Chicago Bears must test Lions tight end defense

The Detroit Lions had issues stopping tight ends in 2019. The Chicago Bears should try to flex their new tight ends off against them

We have heard all offseason about the Chicago Bears and their tight ends. When you spend big money on Jimmy Graham and draft Cole Kmet with your highest draft pick, there are serious expectations attached to what Chicago did at the position.

We know Matt Nagy views tight end as a position that can unlock an offense. Now that he has his new arsenal, we have a real chance to see his vision first hand. The Detroit Lions may be a nice defense to face for that to get off on the right foot as well.

While the Bears spent their summer attempting to fix the tight end position, the Lions have to shake their 2019 woes at defending the tight end. The Lions ranked 29th in success rate and 22nd in yards per attempt against the tight end position in 2019.

Tracy Walker is an ascending talent at the safety position, and his tackle numbers show upside in year one. However, some of the reasons his tackle numbers are high are because of he was targeted in the passing game.

According to PFF, Walker was fourth amongst safeties in yards allowed per snap played in 2019. He also was second in touchdowns allowed, with five.

To be fair to Walker, he was being asked to do a lot. With Duron Harmon signed as a free safety, he Walker will have one focus on defense. However, that focus will be tight end and running back defense, and he deserves to be tested in that area.

Beyond that, the Lions brought in Jaime Collins, who has excelled in coverage as well. This makes considering Jarrad Davis has been a liability in coverage.

The Lions invested in making their defense over the middle of the field better. The Chicago Bears invested in making their offense over the middle of the field better. Sunday we should see which team was able to make those changes on the fly quicker.