NEWSLETTER
It looked bad when Chicago Bears tight end Adam Shaheen went down with an ankle injury during the team’s Saturday preseason game against the Denver Broncos. But a report on Sunday suggested that the injury might not be as bad originally thought. That was some much-needed good news for a team that was still bracing itself for any Leonard Floyd related news, which we’ve since learned wasn’t all that great (but could’ve been worse).
So it pains me to inform share the following update on Shaheen, which doesn’t paint as rosy of a picture as Sunday’s news:
Adam Shaheen injury worse than originally feared, now ankle and foot. Nagy hoping still not serious, but still uncertain on prognosis.
— Hub Arkush (@Hub_Arkush) August 21, 2018
The Bears and Matt Nagy have been extremely vague in sharing specifics of Adam Shaheen's injury and prognosis. Apparently, per Nagy, a foot sprain has been found in addition to the ankle sprain. Nagy has not seemed optimistic on that one. Brace yourself.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) August 21, 2018
Finding a foot sprain on top of what already was a bum ankle is a less-than-ideal situation for the Bears and their second-year tight end.
Expectations were high for Shaheen entering his second season as a pro. Even though Shaheen was set to be the team’s top “Y” tight end (whose primary obligations involve in-line blocking), the Ashland University product was expected to get some more passing-down reps in game action after a year where his playing time was limited mostly to run-blocking snaps. Diversifying Shaheen’s game was supposed to add a different dimension to the Bears offense and to the team’s collection of tight ends. That group’s potential (and there’s plenty of it) takes a hit for as long as Shaheen can’t play.
And because we’re in a mood to further complicate matters, Dion Sims has missed two preseason games because of a concussion. His return to the playing field has yet to be determined. But in any case, being without two talented tight ends isn’t great.
With Shaheen and Sims sidelined, the Bears will turn to Ben Braunecker, Daniel Brown, and Colin Thompson are in line to get an extended look from the coaching staff. Braunecker caught the touchdown on the Bears’ game-winning drive against the Broncos and Brown earned some NFL game experience last season when Zach Miller went down with a season-ending injury. Thompson is still a work in progress, but could be in a position to stake a claim to a roster roster spot because of the unfortunate injuries that have happened ahead of him on the depth chart.
