Chicago Bears Stock Up: Adam Shaheen

If you were worried about Adam Shaheen and his role in the Chicago Bears offense, his performance in Week One of the preseason should help calm those nerves

When the Chicago Bears signed Trey Burton many were wondering what that meant for the second round draft pick Adam Shaheen. Did signing another tight end signify that he is a bust? Matt Nagy has mentioned that he has specific roles for not only these two but also Dion Sims that are entirely separate from each other.

Still, it was tough to figure how the three would split snaps. Trey Burton has been given true starter treatment and will likely see the most snaps of the three. However, Adam Shaheen should probably be second of the group, and it may not be far off from Burton either.

Shaheen is a bigger body and likely a better blocker already than Trey Burton. His inline ability will help get him onto the field. However, in his three catch, 53-yard performance on Thursday he proved the ability to line up in the slot, out wide, and contribute to the passing game in a variety of ways.

Route Running

Shaheen is certainly a raw route runner, and that has to do with why he did not add more to the passing game last season. However, you can see Shaheen start to develop some nuance in his route running below.

Shaheen shows the wiggle to get by the linebacker. He reads the zone coverage and caps off his route quick for the reception. Shaheen also went over the middle with a reception on a quick slant.

Yards After the Catch

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That is a nice start to see from Shaheen. However, the play below that features a 29 yard scamper is what has many excited. He shakes free over the middle and it is pure athleticism from there.

Shaheen has proven that he can get open over the middle. He can stretch the seam deep and tail off curl routes to sit in the zone. He also shows speed and athleticism with the ball in his hands.

Shaheen has proven to be a good blocker and was used as a blocker in the screen game so far this preseason. There are a lot of signs that Adam Shaheen is going to get on the field for a real role this season.

All of the talk is about the big Trey Burton transaction. Burton is a great addition but if he can complement well off of Shaheen; the Chicago Bears have a deadly duo.