I need someone to help me understand why all the pundits etc. are making such a big deal about all the tight ends on the roster in April.  Should they not bring in perhaps one better then all of them just because they have to many.  Maybe they should only bring 60 players to training camp.  You don't need 90+.  I thought the idea was to have the best 53 when the season starts not in April.

 

And on a side note.  Today is the day my wife and I were to leave for our long planned month long trip to Europe.  In the world we live in it's not a big price to pay compared to so many.  But it was something we had planned for a year.

My guess: They keep 5 TE: Graham, Kmet, Harris, Holtz, Raymond. 

55 minutes ago, Elgin Slim said:

My guess: They keep 5 TE: Graham, Kmet, Harris, Holtz, Raymond. 

I think they keep Horsted over Raymond. 

Peace

15 minutes ago, Connorbear said:

I think they keep Horsted over Raymond. 

Peace

This

17 minutes ago, Connorbear said:

I think they keep Horsted over Raymond. 

Peace

I think Raymond has more upside. Maybe they keep Horstead if they think they can sneak Raymond back on the practice squad again. 

4 hours ago, Bill said:

I need someone to help me understand why all the pundits etc. are making such a big deal about all the tight ends on the roster in April.  Should they not bring in perhaps one better then all of them just because they have to many.  Maybe they should only bring 60 players to training camp.  You don't need 90+.  I thought the idea was to have the best 53 when the season starts not in April.

 

And on a side note.  Today is the day my wife and I were to leave for our long planned month long trip to Europe.  In the world we live in it's not a big price to pay compared to so many.  But it was something we had planned for a year.

I'm in Thailand for 3 months that turned out to 5 months because of beer virus. hopefully my flight wont be canceled again.  Already have had canceled 3 times.  I think Thailand is paradise but with restrictions not as much. Good weather, great food and oodles of beautiful women.  ( SINGLE)

As far as TEs, when your bad at something you bring people in to improve the position.  By the time training camp comes, the herd will be thinned. Kmet, Graham, Harris, Holtz, and Hoested make it. They keep 5.

3 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I'm in Thailand for 3 months that turned out to 5 months because of beer virus. hopefully my flight wont be canceled again.  Already have had canceled 3 times.  I think Thailand is paradise but with restrictions not as much. Good weather, great food and oodles of beautiful women.  ( SINGLE)

Hope you get home soon. Be safe. 

Peace

10 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I'm in Thailand for 3 months that turned out to 5 months because of beer virus. hopefully my flight wont be canceled again.  Already have had canceled 3 times.  I think Thailand is paradise but with restrictions not as much. Good weather, great food and oodles of beautiful women.  ( SINGLE)

Yea, hope you get home soon also.  We canceled our trip back in Feb. when things started going south for just that reason.  Afraid we would get to Europe and everything would be closed.  Turned out much worse.

I hope this year is an  anomaly, I love to travel been to 23 countries so far . Want to add a few more.  

This years TE problem was last years kickers problem.  Next year it’ll probably be QB...?

But seriously I think they realize to make this offense work, especially if there is any hope Trubisky can run it, they need more double TEs.  And more that can catch mid-range passes.  To find that right combo they’re pulling out as many stops as reasonable.  Trying to find that Kelce in the rough.  

16 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

This years TE problem was last years kickers problem.  Next year it’ll probably be QB...?

But seriously I think they realize to make this offense work, especially if there is any hope Trubisky can run it, they need more double TEs.  And more that can catch mid-range passes.  To find that right combo they’re pulling out as many stops as reasonable.  Trying to find that Kelce in the rough.  

Greg Gabrial was on the 670 this evening breaking down the Bears draft.  He thinks that Kmet will be a good one, reminds him of a bigger, faster, and better Zach Ertz. This year he sees him playing the Y more while Graham does what hes best at playing the U.  He also said Johnson will plug right in opposite of Fuller. 

Don't really like Gabriel but he's not dumb when it comes to football. 

2 hours ago, Connorbear said:

Hope you get home soon. Be safe. 

Peace

Second that. Above all is the hope everyone stays safe and those stuck away from home can return soon. The draft has provided a good distraction. Glad the NFL is working towards keeping football going. My wife’s aunt and uncle both tested positive.  Her aunt was in far worse/dire shape with double pneumonia.  Thankfully she is making progress and is off the ventilator.  

As for TE, The “experts” seem to find crap to say no matter what we do.  We had the worst TE play in the entire league. It’s not like we’ll keep all. I agree it’s probably going to be 5. 

7 hours ago, Bill said:

I need someone to help me understand why all the pundits etc. are making such a big deal about all the tight ends on the roster in April.  Should they not bring in perhaps one better then all of them just because they have to many.  Maybe they should only bring 60 players to training camp.  You don't need 90+.  I thought the idea was to have the best 53 when the season starts not in April.

 

And on a side note.  Today is the day my wife and I were to leave for our long planned month long trip to Europe.  In the world we live in it's not a big price to pay compared to so many.  But it was something we had planned for a year.

It's the offseason, people just aren't all that creative in what they talk about, so they find something simple and go after it.  I don't care how many TEs we have in the offseason.  I'm far more concerned with how many "good" TEs we have.  

If we can get 80 recs and 900 yds, 10 TDs out of the position.  I don't care if one guy doesn't dominate. 

We actually have 11 counting Wagner as a UDFA. 

We had only 4 TE's on the 53-man on opening day last year: Ben Braunecker, Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, Bradley Sowell

If we only keep 4, it would seem to be Graham, Kmet, Harris, and Holtz. That's crazy, literally 1-4 upgraded. So Pace is owed some credit for fixing this black hole of death.

If we keep 5, then I think it would be Horsted who has had some playing time. I think they will cut Braunecker and Shaheen to save on the cap. If they are not worrying about cap, they may keep Braunecker instead of Horsted. It will be an interesting battle. Harris may not be a lock either. 

And then there were 9 (or 10 depending on who’s counting).  Dax Raymond released today after being an UDFA last year.

Interesting facts about Dak; played at Utah State where Packer 1st round pick QB Jordan Love was the starter.  Measures 6’5” and ~240#.  Just shy of three year career (left college as a junior) amassed 873 yards and 4 TDs.  

Yep, we should expect this to happen with a few others in the next few days.

 

3 hours ago, adam said:

We actually have 11 counting Wagner as a UDFA. 

We had only 4 TE's on the 53-man on opening day last year: Ben Braunecker, Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, Bradley Sowell

If we only keep 4, it would seem to be Graham, Kmet, Harris, and Holtz. That's crazy, literally 1-4 upgraded. So Pace is owed some credit for fixing this black hole of death.

If we keep 5, then I think it would be Horsted who has had some playing time. I think they will cut Braunecker and Shaheen to save on the cap. If they are not worrying about cap, they may keep Braunecker instead of Horsted. It will be an interesting battle. Harris may not be a lock either. 

I think Horsted has the inside track as a backup U TE over Holtz who is more redundant behind Kmet and Harris.   If we decide to keep 5 TEs that will all be based on special teams performance but cutting Braunecker says some money.   Bears must still be hoping for that conditional pick for Shaheen.   

If Sowell is one of the bodies being counted at TE, if I'm Castillo I ask him to put weight back on and compete at OT because your career depends on it.

On 4/27/2020 at 10:27 AM, lemonej said:

If Sowell is one of the bodies being counted at TE, if I'm Castillo I ask him to put weight back on and compete at OT because your career depends on it.

He gone.

Sowell is not listed on the roster. We currently have 9:

Braunecker, Clark, Graham, Harris, Holtz, Horsted, Kmet, Saubert, and Shaheen

UDFA Wagner is listed as a WR.

Locks: Graham, Harris, Kmet
Bubble: Braunecker, Holtz, Horsted, Shaheen
Likely cuts/PS: Clark, Saubert 

 

 

Am I the only one not entirely ready to give up on Shaheen?  I don't exactly expect him to be anything at this point, but if you are looking at what they can be at their best and deciding between, say, Braunecker and Shaheen, whose cap hits are about the same after June 1, I'd like to see Shaheen given one more shot.  Maybe he's more of a U TE and can be the back-up (and maybe learn from) Graham.  Maybe he gets one more chance to stay healthy.  Maybe he sucks and we cut him later anyway.  But the Bears don't need the $1.8 million the would gain by cutting him at the moment.  I know Braunecker has some ST value, but so do a lot of guys on this team. 

2 hours ago, dawhizz said:

Am I the only one not entirely ready to give up on Shaheen?  I don't exactly expect him to be anything at this point, but if you are looking at what they can be at their best and deciding between, say, Braunecker and Shaheen, whose cap hits are about the same after June 1, I'd like to see Shaheen given one more shot.  Maybe he's more of a U TE and can be the back-up (and maybe learn from) Graham.  Maybe he gets one more chance to stay healthy.  Maybe he sucks and we cut him later anyway.  But the Bears don't need the $1.8 million the would gain by cutting him at the moment.  I know Braunecker has some ST value, but so do a lot of guys on this team. 

I get it.  It sure would be nice if he were to ‘get it’.  If he actually played a little like Gronk we’d be sitting pretty with him as our TE.  His knock is his not being able to stay healthy. It seems like he's always injured. Even when he played it was like nearly every time he caught a pass he came up limping or wincing.  
 

If he were to hold it together long enough to not be hurt I’d like to see what he can do.  But he’s had three (?) years to do that and really running out of time.  After seeing Horstead and Holtz play last year it may come down to who’s done more lately?