2016 East West Shrine Game Recap (Offense)

Tight End:

Will the Bears keep Martellus Bennett this offseason? It’s doubtful after Bennett clashed with the new coaching staff, missed multiple games with injuries, and is likely to hold out again for more money. Backup TE Zach Miller is also a free agent, so the Bears could be extremely thin at the position going into 2016. There is a chance both Bennett and Miller will be back, but most likely at least one of them will be gone and the Bears will be looking to add talent at the position.

Devon Cajuste, Stanford – Technically a wide receiver, but Cajuste is a step or two slow (4.60) for the position at the next level and has the size (6’3 | 234) to be a receiving TE or H-back in the NFL. He had a very productive college career (90 catches, 14 TDs) and a good week of practice at the Shrine game. During the game Cajuste he had 2 catches for 20 yards, but made the key block on a 43-yard screen pass, and showed some ability to run after the catch.

He averaged 17.6 yards per catch during his college career, so there is definitely some YAC ability there and Cajuste could play a similar role with the Bears as TE Zach Miller did in 2015. It would take some time for him to adjust to a new position, but the upside is there and may be worth the wait.

Steve Scheu, Vanderbilt – Only had one catch for four yards during the game, but had a solid week of practice with multiple tough catches. Scheu led all SEC tight ends in receiving yards in 2014 with 525 yards, but QB problems last year limited Scheu to just 240 yards. He doesn’t have explosive speed (4.79) but knows how to get open, has excellent hands, and gives good effort as a blocker.