Chicago Bears trade Adam Shaheen in a brilliant move

The Chicago Bears likely would have cut Adam Shaheen, but found a buyer instead.

Back in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears made a couple of mistakes early on. The first was in drafting Mitchell Trubisky at no. 2 overall instead of, well, you know. The second mistake came in the very next round when they took Adam Shaheen at no. 45 overall.

The 6-foot-6 monstrous tight end out of Ashland came to the Bears with a nickname, “Baby Gronk.” Therefore, he had some huge expectations laid out for him. Shaheen was supposed to be the future of the tight end position in Chicago.

But, three seasons in, he has been far from the answer at tight end for the Bears.

Shaheen has yet to play a full season for the Bears, appearing in 27 of 48 games in three years. In those three seasons, Shaheen has caught just 26 passes for 249 yards and four scores. He has also had injury concerns.

For several reasons, the Bears likely would have cut him before the end of training camp. With new roster limitations in place due to the coronavirus pandemic and doing things much differently in 2020, Shaheen was a no-brainer in terms of a future roster cut.

However, the Bears did the unthinkable: Ryan Pace found a trade partner.

Chicago has traded Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins, and according to multiple reports, it’s for a conditional sixth-round pick.

Remember when the Bears traded Jordan Howard for the same price tag? That makes this Shaheen deal look absolutely brilliant.

Shaheen joins Mike Gesicki in Miami and will likely compete for the second or third spot on the depth chart.

As for Chicago, their tight end picture is shaping up before our eyes. Once having over 10 on the roster, Chicago’s tight ends look a bit different now. Obviously, free agent signee Jimmy Graham will be the starter. Next up is going to be rookie second rounder Cole Kmet, whom the Bears took out of Notre Dame — let’s hope his future pans out better than the likes of Shaheen.

Then, they have another free agent signee in Demetrius Harris, who will come in primarily as a blocker. Beyond those three, it’ll probably be between J.P. Holts and Jesper Horsted for the fourth spot — maybe the Bears even keep five total, using Holtz as a fullback.

This is a position which was in desperate need of an upgrade after last season, and hopefully the Bears have put themselves in a situation where see they improvement.

Pace is also a winner here because he obtained another pick, which he has been more apt to trade in recent years. Stocking back up on picks is going to be crucial, especially if the salary cap changes for the worse starting next season — but that’s another story. As for now, the Shaheen deal looks wise for Chicago.