Former Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt is headed to Chicago.

A fifth-round pick by Denver out of Michigan in 2017, Butt has never reached his ceiling in the NFL as injuries limited him to eight games through four years. 

He tore his ACL in his final game at Michigan, dropping him down draft boards from his projected second-round slot, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. 

Butt provides another option for whoever takes over the Chicago offense, be it Andy Dalton or first-round draft pick Justin Fields. 

Butt was one of five players to join the Bears for minicamp this week. 

He appeared in five games in the 2020 season, making two receptions on four targets for a total of five yards through the first five weeks of the season, before he was hit with a hamstring injury. He was on the field for 114 offensive snaps and saw action on 64 special teams plays. 

He was slightly more productive in his three games in 2018, when he logged 85 yards on eight receptions. He played 97 offensive snaps that year with 22 snaps on special teams, but he was taken out by another ACL tear in practice. 

That tear kept him out through the 2019 season. It was his third ACL injury, as he suffered his first in high school. 

"Mentally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life," Butt said in 2019, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post. "I want to be out there more than anything. But when it’s your third ACL, you don’t want push through anything. It’s part of the process."

A 2016 consensus All-American, Butt logged a total of 1,646 yards and 11 touchdowns through 43 games at Michigan. 

In Chicago, he'll provide depth behind Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham, who combined to lead a quiet tight end group last season. Graham was good for 456 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns, while Kmet posted 243 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears also announced the signings of defensive linemen Mike Pennel and offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr.