There’s sure a lot happening with the Bears tight ends these days.
The team will release Brandon Manumaleuna on Thursday,according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, one day after it looked like they were shopping Greg Olsen in a trade. Olsen’s agent Drew Rosenhaus sent an e-mail about Olsen being on the trading block on Wednesday and quickly retracted it, but the fact that he sent it in the first place has people watching for a potential move.
Given the Olsen situation, the timing of the Manumaleuna news could be seen as a sign that the team isn’t ready to move on a trade just yet. But the Bears also signed a tight end on Thursday, leaving them at the same place they were when the day began.
Matt Spaeth, late of the Steelers, signed a contract with the team and would make a fine replacement for Manumaleuna as a tight end focused on blocking. Spaeth started 13 times last season as a second tight end and did a good job as a blocker in the run game, but he wasn’t a big part of the passing attack. That’s pretty much the same profile as Manumaleuna, except Spaeth’s younger and he isn’t coming off of knee surgery.
Spaeth and holdover Kellen Davis give the Bears a pair of bigger tight ends should they decide to move Olsen and go with a different style of play at tight end. We’ll know for sure just as soon as Rosenhaus sends out another e-mail.