Getty Former Chicago Bears TE Trey Burton shared some interesting details about his time with the Bears.
It appears things did not end amicably or in copacetic fashion between the Chicago Bears and their former tight end Trey Burton. The Bears released Burton last week after just two seasons with the team. Burton had 54 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns in 2018, but he never got anywhere close to being on the field regularly after that. His first injury popped up suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere.
When the team’s first playoff game in nearly 10 years came up — the 2018 Wild Card matchup against Burton’s former team, the Philadelphia Eagles — Burton came down with a mysterious groin injury after he had practiced in full all week. He had offseason sports hernia surgery to repair it early in 2019, and spent the bulk of last season recovering. Burton played in eight games last year, starting just five, dealing with hip, groin, and calf injuries throughout the entire season. His absence was a primary reason why the Bears had one of the worst tight end rooms in the NFL last year.
Now, the tight end has suggested the Bears may have rushed him back before he was ready to play while also throwing a little shade their way. Burton had his first conference call as a member of the Colts Friday, and he said some pretty revealing stuff.
Trey Burton Was ‘Surprised’ the Bears Released Him
Colts insider Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star reported via Twitter that Burton said he was surprised to hear he had been released by the Bears. “You know, everybody seemed to be excited about me getting healthy and being able to play this upcoming year, so I think that was the reason why I was more surprised,” Burton said. “You always know there’s an understanding there’s a possibility that things like that can happen, especially if you don’t produce or have the season that you want to have. So I wouldn’t say I was surprised from that standpoint; I was more surprised from (where) the past and previous conversations we had were really good.”
Trey Burton says he was surprised the Bears released him. Didn’t feel like that was the way it was headed at the end of the season or during offseason conversations.
Burton then threw a little shade at the Bears and head coach Matt Nagy. When asked how he felt about joining the Colts, Burton said he was looking forward to playing in Frank Reich’s offense. “They love tight ends,” he said. Shortly after suggesting the Bears had been disingenuous in their communications with him, Burton said the following about Reich: “He’s just so genuine. There’s not much fluff with him. It’s all real, truth, talk.”
Trey Burton on Frank Reich’s offense: “They love the tight ends.”
Burton then suggested part of his difficulty returning from injury in 2019 was due to an injury misdiagnosis.
Trey Burton Says He Was Misdiagnosed Prior to 2019 Season
Burton said his recovery from offseason surgery was complicated by multiple factors. He didn’t get specific, other than saying “a bunch of things” hindered him, including a misdiagnosis prior to the 2019 season. Whether the Bears’ team physicians misdiagnosed him or his own personal physicians, he didn’t say, but he also noted he felt as though he was rushed back before he was fully healthy and ready to play last year.
Burton said he’s confident he can shake the ‘injury prone’ label once he fully recovers from the surgery he had in December. “It’s tough, man. You know, you get injured once, and then all of a sudden you’re ‘injury prone,'” Burton said. “And people have no clue some of the things that guys have to go through in order to get back, so I’m just excited to get back and to play ball again.”
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