Chicago Bears: Team tries out former basketball player DJ Johnson at tight end
Former Kansas State basketball player D.J. Johnson will try out with the Chicago Bears as a tight end.
After winning just nine games in the past two seasons, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace will leave no stone unturned in his quest to change the team’s misfortunes. Any method of doing that, be it conventional or imaginative, will be used.
That includes looking into basketball players to play football.
Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star reported that D.J. Johnson of the Kansas State Wildcats received an invitation to try out for the Bears as a tight end. The Bears already have Zach Miller and Dion Sims as their top two tight ends, but they are injury risks so they need some depth just in case.
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Johnson averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in his senior season with the Wildcats. He does have some football experience, however, playing tight end and defensive end at Parkway North High School in St, Louis. He was an all-conference player.
I guess the Bears are trying to find the same success other teams had with basketball players. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez played basketball, as did Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates. Between the three of them, they have 26 Pro Bowl appearances and 10 first-team All-Pro selections.
If Johnson can make the team (right now a big if), the Bears could use his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame. He could certainly outjump most defenders. He could be an invaluable asset in the red zone, where the Bears have been horrible the last few seasons.
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Of course, this may end up being nothing and we’ll never remember his name again. At least you see Pace and the Chicago Bears trying something, ANYTHING, to end this bad era in franchise history. I’m all for doing anything you can. Thinking outside the box is very good as well. Let’s see if this actually turns into something.