Chicago Bears: Where is Adam Shaheen?
By David Mamola
Rookie tight end Adam Shaheen has been a non-factor through the first two games of the 2017 season, and the Chicago Bears are to blame.
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears basically have been spinning their wheels, looking for someone to step up and make a difference. It’s early, but the Bears have not yet had a player who has played well in both games. Akiem Hicks was great in Week 1, but didn’t touch Jameis Winston in Week 2. Tarik Cohen broke out in the opener, but made much less of an impact against the Buccaneers. And Mike Glennon, well, he hasn’t played well in either game.
One player that has not even had the opportunity to make an impact is second-round pick Adam Shaheen. He didn’t really flash in the preseason — even though the team said he was making progress — and through the first two games of the regular season, you wouldn’t even know he was on the field.
If you don’t remember Shaheen being on the field, however, don’t feel bad because his playing time has been ridiculously low. The rookie tight end from Ashland has been on the field for a total of 13 plays combined in the first two games. 13! For a second-round pick, Shaheen should be seeing that many snaps in one quarter, not over the course of two whole games.
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The Bears have been decimated by injuries to the receiving corps, and it got only worse in Week 1 when Kevin White got hurt. You would think that Shaheen would have seen more playing time in Week 2, especially with Markus Wheaton still on the shelf. However, Shaheen saw less playing time. After logging eight uneventful snaps against the Falcons, Shaheen was on the field for just five plays against the Buccaneers.
Playing time is hard to come by at the tight end position, particularly with Dion Sims (78 total snaps) and Zach Miller (88 total snaps) healthy and playing well. But with the pathetic receiving corps the Bears roll out every Sunday, Shaheen should be seeing a lot more snaps than he has gotten so far. Shaheen is 6-6 and weighs 280 pounds. I don’t care if he’s still raw because any defense — particularly in the red zone — has trouble defending a player of that size.
The Bears have scored only three touchdowns in six red zone trips this season, so it’s not like they’re lighting the scoreboard up with Shaheen on the sideline. He has seen no red zone targets, and is still looking for his first catch in the NFL. The Bears are struggling to score points, so what’s the harm of trotting Shaheen out there for 30 or more plays per game and seeing what he can do? He’s a second-round pick, for crying out loud! He can’t learn and develop by standing on the sidelines.
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So far, Shaheen has been a nonfactor, and his face should be on the back of a milk carton. It’s time for the Bears to realize he is actually on the team and put him in the game. They’ll never know if he’s the next Rob Gronkowski or Kellen Davis unless they play him.