NEWSLETTER
One of the Chicago Bears’ big-ticket offseason acquisitions has emerged as a favorite target for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, but it might not be the first person who comes to mind.
Trubisky and new tight end Trey Burton are “quickly building chemistry” according to Kalyn Kahler of SI.com’s The MMQB.
Kahler offers up a breakdown of the comings-and-goings that went down in the NFC North during the offseason. And while Chicago’s rivals in Detroit, Minnesota, and Green Bay were each applauded for having strong offseasons, only one team came away with an “A” grade … Da Bears. Naturally, the addition of Burton to the Bears’ collection of pass-catchers was instrumental in the team earning the NFC North’s top grade.
Burton steps into the “U” tight end role in Matt Nagy’s offense, which has him on the move and running patterns down the field. It’s a role that Travis Kelce has thrived in for the Chiefs and one the Bears didn’t utilize often enough when Dowell Loggains was running the show. This isn’t to say Burton will be Kelce-like in his production, but it’s easy to envision Burton being an X-factor in Nagy’s scheme. With Allen Robinson owning WR1 status and Taylor Gabriel presenting a vertical threat, there should be plenty of room for Burton to operate across the middle.
For what it’s worth, Trubisky found some success targeting tight ends Dion Sims and Adam Shaheen during his rookie season. Trubisky completed 62.2 percent of his passes and posted an 110.9 passer rating when throwing to that pair. It’s a sample of 37 passes, which is small, but noteworthy because both players should factor into the team’s plans for an overhauled passing game, even as in-line tight ends.
Trubisky showed flashes of what he can do when throwing to a reliable, big-bodied pass-catcher during his rookie season. So the addition of someone with a little more upside at that position should have you giddy about what Trubisky can do with someone who is a more polished route-runner and has a good sense of what’s going on in the offense.
