NEWSLETTER
When the Bears signed Ryan Griffin, I joked that it marked the official beginning of the team’s offseason.
After all, it’s not a Bears offseason until it makes a move at tight end. Right?
But in true Bears offseason fashion, the team is bringing yet another free agent tight end on board with the announcement of James O’Shaughnessy’s signing:
We have signed James O’Shaughnessy to a one-year contract.
Welcome home, @JOShaughnessy80! 🐻⬇️
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 18, 2022
It is a homecoming of sorts for O’Shaughnessy, a Naperville North product who played collegiately at Illinois State. But it is also a nice depth addition for the Bears. Even though O’Shaughnessy has just 112 catches, 1,108 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns to show for his work in his seven years as a pro, he has extensive game experience with 80 games (incl. 40 starts) under his belt. Additionally, he has a history with first-year Bears GM Ryan Poles. O’Shaughnessy was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2015, back when Poles was Kansas City’s College Scouting Director. Sometimes, who you know and when you get to know them is as important as what you know.
In addition to veteran additions of Griffin and O’Shaughnessy, the Bears are returning Cole Kmet and Jesper Horsted to the TE room. I’ll be curious to see how this position group shakes out and how it is deployed when the season comes. Keep in mind that new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy is coming from a Packers team that ran the second-most 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 WR, 2 TE) sets last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if these signings are a first step toward using more of those packages in the coming year.
