Chicago Bears: Jimmy Graham signing should guarantee these two cuts

Adam Shaheen – TE

Ryan Pace will go down as having two horrible picks in the 2017 draft class. First up is Mitchell Tubisky who Pace moved up one spot for in the first round. Then in the second round, Pace made what looks to be an awful pick by taking Adam Shaheen in the second. Shaheen was projected as a Day 3 pick, yet Pace took him at least two rounds too early.

Many had high hopes for Shaheen and loved his size. However, Shaheen has yet to play a full season and we are going into year four. Pace needs to cut Shaheen for two reasons. One, it will show that he does not hold onto players, just because he drafted them. This is an important message to fans based on how everyone feels about Mitchell Turbisky.

The second reason is that cutting Shaheen saves the Bears more than $1 million in salary-cap space. I know, this sounds trivial, but with how tight the Bears currently are in this area and the reported news that Pace is targeting a major change with the team’s quarterback room, the Bears will need every penny they can find in their couch cushions.

It seems many Bears fans are upset with the move. I am not sure what was expected. Ryan Pace is at fault for putting the team in this situation, but it is not like he had many options to improve the tight end position. The team could not afford the likes of Austin Hooper, who is not likely going to live up to expectations in Cleveland anyway. Graham makes the team better.

Graham has also been relatively healthy throughout his career. He has played in all 16 games in each of his last four seasons. In fact, he has only missed seven games in his 10-year career. This is not something we can say about Trey Burton or even Adam Shaheen. Moving on from Shaheen makes the most sense, but will Ryan Pace put his ego aside to cut him? I sure hope so.