Windy City Gridiron
Will Joel Wilson make things interesting this summer for Durham Smythe?
We are less than a week away from the Chicago Bears' 2025 training camp opening up, which means we only have a couple of training camp battles left to discuss.
After the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bears' tight end room seemed pretty set with rookie Colston Loveland, veteran Cole Kmet, and free agent Durham Smythe.
But something happened during OTAs that got fans and media talking. Who is Joel Wilson, and will he make the team?
Before we dive into Wilson, let’s discuss Smythe. If Wilson is going to unseat Smythe for a spot on the 53-man roster, he’s going to have to have one heck of a camp, and here’s why. First of all, Smythe is familiar with Ben Johnson. Smythe has been with the Miami Dolphins his entire career, dating back to 2018. Johnson was on the Dolphins coaching staff when Smythe was a rookie back in 2018.
The other issue is when you look at the contract. Smythe signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Bears in the spring. Of that $2.5 million, $1.5 million has been guaranteed. Now, while it’s not impossible to eat $1.5 million of guaranteed money (Bears previously ate $2 million guaranteed when Tyson Bagent beat out PJ Walker), you also don’t hand out that kind of guarantee unless you expect the player to be on the roster.
Smythe brings a veteran presence, who is known to be a good blocker, and has familiarity with Ben Johnson and what he wants to accomplish at the point of attack. For your TE3, that’s pretty much exactly what any team would want.
Enter Joel Wilson.
Wilson was an undrafted free agent after he finished his collegiate career at Central Michigan. He spent the 2023 season on three different practice squads, including the Green Bay Packers.
Wilson spent a little time on the Giants' practice squad to start the 2024 season, but spent most of last year on the Bears' practice squad and was offered a reserves contract in January.
If we’re being honest, Wilson had been an afterthought for me the entire offseason. The Bears' tight end room seemed set, Stephen Carlson could hold a practice squad spot and be elevated if the Bears had an injury to their tight end room, it was an open and shut situation.
But things changed during OTAs. Wilson impressed. Wilson showed the ability to get open, had a strong grasp of the offense, and Ben Johnson singled him out to the media.
Wilson is a better pass-catcher than Smythe, so if the Bears decide they want more of an offensive threat on the team, perhaps Wilson can grab a 53-man roster spot. Two things are going to be critical for Wilson. One, Johnson mentioned, is how he will handle blocking assignments when pads come on in training camp, and the second aspect is how Wilson handles roles on special teams. The third tight end on a...
