Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune enumerates the reasons: why tight end Dez Clark has been inactive so often lately. This one caught my eye:
“The Bears have three tight ends with distinct roles. [Greg] Olsen is the route runner. [Kellen] Davis is the short yardage guy. And Brandon Manumaleuna is the pass protector/run blocker from both the tight end and fullback positions.”
I see the point and in combination with the others mentioned in the article is does draw a good picture of the current situation.
But having said that, I would argue that Clark is far and away the most versatile of the three being competent in all of these aspects of the job. Put him on the field and you never know what he’s going to be doing. I’m going to guess that offensive coordinator Mike Martz doesn’t think that “competent” is good enough to make him dangerous in any one aspect. But Clark does create mismatches.