Bears TE Trey Burton to Miss OTAs After Undergoing Surgery

An important piece in the Chicago Bears' offense will be missing during offseason workouts. According to head coach Matt Nagy, tight end Trey Burton underwent sports hernia surgery "a few months ago" and is out indefinitely.

The fact that Burton's surgery is related to an injury at the end of last season sheds some much-needed light on the reason for his mysterious absence from January's Wild Card playoff game against his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Although the Bears announced he was out with a groin injury, many fans believed it to be related to anxiety about playing against his old team.

Chicago signed Burton to a four-year, $32 million contract in the 2018 offseason.

Given the incredibly questionable depth the Bears have at the tight end position, third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky cannot afford to lose his security blanket for significant time this year. He is an integral part of the offense in a variety of ways, as he caught 54 passes for 569 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2018, and he was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the best run-blocking tight end in the NFL.