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In what might be the best fit of player name and NFL team, the Chicago Bears have signed six-year veteran tight end Bear Pascoe. The match wasn't lost on the Bears' twitter feed, which broke the news thus:
#Bears have signed (the aptly-named) TE Bear Pascoe to a 1-year contract.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 23, 2015
Pascoe was selected in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, having played his college football for Fresno State. He was cut by the team but made it to the New York Giants, where from 2009-2013 he was used primarily as a blocking tight end and on special teams; his highlight was probably filling in for Jake Ballard following Ballard's ACL tear in Super Bowl 46, catching four passes for 33 yards to help the Giants win 21-17 against the New England Patriots.
He spent 2014 with the Atlanta Falcons (two receptions for 3 yards, 1 TD); in six seasons in the league he's appeared in 82 games, starting 32 of them.
Pascoe will compete for backup TE duties with Dante Rosario, Zach Miller, Blake Annen, and Jacob Maxwell. It's not a high-profile signing, but does at least mean there's another veteran behind incumbent Martellus Bennett, and could be an indication that Ryan Pace, John Fox, and Adam Gase fully intend to do what Marc Trestman didn't - that is, follow through on plans to run the ball by actually running the ball.
Bonus: Not-Hub Atkins has a profile of the new Bear here.
Does this make it less likely that the Bears will add another tight end in the draft?