Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace playing magician in 2020

Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears somehow traded Adam Shaheen

I have to admit when I make a mistake and boy did I make a big one the other day. The Chicago Bears cut Ben Braunecker three days ago and I was unjustly up in arms about it. I was not upset because he was cut, I always thought he should not make the final 2020 roster. No, I was insanely upset that Braunecker was cut before Adam Shaheen. Little did I know that Ryan Pace was playing magician and in the middle of a disappearing act.

Somehow and someway Pace was able to trade Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins for a 2021 conditional sixth-round pick. Had I known Pace was a magician, I would have expected more from him during his current tenure. Could he have swapped Kevin White for Amari Cooper? What about Mitchell Trubisky for Patrick Mahomes? Clearly his magical powers must be limited in some way.

All jokes aside, Pace just moved his biggest draft blunder (yes taking Shaheen in the second was worse than the Trubisky pick) as Chicago Bears general manager. How he was able to convince the Dolphins (or why the Dolphins convinced themselves) that Shaheen was worth trading for is beyond me. He has some great size, but he clearly does not know how to use his body and has been a walking body cast most of his short career.

The conditions of the trade for Chicago Bears tight end Adam Shaheen will be interesting

The conditions of the sixth-round pick in 2021 are unknown, but my assumption is that it either drops to a seventh-rounder should Shaheen not meet certain expectations. Making the roster is probably the first step. Even a seventh-round pick for Shaheen is phenomenal at this point.

In his three-year career with the Bears, Shaheen has not been able to do much on the field. His rookie year looked promising, but he has never been able to even match that season. In his first year, Shaheen dealt with injuries but still saw the field for 13 games and even started seven of them. He caught 12 of his 14 targets for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Eight of his 12 catches extended drives as he caught them for first downs.

His second and third seasons combined do not even eclipse those marks. Over that two-year span, Shaheen gained 122 yards and only scored one touchdown. He did this with two more catches and five more targets.

Injuries may have stunted his growth and a change of scenery is definitely what Shaheen needs, but again I am just shocked at what Pace was able to get in return. The trade does not absolve him of the mistake he made drafting Shaheen in the first place, but anything at this point at least helps soften the blow. I would argue my mistake of wanting Shaheen cut a few days ago is still way less of a mistake compared to what Pace