Change at Second Tight End for Bears
The Bears hope they have a second tight end alternative in the passing game after agreeing to terms with Chargers free agent Gerald Everett.
Everett agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, and is both more experienced and successful than any of the tight end options they've tried to team with tight end Cole Kmet.
Again, the Bears have addressed a lesser need in free agency just as they did at running back, but it is a need nonetheless.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end is familiar with Shane Waldron and his offense. Everrett, who turns 30 this summer, has had 33 or more receptions in six of his seven seasons and played from 2017-2020 with the Rams when Waldron was an assistant there. Then he went to Seattle in free agency and played one season in Waldron's offense before returning to L.A. but with the Chargers in 2022 and 2023.
In Waldron's offense, he had a high of 48 catches in 2021 for 478 yards. With the Chargers, he had 58 and 51 catches the last two years.
For his career, Everett has 284 receptions on 424 targets for 2,833 yards with 19 TDs.
A second-round pick by the Rams out of South Alabama in 2017, Everett was graded the 26th best tight end last year by Pro Football Focus. He's been more of a receiver than blocker over the course of his career and was only graded 54th of 72 run blockers last year at the position by PFF. Howeverr, he was a better run blocker while playing within the Waldron or Rams offense than with the Chargers.
The Bears have Kmet but Robert Tonyan Jr. and 40-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis are free agents.
The Bears haven't had more than 14 receptions from a second tight end since Kmet was the second tight end as a rookie with 28 catches and Jimmy Graham was the main tight end target with 50 catches in 2020.
Waldron's offenses made good use of three tight ends as targets in the last two seasons, with all getting at least 17 receptions in both years. He deployed plenty of 12- and 13-personnel packages.
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