Chicago Tribune
Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman isn’t going to stand up at the NFL scouting combine in a little more than a week and declare Kellen Davis capable of being a featured tight end.
That is what his predecessor Lovie Smith did a year ago shortly before the tight end was re-signed to a two-year, $6,004,805 contract, a deal that is scheduled to pay him $2.4 million in base salary this year with a $100,000 workout bonus.
“I think if you want to feature Kellen Davis you can do that,” Smith said. “Great size, great in-line blocker, skilled enough of an athlete to be able to move outside and do some things. I really like him.”
Davis had a world of opportunities. The only skill-position player on the roster who got more playing time was wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Davis was on the field for 920 of the 1,046 offensive snaps (87.95 percent) but he didn’t deliver as a threat in the passing game -- not even like he had in the red zone in the past. Davis entered the season with nine touchdown catches in 28 receptions but he scored just two touchdowns in a career-high 19 catches.
Quarterback Jay Cutler had a devil of a time hooking up with Davis. He was the intended target on 44 passes, meaning only 43.2 percent resulted in completions, a woeful ratio. Good pass-catching tight ends in the NFL are being targeted 80 times and more a season.
“Kellen had a rough year,” general manager Phil Emery said at his season-ending news conference. “The Kellen Davis that I saw caught the ball in the end zone the previous year. High percentage of his total career catches, which were not that high, were end zone catches, reliable in that area. Huge catch against Green Bay, although it didn’t add up in the end as far as us winning, that was a spectacular catch. Huge catch against the Jags. Has shown the ability just for whatever reason hasn’t been able to be consistent. I know that is an area he is going to work on and he is capable of improving, and I know he wants to improve.”
That doesn’t sound like a man that is driven to run Davis off. He doesn’t have to. Davis could fill a role on the team, but he’s out of place if the Bears are seeking a true threat in the passing game.
Offensive football has shifted some since Trestman last was in the NFL. Tight ends are being utilized much more. When Trestman was the offensive coordinator of the Raiders in 2002, he had two that received significant playing time – Doug Jolley (32 catches, 409 yards, 2 TDs) and Roland Williams (27 receptions, 213 yards). It remains to be seen how much Trestman would like to use a pass-catching tight end.
Roll call: Kyle Adams (signed through 2013), Kellen Davis (signed through 2013), Evan Rodriguez (signed through 2015), Matt Spaeth (signed through 2013).
2012 season review: A key reason the Bears did not get the tight ends more involved in the passing game is offensive coordinator Mike Tice made the decision to make them heavily involved in pass blocking. That is why rookie fourth-round draft pick Evan Rodriguez started the season doing something he didn’t spend much time on in training camp – playing fullback. Davis and Spaeth were called on to help protect Cutler and that prevented more opportunities in the passing game - or maybe more squandered opportunities.
The website Pro Football Focus analyzed the 62 tight ends with the most playing time in the NFL based on everything – pass catching, pass blocking, run blocking, penalties, etc. Davis ranked 58th, ahead of only the Cardinals' Rob Housler and Jeff King, the Raiders' Brandon Myers and the Bengals' Jermaine Gresham. Myers caught 79 passes for 806 yards with four touchdowns but received a horrendous run-blocking grade. Davis received PFF’s lowest pass-catching grade and was only adequate in their system as a pass blocker and run blocker.
Here is what will catch many by surprise: Spaeth wound up being the seventh-rated tight end based on a terrific run-blocking grade. Spaeth contributed very little as a receiver, catching six passes for 28 yards and one touchdown. But he helped on the edge in the running game and wound up being PFF’s top-ranked run blocker at the position and 16th-best pass blocker.
These grades are all subjective, but it’s one way of analyzing information that isn’t black and white statistically. You’d be hard-pressed, of course, to find anyone who would prefer Spaeth on their roster ahead of the Saints' Jimmy Graham or many of the other tight ends ranked below Spaeth.
Rodriguez looked to be an interesting player in training camp when
given a chance to run downfield, but that never materialized in the regular season.
He was also included in the running back recap and he’s here as well
because there is a good chance he will be moved back to tight end. Adams
also showed flashes in training camp but played rarely and was a
nonfactor in the passing game.
Free agency/draft priority: This is going to depend on what vision Trestman has for the offense. Emery’s role is to stock the roster with the type of players the coach wants to utilize. It is a strong draft for pass-catching tight ends and the Bears could look in that direction in Rounds 1 or 2. There should also be some options available in free agency. They have to know that asking Davis to be something he isn’t is a mistake that need not be repeated.
Free agency/draft priority: This is going to depend on what vision Trestman has for the offense. Emery’s role is to stock the roster with the type of players the coach wants to utilize. It is a strong draft for pass-catching tight ends and the Bears could look in that direction in Rounds 1 or 2. There should also be some options available in free agency. They have to know that asking Davis to be something he isn’t is a mistake that need not be repeated.
