On November 30th, 2019 the Chicago Bears made a roster move. A rare one for them. They plucked a player from the practice squad of another team. That came when they secured the rights to tight end Eric Saubert from the Oakland Raiders. After initial reports of the move though, it quickly faded into the background. The team was coming off a huge comeback win in Detroit and breathing life into their playoff hopes.
Saubert didn’t get much attention at all.
So who is he? A native of Hoffman Estates, he attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Saubert excelled in his final two seasons there and did enough to become a 5th round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. He made six catches for 44 yards in his first preseason but failed to see meaningful action. For two years he remained stuck as a reserve. Then last year the Falcons traded up to the New England Patriots.
He failed to crack the final roster and eventually signed with the Raiders practice squad. With Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen going on injured reserve, the Bears needed tight ends. So they scooped Saubert up. Apparently he’s been standing out quite a bit in training camp.
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Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain both singled him out in their practice observations.
“Jahns: Eric Saubert really took the cue from Graham and started celebrating after his touchdowns and catches in camp. It’s only made him more noticeable. The expanded practice squad could be a good spot for Horsted, especially if the Bears believe he needs more time to develop. He’s behind on special teams, too.
Fishbain: Aside from his big catch from Trubisky during last Saturday’s scrimmage, Horsted wasn’t a huge factor. In fact, I thought Saubert was more consistently noticeable than last year’s fan favorite.”
Chicago Bears suddenly have significant depth at tight end
Head coach Matt Nagy has said on multiple occasions already that he loved the revamped tight end room this year. Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet are leading the way, but it’s clear others are standing out in practice too. Saubert seems to be one who is showing up in the highlights most often. The thing is this shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. Even three years ago draft experts felt the kid had a high ceiling. He was 6’5 with good speed and natural pass-catching ability.
Issues with him were lapses in concentration (drops) and little value as a blocker. While his blocking remains a mystery, it’s clear that receiving prowess hasn’t left him. The way things are going, he could find himself as the 4th or 5th tight end on the roster when the dust settles. This would give the Bears even more versatility and explosiveness in their passing game.
