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It appears the Chicago Bears may be parting ways with another one of their former top draft picks.
Just a few weeks ago, the Chicago Bears had more tight ends on their roster than Michael Jordan had Jerry Krause “short” jokes. At one point, the Bears had 10 tight ends on their roster. Following the recent release of free-agent bust Trey Burton, they currently have nine.
However, it appears that number may shrink by one more by the end of the week if a recent rumor is to be believed.
According to Michael Lombardi (who is not the most popular amongst Bears fans), Adam Shaheen is someone who the Bears have made available and are looking to deal.
Shaheen, who according to Lombardi also goes by the alias Adam Sheehan (possibly in an attempt to remain under the radar) is “available” implying that Ryan Pace is listening to offers ahead of this week’s NFL Draft.
In doing so, Ryan Pace is signaling a willingness to admit that he has once again whiffed on a top draft pick. From Kevin White to Leonard Floyd, to Mitchell Trubisky to now Shaheen, Pace has had a dubious history in the early rounds of the NFL Draft. However, Shaheen has to go down as one of his worst picks.
On paper, you could see what Pace was thinking. A giant tight end with high-end athleticism to pair with the green franchise quarterback he just traded up for. Makes all the sense in the world — unless you draft the wrong tight end — which Pace did.
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Inconsistency and injuries have come to be the hallmarks of Shaheen’s Bears’ career. He has had a few moments where he flashes the talent that led to him being a second-round pick, but those moments have been so few and far between that it’s easy to forget them entirely.
What, if anything, the Bears could get for Shaheen remains a question, though I’d assess his current value between a USB flash drive and a coupon book for 10 free McFlurries. Regardless, even if the Bears aren’t able to get anything for Shaheen, the fact that they’ve indicated a willingness to move him says he is not long for this roster and his time in Chicago may be coming to an end. Hey, by the time training camp opens, whenever that is, the Bears may be down to eight tight ends! So that’s something!