Senior Bowl takeaways show why the Bears should target a second tight end in free agency
The offseason continues to roll on in the NFL landscape with all eyes beginning to look ahead toward free agency with the 2024 Senior Bowl officially wrapped up. The Chicago Bears, like the rest of the teams in the league, got invaluable first-hand looks at some of the top prospects in the upcoming draft class […]
The offseason continues to roll on in the NFL landscape with all eyes beginning to look ahead toward free agency with the 2024 Senior Bowl officially wrapped up.
The Chicago Bears, like the rest of the teams in the league, got invaluable first-hand looks at some of the top prospects in the upcoming draft class and will now use those evaluations to plan out the rest of the offseason.
According to our own Destin Adams, who was on-site at this year's Senior Bowl, a few positions failed to stick out among some others in the eyes of league scouts. One position in particular that failed to stand out could alter the Bears plans over the next few weeks ahead.
In his 2024 Senior Bowl notebook, Adams listed running back, tight end, and linebacker as three positions that were viewed poorly during the week by league scouts in attendance. Tight end is a major position the Bears will be looking to address this offseason and this news might cause them to pivot from adding one through the draft. Here's what Adams shared regarding the position:
"This draft class has one of the most anticipated TE prospects of recent memory in Georgia's Brock Bowers, but after him, the class leaves a lot to be desired. One AFC scout commented on the class by saying, "The lack of starting-level TEs in this class is going to make a player like Brock (Bowers) even more coveted come April." And while that sentiment was echoed by multiple people I spoke to in Mobile, there were a few TEs who had a great week."
The Bears currently are set to enter into the 2024 season with only Cole Kmet and Stephen Carlson under contract at the position. Kmet will return as the team's usual top option at the position but Carlson has only six receptions in his entire career. The team will desperately need to add an additional tight end to the room at some point in the coming weeks and it will likely be through free agency.
During the 2023 season, the Seattle Seahawks offense under Bears new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron ran the second-highest percentage of 12 personnel formations (one running back, two tight ends, and two receivers) and the tenth-highest percentage of 13 personnel formations (one running back, three tight ends, and one receiver).
If Waldron wants to bring a similar offensive scheme to Chicago, the team will need another top tight end on the roster. Here's some of the top tight ends in free agency.
Top Free Agent Tight Ends:
Dalton Schultz: Schultz sits atop the names of the expected free agents at the tight end position after having another solid campaign in his first year with the Houston Texans. Schultz recorded 59 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns in Bobby Slowik's offense alongside quarterback C.J. Stroud. Our very own AtoZ Sports cap experts project Schultz to land a 3 year, $26.25 million contract on the open market.
Hunter Henry: Henry is also another top name the Bears could consider if the front office is looking to make a splash at the position to complement Kmet. The Patriots tight end hauled in 419 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games in 2023. Spotrac projects a much more favorable 1 year, $7.5 million market value for Henry.
Mike Gesicki: Another Patriots tight end who could be on the move is Gesicki. In his lone season in New England, Gesicki had just 29 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Gesicki played 322 snaps in the slot and his addition could allow Kmet to play more inline snaps that he's better suited for.
Noah Fant: Fant is one player who could join Waldron in Chicago from the Seahawks. During his two seasons in Waldron's offense, Fant recorded 82 receptions, 900 yards and four touchdowns. However, Fant is similar to Kmet and plays the majority of the snaps in-line as opposed to in the slot.
Gerald Everett: Everett is another top name expected to hit free agency at the position. Everett has recorded 50+ receptions in consecutive seasons and has 11 touchdowns over the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He's expected to have a market value in the range of a 2 year, $17.4 million contract, per Spotrac.
We'll see which, if any, of these names the Bears could look into adding on the roster to help run Waldron's offense in 2024.
Bears offensive expectations under Shane Waldron
What will the unit look like?
