Chicago Bears: 5 moves to help improve team before Week 1

Trade tight end Daniel Brown

One of my favorite battles to watch over the course of training camp and preseason has been between tight ends Daniel Brown and Ben Braunecker. I like both of these guys. Just because I have gone on record saying Braunecker should be the last man kept doesn’t mean I don’t like Brown.

In fact, because I do believe Brown is a good player, I think there would be value in trading him. A team like the Los Angeles Chargers comes to mind after the loss of Hunter Henry left them without a viable pass-catching tight end on the roster. At the moment, the only notable name they have at the position is veteran Virgil Green, who is more of a blocking tight end than anything.

Pace would be smart to at least dangle Brown out on the trade block so that maybe a team like the Chargers would bite. With Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin, the Chargers are loaded on offense. The only thing missing is a tight end who can catch the ball.

Will Antonio Gates be back? Many have guessed so, but even then, Brown is younger and probably faster at this point in Gates’ career. The Chargers have Super Bowl aspirations with a strong defense paired to their offense, and Brown would be an asset to a team like that. If Chicago could get a late-round pick for Brown and keep Braunecker, I’d call that a serious victory.