Chicago Bears: 3 Trade packages for O.J. Howard

Here is a slight variation of the prior trade. Remember when Adam Shaheen was unwarrantedly dubbed “Baby Gronk” when he was brought into camp after being drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft? Well, maybe Tom Brady can find Shaheen’s inner Gronkowski?

Shaheen is likely to be cut by the Chicago Bears at some point this offseason. I was honestly shocked Trey Burton was cut before Shaheen. A stipulation in Burton’s contract though is why that move came now rather than later and now makes more sense. That said, why not use Shaheen in a way to lock in a better tight talent like Howard? This will mean giving up a later second pick in the trade but also receiving a later pick back from the Bucs.

What is nice about this pick though, is even though the 5th round pick back from the Bucs falls shy of the top 150 draft prospects, the move allows Ryan Pace to jump up 65 picks while also locking up Howard as essentially the 50th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Shaheen has struggled with injuries, but he did show some promise his rookie year with 127 yards on only 14 targets and also scored three touchdowns.

The Bucs like to use two tight end sets with Howard and Cameron Brate. Adding Shaheen to the roster allows them to slide Shaheen into the Howard spot while a potential rookie draft pick develops.

Would you make one of these three trades if it meant locking up a talent like O.J. Howard? Would the combination of Graham and Howard be better for the Chicago Bears than Graham and a rookie out of the 2020 NFL Draft?