Tim Tebow's pursuit of NFL roster as tight end receives support from Hall of Famer

Mike Ditka is a Hall of Fame tight end and is behind the idea of Tim Tebow returning to the NFL to play the position he once dominated while with the Chicago Bears in the 1960s.

Ditka said if it were up to him he would give Tebow, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2012 and only has one target as a receiver in his career, a chance.

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"Absolutely. Listen, I think he's a good enough athlete. I think he deserves a shot. I'd give him a shot. No problem," Ditka told USA Today on Thursday.

"The tight end today, they don’t call on them to do a whole heck of a lot of blocking anymore. He’s basically a receiver. So I think Tebow would be very, very capable and will probably do a good job in that area. I don’t see any problem with it

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"Now, if it was the tight end of 20 years ago where you had to block defensive ends, I think it’s a bit different. But they don’t have to do that anymore. They flank ‘em out there, split ‘em out five yards and they run routes. He’s a good enough athlete where he can beat those guys in the secondary. And I think he’ll be a darned good one."

Ditka acknowledged there would be some challenges for Tebow should the deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars be finalized and he does in fact try out at the position.

"The physicality of it all. If you’re a tight end and I don’t think you’re physical, I’m going to try to beat the heck out of you. That’s just what the linebackers will try to do. If they don’t think he’s physical enough, they’ll try to beat him up," he told USA Today.

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The reported deal between Tebow and the Jaguars has not been completed. He could be an official member of the team by the end of the weekend.