Following the offseason trade of Martellus Bennett to the New England Patriots, the Bears were expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of another tight end for the roster. However, aside from re-signing Zach Miller and Rob Housler, general manager Ryan Pace has been pretty inactive. Chicago didn’t draft a tight end or sign any free agents, leading many to assume the depth chart was set.

That is until an astute Bears fan uncovered a new member of the tight end group.

One of the better Twitter follows for Bears fans is @Wasram, who proved he’s one step ahead of the national news cycle with his question to Brad Biggs in the recent Bears mailbag for the Chicago Tribune:

Have you heard anything about the Bears moving defensive linemanGreg Scruggs to tight end? Cornelius Washington has Scruggs’ No. 90 now and Scruggs is listed on the Bears roster now as a tight end with No. 87. — @wasram That’s a sharp catch by you. The Bears asked Scruggs to change positions on May 2 at the start of the third week of the voluntary offseason workout program, according to a source close to the player. It also happened to be the first day the veterans were in the building after the draft in which the Bears were unable to add a tight end. Scruggs was probably a longshot to make the roster as a defensive lineman and he actually played tight end at Louisville during summer camp before his senior season when the Cardinals were short at the position . . . They’re looking for a Y tight end that can block. While Scruggs is listed at 310 pounds, he’s weighing 289 right now and if he didn’t look like he could handle the position, the Bears would have likely moved him back to the defensive line or released him.

Related Zach Miller ready to fill the void left by the Martellus Bennett trade

Any time a player makes a positional change in the NFL, the chances of making the final roster become a bit bleaker. While Scruggs does have experience playing the position during summer practice sessions in college, it’s a far cry from NFL play.

He’s not without any hope, though, as he possesses a perfect physical makeup for the position. Plus, his time as a defensive lineman should help him in the run game, where he’d be one step ahead of the curve as a run blocker.

The current Bears roster has the following tight ends listed:

43o Braunecker, Ben TE 6-4 240 22 R Harvard 88 Housler, Rob TE 6-5 250 28 6 Florida Atlantic 82 Lee, Khari TE 6-4 235 24 2 Bowie State 86 Miller, Zach TE 6-5 240 31 7 Nebraska-Omaha 87 Scruggs, Greg TE 6-3 310 25 4 Louisville 84 Sinclair, Gannon TE 6-7 270 23 1 Missouri State 45o Sommers, Joe TE 6-3 240 23 R Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Barring injury, Miller and Housler are all but assured a roster spot. Second-year man Khari Lee is a player that Pace traded for last year and may get the nod in a close call when it comes time for cuts. Undrafted rookie free agent Ben Braunecker is a sleeper of the group, but he could be destined for the practice squad as he transitions from the IVY League to the NFL.