Bears add Demetrius Harris

[WindyCity]

26 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

I keep seeing that he is a good Y blocker.  He is 6’7 and 229.  I don’t buy it. 

How can he possibly block emlos with those dimensions?  Maybe he blocks 2nd level players okay, I don’t know. 

He is a tall red zone target about it.  

I will keep shouting from rooftops my assessment.  Bears main offensive problem is they lack physicality from frontline players -  O line and TE and (no) FB.  

Yes Trubisky has not been good, but you still have to solve above first.  Brady, Brady!, struggled last year with same problem and had a better defense or a defense that played better anyway.  2019 Brady is 100x better than 2019 MT and Pats offense still struggled because they lacked any kind of physical play from their frontline players last year. 

And Pats were just lacking in physicality.  They weren’t also blowing assignments left and right.  Bears were doing both. 

The thing is we have like 80 NFL games that show he is a solid blocker.

[topwop1]

35 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

You should go back and watch the 2019 49ers oline play and juxtaposition it with Bears oline.  

Forget talent difference and just focus on technique and assignment execution.  You don’t have to be talented to have good fundamentals and you don’t have to be talented to do your assignment. 

Embarrassing really.  

Well hopefully the hiring of new TE's coach Clancy Barone helps out in terms of proper technique from these guys.

This guy has a lot of experience coaching up TE's so we can probably expect improvement alone just from his addition.

[dll2000]

1 hour ago, WindyCity said:

The thing is we have like 80 NFL games that show he is a solid blocker.

This looks exactly like what Bears TEs did on this same exact play again and again:

Just one play, but its only one I found on short notice.

Show me some good highlights of him blocking EMLOS and I will be convinced.  

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by dll2000
changed my to me

[dll2000]

Good article:

https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2018/7/16/17574902/pro-scouting-series-demetrius-harris

[WindyCity]

10 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

This looks exactly like what Bears TEs did on this same exact play again and again:

Just one play, but its only one I found on short notice.

Show me some good highlights of him blocking EMLOS and I will be convinced.  

 

Harris is often asked to block EDGE players 1on1 and is often successful

[dll2000]

Just now, WindyCity said:

Harris is often asked to block EDGE players 1on1 and is often successful

Not saying it isn't true, just that I would like to see it withith mine own eyes.  

I just watched basically two whole seasons of Bears TEs missing 85-90% of every IZ edge man block and then I see our new signee doing exact same thing in one example this guy gives of such a play.

I am scarred and damaged.  

[AZBearsFan]

Harris was released by CLE so his signing won’t count against the comp pick formula. 👍

[soulman]

On 2/19/2020 at 6:01 PM, AZBearsFan said:

Harris is a solid blocker who has scheme familiarity with Nagy and has some red zone value. He’s a 1-2 target per game safety valve player in the passing game, and he’s been a durable player (2 missed games total the past 5 seasons). 

This is a Shaheen or Braunecker replacement level move, and I’d guess his salary reasonably aligns with the savings we’d get from cutting either or both of those two ($1.27M for Shaheen and $1.46M for Braunecker). Horsted showed as much or more potential in December than either Shaheen or Braunecker showed in 3 years and costs the league minimum for the next 2-3 seasons. Harris was a reasonably popular choice around here for a TE2/3 role around here last offseason too. 

Burton is on the roster somewhere in 2020 as likely is Harris. Assuming another FA signing or draft pick at the position which is a pretty safe one, keeping Braunecker or Shaheen around to compete for a potential #4 TE role with the likes of Holtz, Horsted and Holtz is unnecessary given their contracts and the nature of the role. Trimming the fat is both prudent and necessary in this case. There’s not even a reason to wait tbh.

Harris is a good start at a position where we always needed to add at least 2 guys. 

I think this is a good take on it.

As light as he's listed (230lbs) the skinny on him says he's a good blocker and given his height and wing span also a good red zone target so if he can stick I'd say it's buh bye Adam Shaheen.  I like what I saw out of Horstead as a possible replacement for Burton after 2020 and the rest will have to sort itself out based on whoever else we sign and/or draft.

Whatever that amounts to it's no longer something we can keep screwing up or trying patch with sub par guys.  Shaheen and Burton have both been huge disappointments but I suppose we should have realized that after the 2018 season.  Either they can't get and stay healthy or they don't want to get and stay healthy.  Right now I'd even question Burton's toughness.

[AZBearsFan]

2 hours ago, soulman said:

I think this is a good take on it.

As light as he's listed (230lbs) the skinny on him says he's a good blocker and given his height and wing span also a good red zone target so if he can stick I'd say it's buh bye Adam Shaheen.  I like what I saw out of Horstead as a possible replacement for Burton after 2020 and the rest will have to sort itself out based on whoever else we sign and/or draft.

Whatever that amounts to it's no longer something we can keep screwing up or trying patch with sub par guys.  Shaheen and Burton have both been huge disappointments but I suppose we should have realized that after the 2018 season.  Either they can't get and stay healthy or they don't want to get and stay healthy.  Right now I'd even question Burton's toughness.

Burton was a disappointment in 2019. For 2018 he was an average starter which was underwhelming for his price tag but certainly not something that held our offense back. A player performing at his 2018 level or even most of it in 2020 would go a long way in alleviating our TE woes. A star at the position would be ideal, obviously, but a capable professional is the primary need. The limitations upon our offense in not having that guy essentially all year last year were obvious. 

[soulman]

Unless Burton somehow flashes "star" production in 2020 we'll have gotten hosed on his deal.  We paid top dollar and haven't gotten anywhere near it nor do I wish to trust that he will magically become our All Pro TE  this year.  If it didn't cost us money to release him he'd probably be on that list despite our desperate need for a good TE.

So do we shoot for one of the top UFA; Ebron, Henry, or Hooper......or do we take a shot at drafting the position again and hope we come out better than we did with Shaheen?

[AZBearsFan]

4 hours ago, soulman said:

Unless Burton somehow flashes "star" production in 2020 we'll have gotten hosed on his deal.  We paid top dollar and haven't gotten anywhere near it nor do I wish to trust that he will magically become our All Pro TE  this year.  If it didn't cost us money to release him he'd probably be on that list despite our desperate need for a good TE.

So do we shoot for one of the top UFA; Ebron, Henry, or Hooper......or do we take a shot at drafting the position again and hope we come out better than we did with Shaheen?

There are still cuts to come too. More options may be available in the coming weeks. I’m inclined to maybe go the middle route here signing an average FA (Vance McDonald if his option isn’t picked up is my guy for this) and then drafting the mega upside guy in round 2 or 4. 

[soulman]

1 hour ago, AZBearsFan said:

There are still cuts to come too. More options may be available in the coming weeks. I’m inclined to maybe go the middle route here signing an average FA (Vance McDonald if his option isn’t picked up is my guy for this) and then drafting the mega upside guy in round 2 or 4. 

I'd shoot for production now by whomever we can sign in FA.  Finding another Travis Kelce in the draft is either something we should be doing when we have a shot at a top blue chip prospect or we lay back and draft one in the middle rounds where are risk is less.  What we don't need is to take a flyer on Adam Shaheen v2.0 or overspend for a Trey Burton who must have the toughness of a china doll.

We do have some young TE talent who showed more later last year than either of the other two have been able to, we jumped on Harris very fast, and Burton and Braunecker are still around.  I'd like to see more of what Horsted can do as a "U" TE.  He may be that kid with upside.  He was a stud receiver in college now the question is can he stay healthy and adapt to the NFL game.  He deserves a shot.

IMHO our two 2nds should be spent on players who can come in and produce now which may mean defenders as opposed to offensive guys.  Earlier today I spend a little time looking over the top 50 guys knowing all of that will change after the Combine but there are some DBs and LBs slated to go in the middle of round two that might fit well or maybe an OG.  For whatever reason Pace seems to have done well with his 2nd round picks so hopefully he'll take the best plug and play guys he can find and fill some holes that need filling.