Bears Could Face Bidding War for Austin Hooper
Considering what Austin Hooper could do for the Bears offense if they were able to land him, the Sun-Times report saying they'd be interested in pursuing him in free agency looks all the more valid.
Hooper is what the Bears thought Trey Burton was going to be before he came up with mysterious groin injuries, and surgeries that didn't seem to work last year.
If Pro Football Focus grades are to be trusted, Hooper compares favorably. Now coming off two straight Pro Bowl appearances, Hooper had his best PFF grade last year at 78.3. Burton never had a grade higher than 75.2, and when he did have that score during the Eagles Super Bowl season he was playing very few snaps.
In fact, this is the big problem with both Burton and tight end Adam Shaheen.
"It was a struggle for them," coach Matt Nagy said at the combine.
The only season when Burton played more than 29% of his team's offensive snaps was 2018 with the Bears. Hooper had a knee injury that cost him three games last year but has been available otherwise. He played every game in 2017 and 2018 and 14 in his rookie year of 2016.
Beyond availability Hooper's skills catching the ball are a colossal upgrade. Burton's lifetime catch/targets ratio is only 67.2%. Hooper's is 77.3% and was at 80.7% in 2018.
Blocking is always a consideration even at the U-tight end positiojn, and beating Burton's reputation as Pro Football Focus' best run-blocking tight end in 2018 isn't easy. But last year Burton wasn't that same blocker. And Hooper hasn't been regarded a poor blocker, either. He just had fewer and fewer opportunities to do it in Atlanta's offense once it became apparent he could catch passes.
At 6-foot-4, 254 pounds, he's a bigger player than Burton, who is 6-2, 238. So he should physically be able to handle the rigors of what the Bears ask of the U-tight end but is also big enough to line up at the Y-tight end and block, as well.
Hooper is actually far closer in size to two tight ends who've excelled in this offensive system, Travis Kelce (6-5, 260) and Zach Ertz (6-5, 250).
A huge problem with the Bears on offense since Matt Nagy arrived as coach has been lack of yards after the catch. They were near the bottom over the last two years in this statistic.
Hooper could help open up the middle of the field in this regard. He averaged 4.5 yards after the catch last year while they were getting only 2.6 from Burton.
The real problem with Hooper is not what he could bring to an RPO style offense like the Bears use, or how he would fit in as a blocker.
The issue is whether the Bears could afford him. Just because Spotrac.com has placed a $10 million a year market value on Hooper doesn't mean the Bears can win a bidding war to get his services.
The Washington Redskins just released Jordan Reed and need a tight end. They have $40 million more available under the salary cap more than the Bears have, according to Spotrac.com. The Dallas Cowboys have even more available than Washington and could be looking for a new tight end because Jason Witten's time seems up there. They do have to shell out a few dimes for Dak Prescott, but Jerry Jones has never been bashful about throwing money at someone with talent when he has it to spend. And he has it to spend.
The Patriots have wanted a tight end of Hooper's talent level since Gronk left, but do have to handle paying for their geriatric quarterback.
Then there are teams like Green Bay, which could use a tight end and has about the same money available as the Bears but does have an actual quarterback to throw Hooper the ball.
Talk about coming to a gun fight with a knife. The Bears could be completely overmatched in this auction.
Thinking the Bears are going after Hooper and actually being able to sign him are two different things.
It could be a bidding war the Bears couldn't win.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
