There are so many choices for who could be the Chicago Bears breakout player of 2018. That’s how high the optimism is around the team these days. GM Ryan Pace has built a young core of intriguing talent and surrounded that with a long list of high potential role players. Anyone of them has enough skills to warrant being the choice. So who is the name experts are keying on?
Well, the obvious one is of course quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Everything the Bears have done this offseason was geared towards making him a success. They fired John Fox and replaced him with the offensive-minded Matt Nagy. They spent big in free agency and the draft at wide receiver to get Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller among others.
That doesn’t even include promising offensive lineman James Daniels. If things go as planned it could be a huge year for the young quarterback. However, there is a small underground movement that has another name in mind, and it appears to be growing.
Trey Burton gaining in the race to be labeled Chicago Bears breakout player
Perhaps the most controversial name the Bears signed in free agency was tight end Trey Burton. The hero of Super Bowl LII, he earned a reputation as one of the best gadget players in the league and also a credible red zone threat. Yet he’s never before been the feature guy in an offense. So people aren’t sure what to expect.
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Some though have a growing confidence that in the tight end-friendly system Nagy employs, he has a chance to not only produce more but excel. Brad Stevens of Yahoo Sports explained his reasoning.
Trey Burton. Phenomenal athletic profile. Expected to fill the Travis Kelce slot role in Matt Nagy's offense. Always showed occasional flashes of greatness with the Eagles. Blessed with a major opportunity in a revamped Bears offense, he's set to explode. https://t.co/C1bZlKFc9c
— Brad Evans (@YahooNoise) July 4, 2018
CBS Sports went on to elaborate on why Burton may be overlooked. It’s easy to get lost in his modest numbers during his time in Philadelphia, but that may not have been his fault. Burton was trapped on a loaded tight ends depth chart that featured quality veteran Brent Celek and emerging Pro Bowler Zach Ertz.
Without those two to hold him down, he showed what he could do.
“Burton has proven to be a good Fantasy tight end whenever he got the chance for a featured role in place of an injured Zach Ertz. That happened twice in 2017 when Ertz was out in Week 9 against Denver and Week 14 against the Rams. Against the Broncos, Burton had two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown on four targets. Against the Rams, Burton had five catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. And in Week 2 of the 2016 season with Ertz out, Burton had five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown on seven targets against the Bears.”
In truth, there’s no reason to think Burton can’t thrive in Chicago. He’s got size, he’s athletic, can run, has good hands and shows a clear understanding of how to play different roles. He shows all the qualities of a player who merely needs somebody to give him a chance. Somebody who is willing to look past the production and see a player that is ready to do so much more.
The Bears seem prepared to offer that opportunity, which explains why he was so eager to sign here. He’s out to prove something. They merely gave him a platform to do it.
