Chicago Bears: 3 reasons why the offense will be top 10

An improved tight end group for the Chicago Bears

The tight end group has improved greatly from last season. As I said from the last slide, 12 personnel is essential to the Andy Reid-style of offense. Both of those teams run their offense through their tight ends who are consistently near the top of their team in receiving yards. Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz are necessary for that offense to be as good as it is.

With the addition of Jimmy Graham, it isn’t the sexiest signing in the world, but it fills the hole perfectly. The ‘U’ tight end that the Bears use will almost never be used to block on the line of scrimmage, which is why he struggled on the field in Green Bay. The ‘U’ normally is just split out as a wide receiver and wins mismatches against linebackers or tiny cornerbacks. He fits that role perfectly with his ability to complete yards after the catch and get open.

The additions of both Cole Kmet and Demetrius Harris both also fit the ‘Y’ tight end role well. Harris knows the system as he was with Matt Nagy in Kansas City and played there for five seasons as a successful blocking tight end. Now, he’s here to do the same in Chicago. Kmet will be sprinkled in here and there learning to run both positions as well since he will be the ‘Y’ early on, but will be the ‘U’ of the future who can also play ‘Y’.

To sum up, the Bears can now run out of 12 personnel with any combination of tight ends. They could run Harris + Kmet, Kmet + Graham, and even Harris + Graham. They have the flexibility to run the 12 personnel, which will also improve their run game with a good blocking tight end.