Ahead of the start of training camp on Tuesday, the Chicago Bears have started trimming their excess of tight ends. After releasing Ben Braunecker on Friday, the Bears traded former second-round pick Adam Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2021.
With the trade of Shaheen, the Bears have parted ways with their top three tight ends from a season ago, and Chicago’s tight ends room is going to look a lot different in 2020.
While the top three tight end spots are essentially locked up, there’s still one roster spot up for grabs during training camp between J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted.
Let’s take a look at the four tight ends that will likely be on the Bears’ roster in 2020.
1. Jimmy Graham
The Bears signed veteran tight end Jimmy Graham to a two-year deal this offseason with the hope that he can give their tight ends room a boost in the passing game as the starting “U” tight end. Although Graham is far from the same player he was during his time in New Orleans and Seattle. Graham’s signing was heavily criticized given the $9 million in guaranteed money, but Ryan Pace is turning to Graham to do what Trey Burton couldn’t do during his time in Chicago.
Last season, Graham had 38 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns, which was more than all of Chicago’s tight ends combined in 2019. With a big focus on the tight end in Matt Nagy’s offense, Graham will have a chance to improve those numbers.
2. Cole Kmet
Second-round tight end Cole Kmet has the chance to make an impact during his rookie season, especially given the importance of the tight end in Nagy’s offense. Kmet has been praised for his ability to grasp the playbook this offseason, and he’s been getting some reps in with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who’s been organizing offseason workouts with Bears skill position players in the Chicago area.
Last season with Notre Dame, he set career highs with 43 receptions, 515 yards and six touchdowns. While Kmet will be the primary “Y” or blocking tight end, the Bears will also utilize his pass catching ability in an offense that relies heavily on tight ends.
3. Demetrius Harris
Chicago began the re-haul of their tight ends room with the addition of veteran Demetrius Harris, who has experience in an offense similar to Nagy’s. Harris spent his first four years with the Chiefs, where Nagy worked as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Harris also had more receiving yards than any Bears tight end in 2019. He had 15 receptions for 149 yards and three touchdowns.
Harris has proven to be effective at the in-line tight end role, as he was the ninth-ranked blocking tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus. But he’s also proven to be a reliable target in the passing game, where he will complement Graham and Kmet.
4. J.P. Holtz
While it’ll ultimately come down to J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted, I think Holtz gets the nod here. Last season, Holtz had the most snaps and receiving yards of any Chicago tight end. While it wasn’t the most impressive stat-line, Holtz had seven receptions for 91 yards. While Horsted makes sense as a clear-cut receiving threat, ultimately Horsted’s versatility should give him the edge.
Not only is he a phenomenal blocker and a good pass catcher, but there were times when Holtz lined up as a fullback last season. With an expected increased emphasis on the running game this season, keeping someone like Holtz on the roster certainly makes sense.
