How the Chicago Bears can fill their most surprising roster gap

It’s time for the Monsters of the Midway to address their tight end situation.

Actually, let’s rephrase that: It’s time for the Monsters of the Midway to accept the fact that there is a tight end situation. After all, in 2024, Bears tight ends Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, and Marcedes Lewis combined for 512 yards, the fifth-fewest in the league.

You can point to the offensive coaching staff’s lack of interest or ability to incorporate the tight end into the game plan. You can point to the rookie quarterback (Caleb Williams) having to navigate an offense eternally in flux.

Or you can point to Kmet et al just not being super-great at football.

Fortunately, the Bears do have choices

They’re Out There

While not flooded with options, there are a few tight end upgrades on the free agent market:

Zach Ertz

Zach Ertz with the grab and tough truck on an Eagles defender and even stared him down after it happened… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/TP3Sfm8QsM
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 26, 2025

Age: 34

2024 Team: Washington Commanders

2024 Stats: 66 receptions, 654 yards, seven touchdowns

The Skinny: Jayden Daniels might beg the Commanders’ front office to break the bank for Ertz, as the sure-handed veteran was his security blanket. Will Bears GM Ryan Poles want to fork over big bucks for a guy with 12 seasons under his belt? Probably not, but if it worked for Jayden, it’ll likely work for Caleb.

Mike Gesicki

Mike Gesicki passed 600 receiving yards on the season, triggering a $125k incentive.

He got it on the second play of the game 🤑 pic.twitter.com/4ANcp4aPHY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 5, 2025

Age: 29

2024 Team: Cincinnati Bengals

2024 Stats: 45 receptions, 476 yards, two touchdowns

The Skinny: The former Nittany Lion saw 83 targets in 2024, a huge number considering he shared a field with volume monsters Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. In Cincy’s final two weeks of the season, Joe Burrow targeted Gesicki 22 times, 18 of which the TE hauled in.

Austin Hooper

Drake to Hoop for a big gain and a first down!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/9HFuJWkMK1
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 10, 2024

Age: 30

2024 Team: New England Patriots

2024 Stats: 45 receptions, 476 yards, two touchdowns

The Skinny: The journeyman wouldn’t be a sexy addition, but he’d likely add more to the proceedings than Kmet.

Draft Winds Blow

In terms of the 2025 NFL Draft, the position is relatively thin, with Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland being the only two potential day one options. So if Poles wants to repair a position that’s at least somewhat broken, he’ll have to dig into his free agent kitty.