The Chicago Bears will likely begin training camp with a bit of a question mark at tight end while starter Trey Burton continues to recover from sports hernia surgery.
Sure, it’s entirely possible he’ll be full-go by then, but why rush it. The Bears shouldn’t force Burton back to the field until he’s 100%, and then some.
Former second-round pick Adam Shaheen will be the next man up if Burton can’t go, but it’s undrafted rookie Dax Raymond (Utah State) who generated some buzz during OTAs.
“He’s starting to really get his feet underneath him, and what I mean by that is, not just understanding the play, but how to execute it and then how to understand who he is facing and how to manipulate the defenders a little bit,” tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride Jr. said via The Athletic. “That’s starting to come along.”
Raymond appeared in 10 games for Utah State last season and finished the year with 27 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t have eye-popping production, but his ability as a receiver is evident on tape.
In fact, Raymond might be the player GM Ryan Pact thought he was getting with Shaheen a few years ago.
Now, it’s up to Raymond to prove he can be more than just a big-bodied receiver once the pads go on in July.
“I wish we could block more. I wish we could get into a three-point stance, go against defenders, block more and have our pads on. … You don’t know yet, but the strides have been made and set so far, that he’s on the right course.”
