The Bears pitched veteran tight end Ben Braunecker on Thursday.
Since arriving in Chicago as Harvard’s undrafted free agent in 2016, Braunecker has appeared in 47 games with seven starts over four seasons, catching 13 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown while also regularly contributing to special teams.
Last year, Braunecker played in 11 games with three starts, recording six catches for 59 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The TD came on Nov. 10 when Braunecker dove in to catch an 18-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky in a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.
Braunecker was placed on the injured reserve list last December 14 due to a concussion he suffered on November 24 in a victory over the New York Giants.
Braunecker’s departure leaves eight tight ends on the Bears’ roster: veteran free agent acquisitions Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris; second-round rookie recruit Cole Kmet; returnees Adam Shaheen, JP Holtz, Jesper Horsted and Eric Saubert; and undrafted rookie Darion Clark.
