Chicago Bears: Adam Shaheen is quietly progressing well
Chicago Bears rookie tight end Adam Shaheen brought excitement with his size and athletic ability, and while he’s not been in headlines, he’s quietly progressed
The Chicago Bears created a buzz at this year’s NFL Draft by moving up one spot and trading valuable picks to selecting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. That move wasn’t the only one that caused a stir, however.
In the second round, Bears general manager Ryan Pace selected tight end Adam Shaheen. That move seemed to come out of nowhere. It may have been a bigger move than the Trubisky selection. Shaheen came out of Division II Ashland (Ohio). At 6-6, 270 pounds, he dominated the competition. He even earned the nickname “Baby Gronk”.
Many looked forward to seeing Shaheen at camp. Of course, going from Division II to the NFL is a big jump. With his abilities, people just figured he’d make the move smoothly.
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Well, Shaheen hasn’t made noise during the preseason. He has three catches for 18 yards and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, other rookies like Trubisky and Tarik Cohen and Tanner Gentry grabbed attention for their fine play. Does that mean something is wrong with Shaheen? No, not at all.
Shaheen’s progressed well throughout camp, albeit quietly. The Bears know how good a pass catcher he is, but his blocking is what may ultimately decide how long he plays in the NFL. The coaching staff is focusing on blocking over anything else.
The Bears have two other tight ends ahead of Shaheen. They have Zach Miller and Dion Sims, both of whom can play well. That gives Shaheen enough time to get his blocking skills up to par. He knows how important it is to block well consistently in the league. Also, he knows he needs to work on getting better in that area, per the Chicago Sun-Times:
"Definitely a lot to work on. ‘But I definitely have the size, and I can do it. It’s just a matter of perfecting it and really being consistent with it, instead of just one play great, one play OK, one play you missed a guy."
Some miss the work Shaheen’s doing. During the game against the Tennessee Titans, he made two key blocks that resulted in touchdowns. On the first one, he kept Brian Orakpo out of the backfield. On the second one, it was against Kevin Dodd. Both defenders were outside linebackers, and he blocked them without help. He made both blocks helping two different quarterbacks.
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Once Shaheen becomes a consistent blocker, he’ll start making noise. Eventually, he’ll become the number one tight end. He’ll give his quarterbacks a great red zone option, and he could take on defenders if the play isn’t going to him. Give him time. He’ll be a star for the Chicago Bears.