Chicago Bears: Adam Shaheen injury proves keeping 5 TEs a must

The latest Chicago Bears injury shows why they must keep five tight ends when they break training camp.

As the Chicago Bears began training camp in Bourbonnais, there was a fair amount of optimism surrounding former second-round pick Adam Shaheen. Up to this point, his career can only be characterized as a disappointment as it has been littered with injuries causing him to miss a significant amount of time.

Obviously, no one is more disappointed that Shaheen himself, who endeavored this offseason to fix things. He utilized a mixed martial arts training program to try to increase strength and hopefully avoid more injuries.

While his commitment should be admired, it does not appear to have had much of an impact. Shaheen wasn’t even able to make it through the first day of training camp healthy, one in which the players weren’t even wearing pads. As the players began to practice on Sunday, Shaheen was noticeably absent. Head coach Matt Nagy later revealed Shaheen was dealing with a sore back and was held out of practice.

Look, every Bears fan wants Shaheen to succeed. He has a lot of talent and presents crazy mismatch opportunities when on the field. However, the reality is he is rarely on the field, and so the Bears must plan for the future as if Shaheen won’t be a part of it.

That is why it is imperative that the team keep five tight ends on the roster when they break camp in six weeks (assuming Shaheen is one of them). Last week, we made a bold prediction that the Bears would keep five tight ends on the roster. Today, that claim looks less bold and more necessary. You know Trey Burton and Bradley Sowell will make the roster as the “U” and “Y” tight ends respectively.

Shaheen, as the “F” tight end, has Ben Braunecker slated to be his backup. However, if Shaheen can’t stay on the field for even a light workout, there is a fair chance Braunecker spends most of the season as the starter at that position. Putting aside whether the Bears would feel comfortable rolling into the regular season under those circumstances, at a minimum, they would need depth.

Even if Shaheen starts the season healthy, they don’t want to run into a situation where they are scrambling to bring someone in midseason should he go down. That’s why it would be in their best interest to decide which one of Dax Raymond, or Ian Bunting is best suited for that role in training camp, and make sure they are on the roster.