[4], Braunecker attended the NFL Combine and was the fastest in the 60-yard shuttle, was ranked second in the vertical leap, broad jump, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle and had the third-highest repetitions in the bench press of all tight ends. I usually use the offseason to take some time to get away and not pay attention to whats going on in the football world daily, but its been a pretty memorable offseason. [18], Braunecker was released by the Bears on July 23, 2020. Are you the type of person who pays a lot of attention to free agency? This can only be called pure favoritism on the part of GM Ryan Pace. "Ben is probably more versatile than those guys because he can do a little bit of everything." Advertisement Braunecker caught 48 passes for 850 yards and eight touchdowns last season with four . The Bears cut Braunecker on Thursday. Braunecker (concussion) remains in the mix among the nine tight ends on Chicago's roster heading into training camp, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports. Its not a surprise that a Harvard graduate can use his brain to fallback on, but the Molecular and Cellular Biology major has taken that to another level. . Were not shy. As someone who knows the biology behind it, is it something youre more cognizant of than others? Ben Braunecker (born February 7, 1994) is a former American football tight end. Braunecker is still in the concussion protocol and didn't practice Monday, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. I know I want to get into medicine and do research more than clinical work. All Shaheen has to do is stay healthy. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. The Chicago Bears have begun thinning out their roster, and they have just released veteran tight end Ben Braunecker, who has been with the team since 2016. The Bears on Thursday released veteran tight end Ben Braunecker. (Laughs). One camp underestimated the harm that this new coronavirus could do and the other camp overestimated. If he doesnt make the roster, it wont be from a lack of effort, just that the transition to the NFL level proved to be too much, but dont count Braunecker out. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. With the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world, Braunecker has been fielding plenty of calls and texts from people in the NFL wanting to get his take. After 20-plus years on the radio hosting shows like The Bruno-Golic Morning Show (ESPN Radios first morning show), Mike & Mike, and Golic and Wingo, ESPN decided his work there was done when they announced on July 9 that the company would be cancelling Golics show with Trey Wingo. The skills that he showed at the combine were just as impressive as Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, or any of the other tight ends that were selected during the draft. As a return specialist, he had 29 kickoff returns for 1,005 yards, while on defense, he recorded 101 tackles and seven interceptions. He wound up catching seven passes for 91 yards, which, considering the lackluster production that came from the Bears tight ends last year, wasnt bad team-wise. The last time that Simmons has played for Brooklyn was Feb . Braunecker sustained the concussion Week 12 against the Giants and didn't play versus the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Braunecker struggled with a severe ankle injury during the 2016 offseason and missed the entire preseason. It kind of wants me to get the ball rolling with all this but in due time. He played tied end for the Chicago Bears for four years after graduating from Harvard in 2016. Couches, chairs, heavy chairs, desks. Braunecker chose to stand on his combine numbers for his 3-cone drill, short shuttle, and bench press. 210.65.88.143 With something like this happening does it make you want to pursue it even more? (Kena Krutsinger / USA Today), linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe was pre-med at Western Kentucky, Guard James Daniels was a biology major at Iowa. He knows hes a good fit for this roster, and he knows he has an opportunity. Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons is now dealing with back soreness in addition to the knee soreness that he was already rehabbing from, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to Friday's game at the Boston Celtics. Braunecker hasn't taken the first step (on-field work) in his journey through the concussion protocol, let alone progress enough to be considered for an evaluation in front of an independent neurologist. Well see how that goes, but thats my tentative plan when football is done. February 26, 2023 12:30 pm ET. Braunecker is smart, but being he has a legitimate career in waiting doesnt mean hes any less motivated to make the Bears roster. Understandable, I guess. The. He hit injured reserve due to a concussion in December, but has since fully recovered and will be free to search for a chance with another organization. [10] Going into the regular season, he was the Bears' third option at tight end, behind Zach Miller and Logan Paulsen. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. The defamation case between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard was one of the most watched celebrity legal battles ever since the O.J. Does it give you a greater sense of purpose? The Bears on Saturday signed quarterback Nathan Peterman to the active roster, placed quarterback Trevor Siemian on injured reserve and elevated defensive backs Adrian Colbert and Harrison Hand to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers. Everybody always compared it to the flu. Braunecker, who caught his first NFL touchdown last November before a concussion ended his season, talked to The Athletic from Arizona and offered his perspective on the new coronavirus. Braunecker (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Packers, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports. On the plus side, hes still signed to play in 2020 for Chicago despite the fact that hes not even listed as one of the top four tight ends on the teams depth chart. Braunecker (concussion) won't play in Thursday's game against the Lions. Braunecker was acquired as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears in 2016 and played for them until 2019. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. For average citizens, that was a new phrase to understand. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. He was a core special teams performer for them. He's played in just 47 games over his four seasons in the NFL and the most passes he's caught in a single season for Chicago is 6 in 2019. It could also very well come down to which of the two can be the more effective contributor on special teams, though. I was always told the NFL is a train that waits for no one and apparently it doesnt wait for coronavirus either. Like Mike Golic, Ben Braunecker is a former NFL player. [2], In his senior year, Braunecker was named a consensus All-American as he was selected to the AP FCS All-America first-team, the Walter Camp FCS All-America team, the STATS FCS All-America first-team, AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America team and the College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America team. Braunecker attended Forest Park High School in Indiana, where he played for the football team on offense, defense and special teams. But it seems like every conversation between people that know what Im interested in and know my background, this comes up. The Bears were disappointed with their tight-end production last season, so they brought in new talent this offseason, drafting Cole Kmet in the second round while signing Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris. Braunecker has earned his keep as a special teams player and blocker over his three years with the Bears, but he's logged just seven receptions for 83 yards across that stretch. Braunecker wouldve been cut too, but he deserved to go after Shaheen. In fact, hes only been targeted 22 times in four years, so hes been pretty easy to miss. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More, To see the rest of the Ben Braunecker's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Owen and his business partner join Sarah for an . 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. It does instill a little bit of a greater sense of purpose. Educated to be a writer at the prestigious Columbia College in Chicago, Erik has spent the past 10 years covering the Bears. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Braunecker caught two passes for 24 yards in the Bears' 16-14 victory over the Broncos on Sunday. He was twice named All-State (Honorable Mention); he was the Southwestern Indiana MVP and twice All-Conference. As long as Braunecker is sidelined, expect J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted to split tight end reps for the Bears. How have you read about coronavirus or consumed the news about it? Are you teaching yourself or re-learning how to do certain activities to stay in shape? With Ben Braunecker's touchdown catch, the Bears tight ends now have 1 for the season. With the Bears having such a stocked roster (they were carrying 90 players and will have to whittle that number down to 80), cuts were inevitable and expected, but Braunecker was thought to have a better chance than, say, Saubert, Horstead or Holtz. While Blake and Simpson were tried for horrible crimes, permanently damaging their images, Depp was able to convince a jury that Heard defamed his reputation . [3], Braunecker majored in molecular and cell biology. Its a pretty interesting and unprecedented time to try to prepare your body for football activities. The Chicago Bears made their first of what will become many cuts today when they released this tight end. Braunecker likely will enter training camp below all three -- plus Adam Shaheen -- on the depth chart and may have a tough time making the Week 1 roster. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. Braunecker signed a two-year contract with the Bears on Monday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Ranked 7th on the roster in special teams snaps last season while appearing in 11 games total. What sort of blackmail material does he have that keeps him on this roster? Simpson trial of the 1990s or the murder case levied against Robert Blake in the early 2000s. So that begs the question. Despite having showcased a step forward in his development, offseason additions Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris have now made Braunecker the odd man out in Chicago's crowded tight end room. The Bears released TE Ben Braunecker. Jesper Horstead and J.P. Holtz now figure to handle most of the responsibilities at that position going forward, with the former presumably in line for the No. A healthy scratch Week 10, Shaheen has been tending to a foot injury in the interim that is forcing a second consecutive DNP this weekend. Oh, absolutely. Braunecker already has his back-up plan in place if his football career doesnt pan out- hes going to go to medical school to study disease. All rights reserved. Furniture. [16], On March 11, 2019, Braunecker signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears. The Bears on Wednesday claimed cornerback Michael Ojemudia off waivers from the Broncos and waived defensive end Taco Charlton. ): 0 (17337th overall since 1960) High School: Forest Park ( IN ) 84 82 SUMMARY Career G 47 AV 0 Rec 13 Yds 142 Y/R 10.9 TD 1 FantPt 20.2 Ben Braunecker Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 2016 2017 Its not too often where something comes around thats as infectious and as easily transmissible as this is so it creates a pandemic that the flatten the curve knowledge is that useful or prevalent. Braunecker's departure leaves eight tight ends on the Bears roster: Veteran free-agent acquisitions Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris; rookie second-round draft pick Cole Kmet; returnees Adam Shaheen, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted and Eric Saubert; and undrafted rookie Darion Clark. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. section: | slug: | sport: football | route: player_profile_home | document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sports Mockery, Inc. 2022 | All rights reserved. "It's been interesting and troubling for me as well," Braunecker said Monday morning on the Mully & Haugh Show. [1], He was also a IHSAA State Finalist in the discus and shot put. Hes very motivated. [11] He made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on October 20. Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSideds BearGogglesOn. [4] He was placed on injured reserve on December 15, 2019. After you take a break for nine months or however long the season is, you lose a lot of skills. It might bring some people joy or relief from everything thats going on to see the NFL still operating pretty rapidly. And why not how many football players spend their offseasons working in a Harvard research lab or taking an immunology class simply to stay mentally fresh? Golics wife, Christine, said he even pitched the idea of reuniting with longtime co-host Mike Greenberg, who is set to return to radio for ESPN, but the idea was rejected. When asked about a post-football career, which is what you ask of a Harvard grad when he enters the league, the molecular and cell biology major said he wanted to be an infectious disease doctor. Braunecker is the third Bears tight end to land on IR this season. Its dominating our daily lives right now so you cant really sidestep it too much. Harvard? With no Chicago tight end posting more than 24 yards in a game all season, even if Braunecker continues to start he'll be a low-upside fantasy option. This does save nearly $1.5M of cap space. Ben Braunecker (born February 7, 1994) is a former American football tight end. Just to try to stay as scientifically literate as possible and refresh as much as I can. Braunecker was placed on injured reserve last Dec. 14 due to a concussion he sustained Nov. 24 in a victory over the New York Giants. Braunecker talked about that fit (also according to Mayer): "I think a nice, strong, reliable Y tight end is what the Bears are looking for right now, so Im just very thankful to be given the opportunity as an undrafted free agent to come into a system and to work with coach Frank Smith, whos great in my first impression at giving me the tools and the opportunity to be able to step in and hopefully make the roster.". Braunecker started 11 games for the Bears last season, and was one of nine tight ends in a crowded tight ends room. Shaheens window passed the moment the Bears handed $16 million to Jimmy Graham and spent a 2nd round pick on Cole Kmet. He'll miss his second consecutive contest as a result, leaving J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Bradley Sowell and Eric Saubert as the Bears' available tight ends. Nothing will be easy for Braunecker, but he is definitely up for the challenge. Sometimes coaches ask me, too. Youre really just trying anything. His absence leaves Jesper Horsted and J.P. Holtz as the top tight ends in Chicago. Theres a lot of good information and a lot of misinformation out there right now about it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. I ask because we could be entering a new normal where everyone is extra-focused on being clean. He doesnt have near the special teams value Braunecker does. I like infectious disease, but things can change especially when you go into a four-year commitment like medical school, more training after that like residency. 1 tight end since both Trey Burton (calf) and Adam Shaheen are on IR, but J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horstead and Bradley Sowell figure to lead the way until then. Braunecker has sat out of every practice since sustaining a concussion during Week 12's win over the Giants, making it unlikely he plays Thursday against the Cowboys. He did score his only touchdown in 2019 though, against the Detroit Lions in week 10. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This has been a little bit enlightening to me as well. The Bears on Saturday elevated safety Adrian Colbert and cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster in advance of Sunday's season finale against the Vikings. Braunecker put up career numbers with the Bears last season, logging six catches for 59 yards and his first touchdown across 11 games. Braunecker likely will enter training camp below all three -- plus Adam Shaheen -- on the depth chart and may have a tough time making the Week 1 roster. Braunecker put up career numbers with the Bears last season, logging six catches for 59 yards and his first touchdown across 11 games. In his high school career, Braunecker recorded 51 receptions for 1,254 yards and 16 touchdowns. Ben Braunecker - While the Bears have used Braunecker in-line at times, he's best suited at the U. Darion Clark - Clark hasn't played football since he was a high school quarterback, but at. He had high hopes for the young tight end back in 2017 and has expressed that same belief ever since. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A post shared by Sydney Golic (@sydgolic) on Jul 20, 2020 at 4:48pm PDT. Were waiting on Harvard shirts as a group. With the Bears scaling down their offensive game plan and starter Trey Burton playing limited snaps, Braunecker came through with some key catches. Chicago Bears tight end Ben Braunecker caught two passes for 24 yards in the team's 16-14 win over the Broncos in Week 2. Science moves pretty quickly and in-season all your energy and time has to be directed towards the games and keeping your body healthy. He can still be that legitimate weapon everybody envisioned. However, with expectations that teams will have to start moving from 90 players to 80 before camp, the team chose to part ways with Ben Braunecker. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. So its been a pretty terrible, no good year for the former nose tackle. Braunecker, who majored in molecular and cellular biology, would like to become a doctor specializing in infectious diseases when his football career is over. You cant really go to any gym and lift weights. Ben Braunecker. Veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris, second-round draft pick Cole Kmet, former second-round pick Adam Shaheen, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Eric Saubert and the undrafted Darion Clark are now the remaining tight ends. Braunecker caught two passes for nine yards in the Bears' 19-14 victory over the Giants on Sunday. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Despite having showcased a step forward in his development, offseason additions Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris have now made . The 26-year-old Braunecker, who played his college ball at Harvard, has been with the Chicago Bears since signing with the team as a undrafted free agent in 2016. TE Ben Braunecker earned $2,578,956 in his NFL career. As I mentioned, part of the reason why I wanted to get into this is because I see it as inevitable and its obviously extremely important. Ben Braunecker 's tenure with the Bears has come to an end. Braunecker sat out a second straight practice after suffering a concussion during Week 12's win over the Giants, and coach Matt Nagy said "it'd be a stretch" for the fourth-year tight end to suit up Thursday against the Lions, according to Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. With Trey Burton (calf) on injured reserve and Adam Shaheen (foot) sidelined, Braunecker had his second-straight start and was targeted three times. Some draft experts had him ranked as high as sixth among tight end prospects, but ten tight ends were called at the 2016 NFL Draft, and none of them were Braunecker. Holtz came to Chicago Week 2 of last season after staring the season with Washington. Follow me on IG. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. The Bears on Saturday elevated receiver Nsimba Webster and tight end Jake Tonges from the practice squad to the active roster in advance of Sunday's game against the Eagles. I will start to do Minecraft videos now. Lasting four seasons in this capacity on the same team is a pretty impressive achievement. With only one legitimate tight end on the roster in Zach Miller (and all his previous injuries in tow), the Bears give Braunecker not only a great chance to make the team, but a chance to contribute as well. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. Mostly its been the offseason. Braunecker dropped a long pass that could have potentially been a touchdown, and as a result, he ended up with a quiet performance. 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Braunecker couldn't recover from the head injury on the short week after sustaining the concussion in Sunday's win over the Giants. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. He caught six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown last year. Best Mnday ever. Tight end Chase Allen and receiver Nsimba Webster were among seven practice squad players the Bears signed to 2023 reserve/future contracts. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. The Harvard product joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and he proceeded to spend four years with the organization. Braunecker had 13 receptions for 142. Itll always be a yes for you. The Bears on Friday placed CBs Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor on injured reserve, activated RB Khalil Herbert and added CB Breon Borders, WR Nsima Webster and TE Chase Allen to the active roster. Get the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about tight end Ben Braunecker on ESPN. ! Before settling down at BroBible, Douglas Charles, a graduate of the University of Iowa (Go Hawks), owned and operated a wide assortment of websites. The Chicago Bears have begun thinning out their roster, and they have just released veteran tight end Ben Braunecker, who has been with the team since 2016. Adam Shaheen (foot) will also be on the shelf, so J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted and Bradley Sowell will round out Chicago's tight-end corps. All Shaheen has to do is stay healthy. Most college kids get summer jobs moving furniture, mowing lawns, or working in retail.