Chicago Bears 53-man roster questions: How to handle Adam Shaheen

The Chicago Bears have not been overly optimistic on the injury status of Adam Shaheen. Do they need to carry another tight end and is there anything they can do with him on the 53-man roster?

When Adam Shaheen initially went down with his injured foot and ankle, it looked bad. The early word from Matt Nagy was positive in regards to his ankle. However, further information involving his foot made it more of a multiple week injury.

It feels as though there is no doubt that he is out for Week One, and the waiting game will go from there. So, what can the Chicago Bears do here, or are they stuck between a rock and a hard place?

They are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The team cannot designate him as a PUP player because he played in the preseason. They could place him on the IR with a designation to return. However, that would put him out until Week eight.

It does not feel as though the injury is that excessive and the designation to return tag is limited. Therefore, the Chicago Bears will have to carry Shaheen as one of the 53 men on the roster and make him inactive on game day until he is healthy.

What to do at tight end?

So, do you take from another position to add another tight end? Daniel Brown was a lock to make the roster, but does Ben Braunecker slot in?

It seems unlikely. However, it certainly does limit the ceiling of the offense. In terms of blocking. Shaheen is likely the second best on the team behind Dion Sims. Trey Burton flashed his blocking prowess a bit in the preseason, but Daniel Brown and Burton are similar in that their value is in the receiving game.

Sims can cut into some of the blocking duties that Shaheen had, but Nagy had talked openly about Sims having a different role from Shaheen and how vital to the offense it was. Brown cannot fill either of these spots adequately enough.

Still, do we think Ben Braunecker can? The reality is that Dion Sims will play more and Michael Burton will play more. They will use extra wide receivers and running backs to suffice schematically and get by with three active tight ends, and only one having any blocking prowess.