Chicago Bears: 5 Overlooked free agents Ryan Pace needs to sign

Tyler Eifert – TE

Many people believe that Cole Kmet is the top tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft class. He is a local kid who attended Notre Dame and looks to have the skill set needed for Matt Nagy’s offense. That is fantastic, but I think the Bears could find some life at the tight end position from a different Notre Dame player by adding Tyler Eifert in free agency.

Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry and Eric Ebron will cost teams a large sum of money. Greg Olsen was one option I liked, but he signed with the Seattle Seahawks for one year and $7 million dollars. This means Tyler Eifert should come in at an even more reasonable price.

Eifert is five years younger than Olsen, but he is no spring chicken. He will be 30 during the 2020 NFL season. He has not played much during his time in the NFL either. He played in 15 games his rookie year and broke out in 2015 for a Pro Bowl season. In 2015, he still only played in 13 games. When healthy, Eifert is an established top-10 tight end though, and signing him seems like a risk I would be willing to take.

The Bears could still add a tight end in the draft. Heck, maybe they add Kmet still and pair up the Fighting Irish alumni. The difference between Eifert who many will complain is an injury risk and Trey Burton is that Eifert has proven he can be elite. I am okay taking a flyer on a guy like that. Burton has been nothing but average at best.

Eifert is coming off a year where he played all 16 games too. He caught 43 balls for 436 yards and three touchdowns. If rumors about Andy Dalton to Chicago come true, this connection could be ideal for the Bears too. Give Eifert a two or three-year deal worth somewhere around $4 to $5 million in AAV and I would be okay with it.