’s future.
“I would hope so,” Nagy said when asked if he expected Burton back for 2020. “I don’t see why not.”
Quite a bit has changed since then, though. Burton underwent hip surgery near the end of the season, and the Bears compiled a surplus of tight ends. They had 10 including Burton, but the majority of them are unproven.
“That’s something we are working through,” general manager Ryan Pace said last week. “We know we have some decisions we have to make across the board at that position... But we are definitely happy that Jimmy is in this offense, and also that Demetrius Harris is in this offense.”
It appeared their plan was to bet on the combination of Burton getting back to how he produced in 2018 — 54 catches, 569 yards, six touchdowns — and Graham having a resurgence, but now the onus is on Graham and a potential draft pick. The Bears also signed Demetrius Harris, who played for Nagy in Kansas City, but his career high is 18 receptions.
Graham, 33, is coming off the worst three-year run of his career. He averaged 50 catches, 534 yards and five touchdowns during that span, and the Packers cut him after his numbers fell to his lowest since his rookie year.
