The Chicago Bears' tight end position is about as unsettled as the debate over whether Mr. Beef is better than Al's. With formerly entrenched starter Martellus Bennett facing an uncertain future and Chicago GM Ryan Pace announcing Thursday at the NFL rookie scouting combine, via ESPN, that 31-year-old Zach Miller will be allowed to test the free agency waters, the outlook at tight end in the Windy City is much like an Italian beef without jardiniere and jus - unappetizing.
Unfortunately, there are many factors at play here and while Miller did perform extremely well last season in place of the petulant and mercurial Bennett, his age and injury history are chief among the issues that could lead to Miller's departure.
In short, Miller's 34 receptions for 439 yards and 5 touchdowns simply aren't enough to overcome the fact that he's already well beyond the age 30 threshold and that prior to 2015 with the Bears, he'd never played major snaps due mostly to injury. Add in the fact that he's assuredly well aware that this may be his final chance at a big NFL payday and is likely pushing for as much money and/or as many years as possible in contract talks, and it's likely Miller's going to be sorely disappointed by what his immediate NFL future holds.
Which brings us back to Bennett. The former second-round pick held out of offseason workouts last year as he sought an upgrade on his current deal, but eventually caved and returned to the team, though not with a whole lot of positivity. A rift seemed to have been created between Bennett and the Bears and while there's been nothing concrete, it certainly does sound like a trade or an outright release from the final year of his deal, which carries a $6.31 million cap hit, but only $1.125 million in dead money, is a distinct possibility.
Bennett, even at 29, remains a highly skilled pass-catcher. In just 11 games in 2015, he matched Miller's yardage total and surpassed his receptions by 19. But as an enigmatic personality like Bennett's ages, NFL decision-makers tend to become less and less willing to put up with the foibles that come along with their lessening production.
Without any immediate answers at the position, it's difficult to envision Pace and Bears head coach John Fox jettisoning both Bennett and Miller, but with the way things are currently headed, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise either.
