Zach Miller down with concussion widens opportunities at key Bears need

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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Zach Miller, coming into camp as the No. 1 tight end after a breakthrough year, suffered a concussion on Sunday and was in the team’s concussion protocol program on Monday. Miller has been plagued with injuries throughout his career and the passionate hope of player and team is that this latest is not a foreshadowing.

Miller’s absence creates an immediate opening at a position that already was one of need before this latest development. No Miller means more playing time for Tony Moeaki, Greg Scruggs and a depth chart in need of someone stepping out.

Most years over the past decade or so the Bears’ tight end situation was reasonably settled before training camp began: Dez Clark, Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis/Matt Spaeth, Martellus Bennett. The No. 2 may not always have been clear, but the No. 1’s were generally close to every down players.

This year, the No. 1 is not in question – Miller. “He was our tight end at the finish of last season,” said coach John Fox. “He finished as our starter at tight end last year, a guy who made some big plays. A lot was made of his durability but he’s worked very hard and he’s having a very good camp so far.”

[SHOP: Gear up, Bears fans!]

But where most of his predecessors were 255-270 pounds, Miller is listed at 243 pounds and his value lies in his receiving skills, which is good but less than ideal for an offense expected to tilt even more toward the run than the 47 percent the Bears ran last year.

The Bears made serious but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to sign two tight ends last offseason (Jermaine Gresham, re-signed with Arizona; Josh Hill, offer sheet matched by New Orleans). Both were 250-260 pounds, a clear indication that the Bears wanted to beef up the position beyond Miller, who turns 32 in October.

Besides Rob Housler, Khari Lee and Gannon Sinclair already in-house, they cast a very wide net, ranging from NFL veterans (Moeaki) to undrafted free agents (Ben Braunecker, Joe Sommers).

But tight end on the rise may have come from the other side of the football, one of their own, converting defensive tackle Scruggs to tight end, a position he has played in his football life (Louisville). He has slimmed down (277) from his D-line size (300) and has impressed coaches as he gets his chances with the various offensive units.

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Scruggs struggled badly in pass protection on Monday but is acknowledged to be a work in progress going in.

“I think he had to change his body type when we first made the move in the offseason,” Fox said. “He had a couple soft-tissue issues early. He’s run quite a bit more and been more explosive as a receiver.

“But I like his development. He had [tight end] in his background so it’s not like something we just thought up. He’s a good at-the-point, ‘Y’ tight end. He needs to work a little bit to get more in receiving shape, and I think he’s done an excellent job.”

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