Chicago Bears: Hunter Bryant would fix the tight end problem

The Chicago Bears desperately need help at tight end and Hunter Bryant could be the answer.

Entering this offseason, the Chicago Bears have a number of areas that need to be addressed. Over the course of the 2019 season, many areas were exposed, but perhaps none more than the tight end position.

In the preseason, there were reasons for optimism about the tight end group. Trey Burton was coming off a successful 2018 campaign, even if it ended early due to injury. Adam Shaheen, the second-round pick in 2017, was finally healthy and appeared ready to contribute meaningful snaps to the offense. The team also had offensive lineman Bradley Sowell transform his body in the offseason to make the transition to tight end, to go along with Ben Braunecker. Finally, they went out and signed undrafted free agents Dax Raymond and Ian Bunting, who flashed in training camp.

Looking back, the Bears deployed a number of resources to the position in an attempt to bolster its production, as outside of Burton, it yielded very little. No one foresaw that the most productive tight ends to end the year would end up being Jesper Horsted and J.P. Holtz.

But that’s the reality for Ryan Pace and the team as they start to make plans for a critical offseason. They could choose to address the position in free agency, and while they may, they should also target a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft. And if they do, the perfect fit for this offense would be Washington University’s, Hunter Bryant.