Tight end Jesper Horsted is fighting for a spot on the Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster, and he certainly made a statement with his performance in the team’s 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.
Horsted, 24, reeled in five receptions for 104 yards (20.8 AVG) and three touchdowns. His first catch came on an incredible throw from Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, and he added a goal-line touchdown reception on a Nick Foles pass in the third quarter.
But Horsted — signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton in 2019 — took things to another level with his third touchdown to cap off the tremendous showing.
Horsted made an incredible one-handed grab, and showed off impressive run-after-the-catch ability to take it to the house for a 54-yard score.
Jesper Horsted. Sweet sassy molassy, what a play. #Bears pic.twitter.com/YRKqjrhnYh
— Matt Clapp (@DaBearNecess) August 29, 2021
JESPER HORSTED AGAIN 😱
The @ChicagoBears TE makes a wild one-handed catch on the run for his THIRD TD of the game! #CHIvsTEN pic.twitter.com/HUwTp3AGCg
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 29, 2021
Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet are already roster locks for the Bears at tight end, and Jesse James is expected to make the roster as well. But it will be hard to leave Horsted off the roster with the playmaking ability he showed on Saturday night, and especially at a position where that receiving ability and athleticism is becoming increasingly valuable in the NFL.
And if it’s not the Bears, Horsted will surely get interest from other organizations after his eye-opening performance.
