Chicago Bears trade Adam Shaheen, thin out tight end room
The Chicago Bears have traded disappointing tight end Adam Shaheen to Miami.
The Chicago Bears are shedding their tight ends like a character on the show My 600 Pound Life. After releasing one tight end, Ben Braunecker, earlier this week, they traded another one now.
The Bears reportedly traded Adam Shaheen, their 2017 second-round pick, to the Miami Dolphins for a 2021 sixth-round pick. Shaheen was a disappointment for the team. In three seasons with the Bears, he played in just 27 games, missing 21 due to injury.
It appeared that head coach Matt Nagy had enough of Shaheen late last season. Shaheen was a Week 10 healthy scratch. The next week, the Bears shut him down by placing him on injured reserve.
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When reporters asked Nagy about Shaheen being scratched even though he wasn’t injured, this was his response, per NBC Sports Chicago:
"“We want all of our players to be able to be completely detailed and play hard and do everything they can to be the best player they can be.”"
Shaheen was supposed to be a big part of the Chicago Bears offense. He showed flashes at times, but not nearly enough for the team to keep. How disappointing was he? Well, look at this stat. In 21 seasons between 1999 to 2019, 136 tight ends were drafted in the first three rounds. Shaheen’s 26 catches rank him 111th. That’s how bad he was for Chicago.
Chicago Bears thin out tight end room, admit fault with Shaheen trade.
This deal had nothing to do with money for the Bears. Shaheen was owed just under $610,000. With the cheap pickup, the Dolphins hope they can get Shaheen’s best.
The Bears have Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris and Cole Kmet as their main tight ends. They also had five others competing for one other spot or special teams service. Shaheen now has a better shot at making the Dolphins as their main backup player. If he doesn’t work out, it doesn’t cost them much.
What the Bears got in return helps them more. They only had five draft picks in 2021. They now have picks in the first (their first since they picked up Roquan Smith in 2018), second, third, fifth, and now two in the sixth round.
Next. 5 Bears returning from injury who need to stay healthy. dark
With the trade, the Bears now have 95 players on the roster. They have to get down to 80 for training camp. Expect them to look for more trades to try to pick up more picks.