NEWSLETTER
Last week, we watched the Bears lose a starter, as right guard Kyle Long got placed on injured reserve. But this is a new week, one in which the news could head in the other direction for another, injured Bear:
Matt Nagy says it's "possible" Adam Shaheen could practice Wednesday, but again says the tight end is getting close to returning to practice.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) November 5, 2018
Tight end Adam Shaheen has been on the road to recovery since suffering a foot/ankle injury in the Bears’ preseason win against the Denver Broncos on August 18. Now that Shaheen has spent the required eight weeks on injured reserve, he could be activated as soon as he’s healthy. But because Shaheen has yet to practice, an imminent return isn’t quite expected so soon. Still, it would be nice to see the 2017 second-round pick back in the mix – even just at practice.
While Trey Burton has taken the lead in the Bears tight end game, Shaheen will still have a role once he gets healthy. Because while Shaheen caught just 12 passes for 127 yards as a rookie, he was a monster in the red zone with three touchdowns, and appeared to have a strong rapport with Mitch Trubisky during his rookie season. Trubisky completed 11 of 13 passes thrown to Shaheen for 125 yards, and two touchdowns last year, which adds up to an impressive 146.3 rating. Trubisky and the Bears could use all the help they can get with their red zone passing offense, and a healthy Shaheen could help boost the productivity on that end of the field.
Whenever Shaheen does return, it will be a welcome sight. The Bears are struggling with some recent tight end injuries and could probably use the return of a player who figured to be the lead “Y” tight end in Matt Nagy’s offense. Ben Braunecker didn’t play in the Bears’ Week 9 win against the Bills because of a concussion and remains in concussion protocol. Fellow tight end Dion Sims also came away with a concussion after Sunday’s win, so he’ll likely join Braunecker as being out until further notice.
