Bears may have a chance to end tight end woes with Austin Hooper

The Chicago Bears are doing anything and everything in their power to find help at tight end. They currently employ no fewer than seven players at that position. Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, Bradley Sowell, J.P. Holtz, and Ben Braunecker are on the main roster. Dax Raymond and Jesper Horsted sit on the practice squad. That should underscore just how much value head coach Matt Nagy puts in the position and how key it is to the Bears' system. When watching Kansas City (Travis Kelce) and Philadelphia (Zach Ertz), it's not hard to see why.

What the Bears have currently isn't getting it done. Burton still hasn't seemed right since his groin issues surfaced before the playoffs back in January. Shaheen has done next to nothing this year or pretty much for most of his stint in Chicago. The two have combined for 107 yards on 18 catches with no touchdowns. That is not the sort of production the Bears were hoping for from a guy they handed $8 million and another who was a 2nd round pick.

It feels like another move will have to be made in 2020 to again try and find that elusive playmaker. Luckily one seems to be emerging in Atlanta who should be on their radar named Austin Hooper.

Austin Hooper is starting to show exactly what Bears need

Hooper, a former 3rd round pick in 2016, had morphed into a steady pass target over the past two years for the Atlanta Falcons. However, things are blossoming this season. The 24-year old tight end is off to a scorching start through the first six games, posting 42 catches for 480 yards and three scores. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has been most impressed with his savvy ability to find the open spaces in coverage.

“It’s really not that we’re seeing a mismatch, but he’s in the right place at the right time,” Koetter said. “(Quarterback) Matt (Ryan) is hitting him a lot as a check-down, and then he’s also hitting him sometimes as a primary receiver. Hoop is getting himself open. He has a good feel versus man and versus zone. He’s taking advantage of his opportunities.”

This is both great news and bad news for the Falcons.

Great because he's doing so well for them, but bad because it's driving up the price tag on keeping him beyond 2019. Hooper will be a free agent in 2020. According to OverTheCap.com, Atlanta is currently projected to be over $10 million in the red to start next offseason. At his current pace, it's possible the tight end could command top dollar, which would be upwards of $10 million per year.

Right now it doesn't look like the Falcons are in a position to create enough space to keep him, let alone retain some of their other key free agents like Vic Beasley. He might end up being an unfortunate sacrifice to maintain salary stability, opening the door for a team like the Bears to pounce.

Though Chicago has cap issues of their own ($4 million in the red in 2020), they're in a far better position to create more space for themselves. Releasing older veterans like Kyle Long and Prince Amukamara would net $16.1 million alone. Cutting Shaheen would bring another $1.27 million. Mike Davis would add $3 million. There are other options too if the need arises. This should give them the flexibility to pursue Hooper. A player who is exactly what GM Ryan Pace covets in free agency.

Young and trending up in his career.