The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to a contract with tight end Trey Burton, his agents at EnterSports Management announced Wednesday.
🚨🚨 BREAKING 🚨🚨#TeamESM client Trey Burton has agreed to terms with the @Colts! We’re so excited for @TreyBurton8 to reunite with Head Coach Frank Reich! pic.twitter.com/kkFGaNq0Xu
— EnterSports Management (@EnterSportsMgmt) April 22, 2020
The move reunites Burton with coach Frank Reich, who was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offensive coordinator when Burton was with that team.
Burton is looked at as a potential replacement for Eric Ebron at tight end. Ebron signed with Pittsburgh after his two seasons with the Colts ended with his surprise announcement that he was having season-ending ankle surgery in late November 2019.
Burton gives the Colts another pass-catching threat in Reich’s offense, which is big in using tight ends. Burton will have a chance to be the No. 2 tight end behind Jack Doyle next season.
Burton became a free agent when he was released by the Chicago Bears on April 17 after two seasons with the club.
He played only eight games last season before suffering a season-ending calf injury, and he had hip surgery to address a labrum issue in December. He finished the season with only 14 receptions for 84 yards and no touchdowns.
He is expected to be ready before training camp, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Burton, who turned 28 in October, started all 16 regular-season games during his first year with the Bears, catching 54 passes for 569 yards and six touchdowns, but he was a surprise inactive for the wild-card loss to his former team, the Eagles, with a groin injury.
He later underwent sports hernia surgery prior to the 2019 season, but he was slow to recover and experienced a setback in training camp.
Burton entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles. The tight end spent four years primarily as a backup in Philadelphia, but he’s remembered for throwing a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles on a trick play — named the ‘Philly Special’ — in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots.
ESPN’s Mike Wells and Jeff Dickerson contributed to this report.