Anyone who saw the Chicago Bears game against the Eagles this Sunday saw Chicago Bears’ tight end Adam Shaheen have a bad game. Is it finally time to cut their losses with him or is he able to be saved?
Many Chicago Bears fans wondered what General Manager Ryan Pace was doing when he drafted Adam Shaheen, a tight end out of tiny Ashland College. He didn’t have the experience at a larger school and it was feared that he would have a hard time adapting to the speed of the NFL game. Pace and company tried to alleviate those fears and brush them aside.
But judging by Shaheen’s performance over the last few seasons that he has been here, you can hardly even say that he has been mediocre. He sits almost exclusively on the “poor” or “disappointing” side than anything else. And it’s just one of several moments in Pace’s career with the Bears that leave you scratching your head and wondering why Pace did what he did when he drafted Shaheen.
During Shaheen’s three years with the Bears, he has played in 27 games with just 13 starts. He has been targeted just 33 times catching 26 of those targets for 249 yards. Shaheen has managed to catch four touchdown passes.
These numbers are not even close to what a productive tight end should have let alone a second-round pick. Shaheen needed to be more productive and a much more reliable receiver and blocker. But that hasn’t happened.
We know that the Bears’ offense has struggled and that has at least a little something to do with the poor production that Shaheen has had since coming to Chicago. He’s unreliable and seems to be lost out there on the football field at times.
Shaheen is not helping matters any.
More from Chicago Bears News
- Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
- How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
- The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
- Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
- 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears
What should the Bears do about him in the long run?
The fact that they used a second-round pick on him and he’s a bust should be shoved aside. There is nothing that can be done about the fact that a second-round pick was “wasted”. It’s in the past and the Bears cannot get that pick back. So, we must look beyond the pick.
Folks, Shaheen isn’t going to get any better. With an expected roster scrubbing coming up this offseason, Shaheen is on the outside looking in. He will likely be cut and the team will move on with different plans for the tight end position. Hopefully, Pace can realize that he made a mistake with Shaheen, cuts him loose and doesn’t make the same mistake again.
Pace has made some good moves in the past but he has had his share of bad ones. Who knows what he was thinking when he drafted Shaheen. I am sure that he saw more potential than production out of him and he just didn’t pan out.
You miss now and then but this kind of miss is a bad one. A second-round pick was wasted. A roster spot was held that could have been used on someone else.
The Bears cannot trade Shaheen. No one is going to give anything for him. But they don’t have to be stuck with him either.
It’s time to move on, admit the mistake and try to do better. Shaheen just isn’t going to work out for the Bears and needs to be let go to make room for better talent.