Ben Johnson Appears To Have Found His Gerald Everett Replacement

It became obvious the Chicago Bears would be revamping the tight end position after they released veteran Gerald Everett last month. Head coach Ben Johnson knows the position well. He coached it at Boston College with the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions. One can safely assume he has particular types he prefers for the position and Everett didn't fit it. According to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, it appears Johnson may have found the first piece in the reshaping of the position. This was quickly confirmed by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

It appears the Bears are targeting free agent Durham Smythe. The 29-year-old has spent his entire career with the Miami Dolphins. He and Johnson overlapped in 2018. Such familiarity makes the move easy to understand. Smythe is what you'd call a jack-of-all-trades. He's not special in any category, but he finds many ways to contribute. He has 132 career catches for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns. He's a highly experienced blocker, having allowed 31 pressures on 513 career snaps.

Last but not least, he has 11 special teams tackles.

Ben Johnson is looking for gritty run blockers.

That has been Smythe's reputation since Notre Dame. He loves to get after it on the ground, bringing a reputation for toughness. Together with Cole Kmet, the Bears suddenly have a pair of tight ends who can really help open up the running game. Ben Johnson is fully aware this team was 25th on the ground last season. That will not fly with him. Running the ball was the core of his success in Detroit. Smythe won't fix everything by himself. That said, his addition should help change the Bears' identity to something fans haven't seen in a long time. The best part is he is likely to cost far less than Everett did.