2017 Bears position grades: Tight ends

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2017 grade: D+

Level of need: Medium

Decisions to be made on: Zach Miller (free agent), Dion Sims (contract), Daniel Brown (RFA)

Possible free agent targets: Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, Ed Dickson, Tyler Eifert, Virgil Green

This position hinges on the evaluations of two players: Dion Sims and Adam Shaheen. How Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace view those two guys will shape what the Bears do at tight end in free agency.

Sims looked like an ascending player when the Bears signed him to a three-year deal last March. Always regarded as a strong blocking tight end, Sims made strides as a receiver in his final year in Miami, catching 26 of 35 targets (74 percent) for 256 yards with four touchdowns -- neither great nor good numbers, but for a strong run blocker, solid and reliable enough. He improved his catch percentage every year of his career with the Dolphins, but regressed hard in 2017, catching only 15 of his 29 targets (52 percent) for 180 yards with one touchdown. Not all of those missed targets were his fault, of course, but he did have a handful of drops that looked worse when he averaged fewer than two targets per game.

So here’s part one: Do the Bears think Sims’ receiving numbers in 2017 were an aberration, or did they see enough on tape in terms of run blocking to keep him around? This is especially relevant, as cutting Sims would result in around $5.6 million in cap savings, per Spotrac.

Part two is how the Bears view Shaheen’s role going forward. The previous coaching staff largely kept Shaheen as the “Y” tight end, which is Sims’ position, last year, while Zach Miller and Daniel Brown manned the more pass-catching oriented “F” spot. If the Bears feel Shaheen made enough strides as a blocker to take over the “Y” full-time, they could go hunt for an “F” in free agency.

Jimmy Graham -- who Pace knows well from his New Orleans days -- could be an option there, though he’s no longer the 1,000-yard menace he was with the Saints a few years ago. Still, Graham caught 10 touchdowns and totaled 520 yards last year, and hasn’t missed a game since 2015. Trey Burton, the Eagles’ tight end who threw that Philly Special touchdown to Nick Foles in the Super Bowl, is also a free agent who could fit if the Bears see Shaheen as a complete “Y” tight end.

Or maybe the Bears see Shaheen as better-suited for the “F” and keep Sims, or look at someone like Denver’s Virgil Green in free agency to be more of a blocker. The Bears could also look at taking a flier on Tyler Eifert, the oft-injured former Bengals first-round pick who caught 13 touchdowns in 2015 but has only played in 10 games since. There are other options out there, too, but the Bears will only cross those bridges in free agency if Sims is released.

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