Has the stock of Jesper Horsted gone up or down for the Chicago Bears this offseason?
Throughout his rookie season, the stock on Jesper Horsted has been soaring up. He went from an unknown UDFA from Princeton to a preseason stud who was making plays. Horsted went from camp body to practice squad member, and by the end of the season, injuries saw him on the active roster.
Horsted saw significant on-field work from weeks 13-17 as the Chicago Bears looked for anyone who could fill snaps at tight end. He finished the year with eight receptions and 80 yards and even got a little special teams work.
There is no doubt he finished off with his stock much higher than most optimistic minds would forecast.
Still, heading into 2020, he is going to be trending down. The Chicago Bears got their four-game look at Horsted. They likely were interested in what they saw. However, they also saw him over that span and aggressively added tight ends.
They added Demetrius Harris, they spent serious money on Jimmy Graham, and they spent their first draft pick of 2020 on Cole Kmet. Those are not the moves from a team that expects Jesper Horsted to be a contributor in 2020.
We wrote a post earlier about J.P. Holtz, and how despite the tight end moves, there was still room for a player as versatile as him on the roster. If the Bears went out of their way to add three players who will make an impact in 2020, and Holtz also has a shot because of his versatility, the numbers start to get tight.
Horsted has shown nothing as a blocker and has only participated in two of the four special teams units. It is going to be a climb for him to get back to where he finished 2019, which is active on Sundays. Horsted may stick around on the practice squad, but his stock is currently trending down.