The Bears on Thursday released tight end Ben Braunecker, who had emerged in recent years as a valuable special teams piece and a fill-in, pass-catching tight end.
The Bears signed him out of Harvard as an undrafted free agent in 2016. In four seasons, he played 47 games, starting seven times. He had 11 of his 22 career targets when the Bears’ tight end room became thin last year, catching six of his 13 career passes for 59 of his 142 career yards. He caught his only career touchdown in a 20-13 win against the Lions in Week 10.