Trey Burton was said to be getting healthier and healthier. How is it that the last practice before the game against his previous team (Eagles) he ends up on the injury report as a limited participant?
Well Bears fans, here we go again. The last time the Chicago Bears faced off against the Eagles it was in the Wild Card round of the 2018 playoffs. You all remember the double-doink game. Do you remember how Trey Burton mysteriously popped up on the injury report and was declared out for the game? Are we experiencing deja vu this week?
The Friday injury report came out for the Chicago Bears today and Burton was a limited participant in practice. His game-time status is not listed, which means this could be a complete overreaction by me. That said, I do not think I am alone. Burton has made mention of anxiety before. Is it possible he does not want to play against his close friends and old teammates on the Eagles?
Matt Nagy has stated a few times that he felt Trey Burton is starting to get healthier. He has said that Burton was showing signs of improvement and that we should expect to see him back to his old self. Burton has struggled this year. The offense has too, but Burton alone has looked bad. He has not been blocking well, not that he ever could. He also has not looked crisp in his routes.
Last season, Burton finished with six touchdowns and 569 yards on 54 catches. His yardage was a career-high and his catch rate was 71.1 percent. Burton saw 76 targets in Matt Nagy’s offense last season. This year, he is only on pace for 50 targets. This could be due to his poor routes. It could also be because of his 63.6 percent catch percentage. That is a significant drop off from last season.
In fact, Burton only had three drops last year. This year he already has another three despite having 54 fewer targets on the year compared to last. Burton will likely be on the team again in 2020 due to his contract, but another tight end will be targeted by Ryan Pace. This will have to hold true whether in the draft or free agency. One thing is for sure Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen have been complete disappointments.
If Burton ends up not playing this game, my opinion is that it has nothing to do with a physical injury and more to do with a mental blockage.