The Chicago Bears and the other 31 teams in the NFL are getting ready to start training camp in the coming weeks. The Bears will host camp at Halas Hall, with rookies showing up on July 19, followed by the vets on July 22.
There’s a lot of excitement going into this year’s training camp as its the second year of the Caleb Williams era, but the first year of the Ben Johnson experience. Bears fans are ecstatic to see what Johnson can do with this offense as they’ve had an upclose view over the years of his offense with the Detroit Lions.
With a first-time head coach taking over, it allows certain fringe vets and undrafted rookies to make a push for a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad. Johnson will be looking to find the best players over the next several weeks to see if they can help team into the playoffs.
At the same time, several former Bears are waiting for a phone call to be invited to a training camp or at least a workout. Keenan Allen is the most notable Bear still sitting in free agency after a so-so 2024 season.
Ex-Bears TE Gerald Everett Should Be on a Team Weeks Before Training Camp
However, he isn’t the only former Bears playmaker that still unsigned. Former Chicago tight end Gerald Everett is among the numerous vets waiting for a call to get invited to training camp or a workout.
Everett only spent one season with the Bears after signing a two-year, $12 million contract last offseason. At first, Chicago fans were somewhat puzzled by Chicago signing another tight end, especially since they had Cole Kmet, who does similar things in the passing game.
But the idea of running two tight-end sets with then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who coached Everett before, sounded like a good idea, especially with a rookie quarterback.
However, that dream never materialized as Chicago sent Waldron packing after nine games, and Everett was a non-factor in the passing game. He had a disappointing eight receptions (13 targets) for 36 yards.
The Bears parted ways with the 31-year-old Everett ahead of free agency, which freed up $5.5 million in cap space. The veteran pass catcher is not a bad tight end. If anything Everett’s lack of numbers in Chicago was more so an anomaly than the norm.
Before Everett arrived in Chicago, he had at least five consecutive years with 400-plus receiving yards and four seasons with at least 40 receptions. In Everett’s last year with the Los Angeles Chargers, which was in 2023, he had 51 receptions (70 targets) for 411 yards and three TDs.
Everett isn’t a tight end that will blow you away with speed or route running, but he knows how to get open and be that safety valve for a quarterback. Teams like Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, or New York Jets could use Everett as their TE2.
That said, we’ll see how the next few weeks pan out for the former Bear as he waits to receive an invite or workout for training camp.