Will Trey Burton lead Chicago Bears in receiving?
The Chicago Bears gave invested heavily in Trey Burton after being unproven for most of his career. Can he go from unproven signing to leading the team in receiving?
The Chicago Bears gave Trey Burton a surprising amount of cash given what he has produced on the field. However, the team is betting on the projection of what Burton can be.
Burton is a versatile weapon who can make plays in a variety of ways. The idea is that with that versatility, the team can get the ball in his hands in a variety of ways. After watching a week of OTA practices, Brad Biggs of the Chicago-Tribune is really high on Burton and sees him as a candidate to lead the team in receiving. When asked who he thought would lead the team in receiving he mentioned Allen Robinson, but also stated that Burton will be in the mix.
"Also in the mix to lead the team will probably be tight end Trey Burton. As far as tops in touchdown catches, I’d probably go with Robinson or Burton."
This is a bit surprising. If you have read the blog, one thing that I have noted with Trey Burton is that the team likely sees him giving them a lot of value pre-snap. Burton can motion into these formations and help Mitchell Trubisky diagnose coverages.
The team does not necessarily have to feed him the football, but he will be on the field and he will be earning respect and creating value. However, I would be surprised if that leads to leading the team in receiving.
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As mentioned, Robinson is the top dog. He could very easily lead the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. However, Anthony Miller is the sleeper who could ascend over Burton statically. He is going to be 23 years old next season and is ready contribute right away. He is great with the ball in his hands and can be a threat on the outside and in the slot.
A true sleeper to pick up major receiving yards is Tarik Cohen. The team is going to get him involved in the passing game a lot and he has the breakaway ability to turn that into huge yards. Between Cohen and Burton, the two could be much closer in yards than some may think.
In terms of touchdowns, Robinson is the top dog but a sleeper to look for would be Adam Shaheen. Shaheen is a better blocker than recognized. He has the size and will be seeing the field enough, especially in the red zone. The team is going to be targeting Shaheen in the end zone and if he can come through in the clutch, he will lead the team in touchdowns.