The Chicago Bears are in serious need of depth at these three positions

The Chicago Bears need some serious depth at tight end too

With Cole Kmet emerging as a reliable target from the tight end position, it is safe to say he is the clear starter going forward. Over his first two years, he has shared time with Jimmy Graham, Jesse James, J.P. Holtz, and Jesper Horsted. Going into the next offseason, these players are all on expiring contracts and the tight end position will have to be filled out behind Kmet.

It is not necessarily a position of need, but a deep tight end room can be valuable for a young quarterback and for the running game. Getting another blocking tight end could be valuable in order to help protect Justin Fields and better the run game.

The Bears will most likely look to use a steady dose of 12-personnel, especially if the offensive line is still weak. Kmet will see the main chunk of the reps, but who should the Bears fill the position out with? The top two in-house candidates are Jesse James and Jesper Horsted. They both played very well this past year and should be considered for re-signing. James is a veteran who can catch and is a great blocker. Horsted has shown to have great hands and is a reliable target in the red zone. He is also young and seems to have potential if he gets the reps he needs.

If the Bears look to free agency, they should consider some lower-level names like Ian Thomas and Tyler Kroft, both of who block very well and can be used in the passing game. Names like Robert Tonyan and Mo Allie-Cox could be considered as well if the Bears want to deploy a two-tight end system more often.

There are plenty of good options in free agency for the Bears as well as internal options. They can also take a flier on a late-round draft pick at the tight end position, but they probably will look to other positions in the draft. Either way, they should look to fill out the tight end spot behind Cole Kmet.