If Matt Nagy could wave a magic wand and fix any non-quarterback position in the Bears’ offense, it’d probably be tight end.
And with an offense that’s ultra-reliant on that spot, the Bears’ crew has been a collective dud. The “U” tight end, a pass-catching threat in Nagy’s system, has been nearly nonexistent.
Six players have lined up at tight end — the Bears signed another Saturday — and they’ve combined for 262 yards (the NFL-low for the position) on 33 catches. They’ve scored two touchdowns.
As Nagy scrutinizes why the offense has fallen to 29th in yardage and 28th in scoring, that position must be high on his list.
“There’s a lot of different reasons,” he said. “I hate to just put it on one position. I would say the tight end position within our offense is important and... It just didn’t happen this year.”
It’s the opposite of their opponent this week, the Cowboys. They’ve counted on Jason Witten for 17 years with a brief hiatus last season. At 37, he’s seventh among tight ends in receptions (48) and 11th in yardage (418) with three touchdowns.
The Bears, meanwhile, are down to Ben Braunecker as their top choice. He’s been out with a concussion, so that leaves part-time fullback J.P. Holtz, recent practice squad call-up Jesper Horsted and converted offensive tackle Bradley Sowell.
The tight end trouble starts with Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen, both of whom went on Injured Reserve last month.
Burton, a four-year, $32 million free agent pickup in 2018, never fully recovered from offseason sports hernia surgery and was a shell of himself when he played. Shaheen, the 45th overall pick in 2017, was an empty jersey before the Bears decided it wasn’t worth waiting on his recent foot injury to heal.
Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace aren’t at fault for Burton. Neither is Burton, for that matter. Everything about that signing looked smart last season, when he had a career year of 54 catches, 569 yards and six touchdowns.
In a league where prized pass-catching tight ends are difficult to find, he was one of the top dozen or so and seemed to still be ascending. The Bears had every reason to believe he’d build on that in 2019.
The Bears might’ve weathered Burton’s injury if Shaheen stepped up, but his underperformance was the reason they had to spend big in free agency in the first place.
He’s been one of the most glaring draft misses by Pace. He gambled on a player from Division II Ashland, and there hasn’t been a hint of proof that he’s an NFL contributor.
Shaheen has fought injuries throughout his three seasons and has 26 catches in 27 career games. He was at nine for 74 yards before the Bears made him a healthy scratch in Week 10.
The 2017 tight end class wasn’t great, and the most successful pick is George Kittle, snatched by the 49ers in the fifth round.
Regardless of how the Bears arrived here, their tight end situation is a mess. Cleaning it up will be a top priority this offseason, but there aren’t any obvious solutions.
They’re likely to cut Shaheen, taking a dead-cap hit of about $600,000 rather than keep him for $1.9 million.
It’s a tougher decision on Burton, who has two years, $17.4 million left, but can be released for a dead-cap penalty of $7.5 million. He’s a perfect fit in the offense and he’s still just 28. The Bears would want him back if he’s healthy, but that’s unpredictable.
They can return to the open market, where Hooper and the Chargers’ Hunter Henry will be unrestricted free agents, but that’s never surefire. In the upcoming draft, their only selections in the first four rounds are two second-round picks.
For now, though, there’s no fixing this. And it’s one of the biggest reasons to doubt the Bears down the stretch.
