We at Bear Goggles On have decided to count down the days until the Chicago Bears’ regular season opener on September 13th against their arch-rivals, the Green Bay Packers. As of today, there are 84 days until the big day, giving us a reason to give you a profile on tight end, #84 Blake Annen.
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Overview
Annen entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 out of Cincinnati. Collegiately, he appeared in 45 games for the Bearcats hauling in 19 receptions for 218 yards (11.5 ypr) and two touchdowns over four seasons (2010-13). He appeared in three preseason games with Philadelphia before being waived on August 23.
The Bears signed him to the practice squad on September 17 and he was promoted to the Bears’ roster in November. Annen filled the roster spot of offensive guard Matt Slauson, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. Even though he was active for 5 games last year, he did not record any catches or tackles on special teams.
What to from Annen in 2015
With the offseason additions of Bear Pascoe (ATL) and Chris Pantale (NYJ), it may be a difficult task for Annen to win a roster spot. After starter Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario and Zach Miller seem to be locks for the reserves on the tight end depth chart in 2015.
According to many scouting reports, Annen has great speed for a tight end as he posted 4.41 40-yard time and can stretch the field well. He has also been said to be a scrappy blocker. However, he is too undersized and is said to lack power and bulk to be an every day starting tight end or even a serviceable reserve blocker. Even with the great speed, he has been slated as not elusive enough.
With that said, it will be an interesting competition in camp after Bennett and the most intriguing player is Zach Miller. The depth for this position group has to be in question and a little concerning. With that said, I think that you can and WILL see Zach Miller emerge as a very solid option if he can stay healthy (which is a big “if”). If he can, he is clearly the best pass catcher after Bennett and has all of the athletic skills to be a very good NFL tight end.
I think Miller overtakes Rosario and will see a good chunk of playing time in 2015, while Annen will most likely be the odd man out come September. You never know, though, and anything can happen. I’m excited to see what some of these young tight ends can do.
What are you expecting out of the tight end position in 2015?
Next: Zach Miller Days Until the Chicago Bears Season Opener