Report: Bears hire Cardinals assistant Jim Dray as new tight ends coach

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The Chicago Bears have hired Arizona Cardinals assistant Jim Dray as their new tight ends coach, according to Albert Breer.

Dray had spent the last two seasons in the Valley as an offensive quality control coach.

Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz — who is an unrestricted free agent in March — took to Twitter to say how much of an impression Dray had on him in their lone season together.

Great coach!

— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) February 6, 2022

Dray is a former NFL tight end that played for the Cardinals from 2010-13, as well as in 2017.

Arizona selected Dray out of Stanford in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft at pick No. 233 overall.

He made a total of 56 appearances (18 starts) for the Cardinals and garnered 33 receptions on 48 targets for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

Dray also played with the Cleveland Browns (2014-15), Buffalo Bills (2016) and San Francisco 49ers (2016) over the course of his eight-year career.

He finished his time in the NFL as a player with 56 grabs for 605 yards and three scores before re-joining the Cardinals for a third time, but as a coach in February 2020.

Steve Heiden has been with Arizona for nine years, serving as the team’s tight ends coach since 2019 after previous stints as an assistant offensive line coach in 2018 and assistant special teams/assistant tight ends coach from 2013-17.

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