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Detroit Lions, NFC North Position Rankings: Tight Ends

By Jack Ozark

Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) celebrates his touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) celebrates his touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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In part four of the offseason position rankings, we check in on the tight ends for the Detroit Lions and the rest of their NFC North rivals.

Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller (86) blows kisses to fans after he scores a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller (86) blows kisses to fans after he scores a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

In today’s edition of the NFC North Position Rankings, we’ll be looking at the tight ends of the Detroit Lions and the rest of their division. This position has been the hottest in football in recent years, as teams hunt for a player like New England’s Rob Gronkowski to morph their offenses.

Be sure to check in on all the previous rankings, along with all the new additions coming in the following weeks. We start in the Windy City…

4. Chicago Bears

Last season the Chicago Bears got some solid production from the veteran Zach Miller. Then Week 11 came and Miller suffered a broken foot, ending his season. It would help the team immensely if he can come back without missing a beat, especially if they want to start the season with rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

This injury caused the Bears to go with young players at the position to see if one of them could make up the production. MyCole Pruitt, Daniel Brown, and Ben Braunecker are all still with the Bears, though their roster spots don’t seem to be too safe. If I had to pick one though, I would go with Brown who is almost a physical clone of Miller, just younger.

That injury is probably what lead the Bears to realize that tight end was a position of need for them this offseason. They first went into free agency, signing ex-Miami Dolphin, Dion Sims, and then into the draft selecting Adam Shaheen.

Sims has been a solid second tight end through his first four years in the NFL. What he brings to the Bears is a great option in both run blocking and receiving. And unlike Miller, Sims still holds some upside. This could bring him into the starting lineup before the season’s end.

That is unless the rookie shines. Shaheen was drafted in the second round of last year’s draft and he seems to be a bright spot in Bears camp already. Division II players drafted that early will make some worrisome, but he seems to already have a nice grasp on the game.

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