Ideal Bears Tight End Acquisition Isn't a Free Agent

The Bears have collected tight ends in the offseason and with free agency approaching they may or may not even need to trade to add one more potential contributor to the mix

About the only positions Bears general manager acknowledged needing at the combine were quarterback and tight end, and the quarterback options are all well known.

This leaves tight end.

"We're looking at it in free agency and the draft," Pace said. "It's deep in different areas. And so, yeah, that's an area of focus for us.

"I don't think that's a secret. This offense, a lot of it goes through the tight end. We're exploring every avenue."

Drafting a tight end can be a time-consuming approach. It usually takes a couple of years for them to develop in the offense.

For instance, Travis Kelce had no catches as a rookie and Austin Hooper had only 19. Jimmy Graham made 31 and hadn't approached such a low number again until making 38 last year in his 10th season. Even George Kittle, Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz all had reduced rookie impacts: Kittle with 43 catches before skyrocketing to 88 and 85 receptions; Goedert with 44 before hitting 87; Ertz with 36 before averaging 81 a season over the next six years.

So if the Bears have Cole Kmet fall into their laps in Round 2 or take Brycen Hopkins somewhere in the draft, they can anticipate low rookie production ideally before their career takes off.

Much of this has to do with the complexity of the NFL offense and how tight ends are used differently, and also with the size and speed of defenders compared to what the tight ends face in college. Sure, all positions are facing a higher level of competition than in college, but bigger, faster and stronger is much tougher at tight end when you're going to run up against a defensive lineman or linebacker at the line of scrimmage, and then have to also go against a defensive back later in a route. They're absorbing the best of numerous positions on defense. So it takes a little development.

The Bears can't wait. 

They need instant production at tight end because, as Pace said, so much of what they do runs through the tight end. Getting a good rookie tight end would be a great asset for the team's future development but does nothing to help winning immediately.

So it makes sense they're looking at the possibility of pursuing Hooper, as reports last week suggested. Still, Hooper would be an expensive acquisition and one they might not be able to afford if the bidding gets high.

Another possibility has to be finding a veteran tight end who has already learned the ropes of playing tight end in the NFL, but one who is cheap because the Bears' cap situation is tight considering all the holes they have to plug.

There are other options, like Cincinnati's often-injured tight end Tyler Efiert. They've already got three tight ends who wound up on injured reserve in Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker. So what's the sense of adding another IR candidate?

It's been suggested in some reports, including one by The Athletic's Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain, that three tight ends could be trade possibilities for the Bears: Tampa Bay's Cameron Brate, Tennessee's Delanie Walker and Baltimore's Hayden Hurst.

Walker is a silly pursuit. He's older than Greg Olsen. They would be better off signing Graham.

Hurst is a former member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, has played only two seasons and would require serious draft pick compensation after 30 catches in his second season.

There has been no verified indication the Ravens are even willing to trade Hurst. He might be better than the other tight ends on the Ravens roster. Because he's still on his rookie contract, it would be worth pursuing but the Ravens would really have big demands from a team trying to make this acquisition.

This leaves a player suggested here as an ideal target as far back as during the late 2019 season: Cameron Brate. The fact the 28-year-old Brate is from west suburban Naperville, Il has nothing to do with it, either. But this doesn't hurt.

Brate has averaged 38.8 receptions and 5.4 touchdowns a year the past five seasons after a rookie year when he had one catch. He has been neglected, too, by a team with a super-powered wide receiver corps., but has been especially effective in the red zone. At 6-foot-4, he's Kittle's height, but is 5 pounds lighter at 245.

The Bears don't need to jump the gun on this acquisition. They can afford to wait. In fact, they should wait because the clock is ticking on Tampa Bay with Brate.

Brate has four years left on his contract but it's all salary. And there's more: If they don't cut or trade Brate by March 22, four days after the free agent signing period officially begins, then $4 million of his $6 million immediately becomes guaranteed. In other words, they're eating the cash if they wait too long.

With that kind of pressure on the Bucs, the Bears shouldn't offer more than a sixth- or seventh-rounder for him unless they like throwing away picks. The Bucs will have to cut him, so they lack any leverage.   

It might even be better to wait until he's cut because the contract would no longer apply. The Bears are unlikely to get a decent tight end for much less than the $6 million due Brate. That amount isn't completely out of line for what they can pay. He's currently the 12th-highest paid tight end according to Spotrac.com.  

Statistical studies have shown tight ends drafted between Rounds 2 and 6 have no better than about a one in three chance of being an impact player. 

The Bears already have a busload of tight end candidates who are hoping to develop . It's rather ridiculous how many tight ends are on their roster. There are 10, including the free agents.

Acquiring one who has already shown he can play the position effectively without injury issues like those plaguing Burton or even Eifert would be an ideal move. 

And acquiring one who understands the game and comes at a reasonable price is even more desirable.

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