They say the best ability in the NFL is availability. The thing players learn is that draft status will only carry you so far. Eventually, they’re going to have to earn their spot on the roster or should lose it. Kevin White got four years but by the time his body stopped letting him down, it was too late. He hardly played in 2018 and was among the Chicago Bears roster cuts this offseason. By the look of things, another highly-touted pick could be traveling down that same road. His name is Adam Shaheen.
There was a considerable amount of hype around the 2nd round pick in 2017. After dominating at small Ashland College, the big 6’7 tight end looked like a potential next Rob Gronkowski. Hence the nickname “Baby Gronk.” There were a few glimpses of that his rookie season. It looked like he was poised for a potential breakout in Cincinnati. Then he injured his chest while catching a touchdown. That ended his year.
Then last season he came in with plenty of hype about his improvement in practice. Fast forward to the second preseason game, he got his ankle and foot twisted up. This landed him on injured reserve and he would not return until late November. He ended up with just five catches for the entire year. Shaheen has now missed 13 games in his career and it doesn’t seem like the problems are going away.
Bears media found that out when head coach Matt Nagy revealed he was missing practice with a sore back.
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Adam Shaheen deserves consideration for Chicago Bears roster cuts
Look, there is nothing wrong about giving a player second chances. The Bears have actually had great success with this strategy. See Kyle Fuller for an example. However, Fuller had at least proven he can play good football before suffering his major injury setback. Shaheen has done no such thing. GM Ryan Pace tried to let things play out with White but it didn’t and one could make an easy case that this “patience” ended up hurting the offense.
The same case can be made with Shaheen. Does he have raw talent? Sure. Not that it matters since he can’t stay on the field long enough to showcase it. The Bears have to think about cutting their losses and giving that roster spot to somebody who can be of better use. They have a solid starter in Trey Burton. It shouldn’t be hard to fill in the remaining gaps with a mixture of Bradley Sowell and one of the undrafted free agents in Dax Raymond or Ian Bunting. If not both.
They could even add a veteran for additional depth. Jermaine Gresham and A.J. Derby are two names worth looking into. Odds are the Bears won’t do that and Shaheen will stay put. However, this latest development continues to stoke the fires that the tight end may just not have the body to withstand the rigors of professional football.
