The Chicago Bears lost a lot when Cole Kmet went down with his knee injury a few weeks ago. He was a vital piece of their offensive system, serving as both a dependable blocker and an underrated receiving threat. His absence was felt against both Seattle and Tampa Bay. Rookie Sam Roush has done his best to fill the void, but he’s far from perfect. It will take time for him to grow into what the Bears envisioned when drafting him in the 3rd round. However, head coach Ben Johnson may have designs on a slight shakeup at tight end over the next few weeks.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, undrafted rookie Hayden Large has been going through football-related activity after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this year. That usually indicates a player is close to returning to practice. Large was somebody the Bears, especially Johnson, really liked coming out of Iowa. He had a great training camp and preseason, which is why the team elected to keep four tight ends on the roster. His injury was unfortunate.
“Undrafted rookie tight end Hayden Large, who was placed on injured reserve during the preseason and required core muscle surgery, has been doing some football-related activity in his recovery. I don’t know if the Bears are considering opening a return-to-practice window for him yet, but they could be headed that way.”
Ben Johnson knows what Large can bring.
If there is one thing you can always count on with Iowa tight ends, it is that they can block. Large was no exception. He received high grades for run-blocking coming out of college. Yet that wasn’t all of it. He was widely celebrated for his versatility, lining up everywhere from tight end to fullback and H-back. The guy lived for doing the dirty work. Teammates and coaches loved him. He was the beating heart of that Hawkeyes team during his time there, which is incredibly rare for a tight end.
There is no question that Ben Johnson hopes to get him involved. The blocking alone would be worth it. Chicago’s running game has suffered since Kmet’s exit. Inserting Large into the equation should be a positive for the offense, especially with all of the places he can line up. If he operates like the player he was in college, the Bears will have a utility piece that makes their offense even harder to defend. It would explain why they haven’t made any notable moves at tight end since Kmet’s injury.
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The Bears will likely look different in two weeks.
Remember, Johnson made significant changes to the offense after the bye last season. He switched to a more outside-zone rushing attack, feeling it best fit his personnel. This year will be much the same. Except this time, he’ll likely focus on deploying countermeasures against defenses like Minnesota’s and Tampa Bay’s. Their blitz-heavy scheme attacked the Bears’ interior of the offensive line with considerable success. The Bears must find ways to address this problem because they’re almost certain to face it in the playoffs.
Detroit offered some interesting solutions. Among them is lining up tight ends in the backfield to pick off blitzers as they come through. That is another reason having Large back in the lineup could prove beneficial. He and Roush could be useful in such a strategy for Johnson. Don’t be shocked if the Bears look like a significantly different offense when they take the field against New Orleans.
