Analyzing the Bears TE Room, Post-Hibernation

With Chicago Bears organized team activities (OTAs) underway and training camp right around the corner, it's time to start familiarizing yourself with the team's roster. This year, I've chosen to break this down as individual articles for each position group. Look out for two positional previews per week, paired with podcast episodes available on both Apple and Spotify , as well as the live stream on YouTube !

• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers

Shane Waldron's Scheme

In 2023, Shane Waldron was the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. His offense featured a notable rate of heavy personnel packages. That means more tight ends than the average NFL team. In 2023, Waldron used formations featuring multiple tight ends on 31.1% of offensive snaps. He used 12 personnel (two tight ends) at the 10th-highest rate and 13 personnel (three tight ends) at the second-highest rate.

I'm coming away with conflicting thoughts as I dig to figure out what exactly Waldron's offense is. He runs an offense that uses tight ends heavily but passes the football more often than expected and generates explosive pass plays at a high rate. My brain tells me that heavy personnel packages with a high pass rate shouldn't lead to high explosive pass rates.

Ultimately, I wonder if I might be falling into the same illusion that Waldron wants defensive coordinators to buy into. His offense has multiple layers that are hard to derive from surface-level data. It seems like Waldron can configure his offense to the personnel he has available, which is a trait in high demand.

When the offensive line is reeling, he's been able to play heavy and protect the blockers with help while still generating explosives. From heavy formations, Waldron generated above-average EPA per play on both passing and rushing plays. When he was comfortable leaning on 11 personnel, he generated above-average EPA per play on both passing and rushing plays.

Chicago Bears Tight End Room

One interesting note with Waldron's offense is the tight end archetypes he's typically targeted. Historically, Waldron's TE1 has been more similar to Gerald Everett than Cole Kmet while his typical TE2 has been of the blocking variety. That's not to say that Kmet will be on the field less in 2024, but more to question what role the team has in mind for Everett . Maybe the Everett addition was more about adding a weapon before the Keenan Allen trade and Rome Odunze draft pick came to fruition.

Cole Kmet

Kmet is your traditional tight end. He can play in-line and as a blocker, but he can also be used a bit in the slot and on designed looks. He's a jack of all trades but a master of none. That versatility will keep him on the field and has historically helped him eat up yards on well-designed and executed play-action passes.

In his career, Kmet has shown consistent growth in his route running and production. While he'll never have the body type or flexibility to be a consistent threat after the catch, he'll consistently find soft spots in zones and win with physicality. His route deception is the thing that has grown the most over the years. Kmet has become very deceptive when releasing from the line of scrimmage to show himself as a blocker before flying past linebackers bracing to stack and shed.

In 2024, I expect Kmet's volume to decline a decent amount. With the additions of Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Gerald Everett, there are only so many targets. Although, I could see his efficiency improve, as his yards per reception have been below average for three of his four years in the NFL.

Gerald Everett

Everett's usage is one of the things I'm most interested to see in this offense. How much can you justify Everett getting snaps over Keenan Allen or Rome Odunze? Because you can't play three wide receivers and two tight ends unless you take the running back off the field.

As the second-string tight end, Everett is an odd fit for Waldron. Typically, Waldron's backup tight ends are blockers first, while Everett is a pass catcher first. I'm sure they have a plan for him within the offense, but trying to figure that out has been difficult.

Everett is an efficient pass catcher who offers juice after the catch. He's on the other end of the spectrum from Kmet, being a flexible, bendy athlete who can make tacklers miss. Over his last five NFL seasons , Everett has recorded above-average figures in both yards after catch per reception and missed tackles forced per reception.

Other Tight Ends

The Bears' tight end outlook is pretty empty behind Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. One interesting player to consider here is veteran fullback Khari Blasingame. In his career, Blasingame has played 12% of his snaps in line, 5% out wide, and 4% in the slot. Over the last two seasons, he's played 20% of his snaps in line, 9% out wide, and 7% in the slot.

Fullbacks aside, the Bears' tight end room also features Tommy Sweeney, Stephen Carlson, and Brendan Bates. Sweeney has played 464 offensive snaps in his five-year NFL career but hasn't played an offensive snap since 2022. Carlson has played 297 offensive snaps in his five-year NFL career but hasn't played any offensive snaps since 2020. Bates is a rookie UDFA out of Kentucky.

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