Adam Shaheen’s professional career has stumbled out of the gate.
Injuries, inconsistent usage, and disappointing results are among the reasons the 2017 second-round pick has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him as a super sleeper of his draft class. Now, three years after the Chicago Bears selected him as the fifth tight end to come off the board, not only are the Bears often connected to the possibility of drafting another player to battle at the position, Shaheen himself has reportedly been placed on the trade block.
Here’s a tweet from former NFL front offices executive and current league insider Michael Lombardi, who hears Shaheen is among the players surfacing on the trade block:
More players available…Malik Hooker, Indy, PJ Hall Oakland, Rasul Douglas Phila, Adam Sheehan, Chicago. It's going to be a fun week.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) April 21, 2020
Shaheen (not Sheehan, but I remember when my autocorrect wanted to change the two) hasn’t played well enough for long enough at any point of his Bears career to secure a spot on the 2020 Bears roster. And with eight other players in the position group, it is easy to envision Shaheen as the odd-man out. For his career, Shaheen has just 26 catches, 249 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in 27 games. That type of production (or lack of it) has made him the ire of Bears fans who are desperate for production out of the tight end group โ specifically a top pick from an important draft class.
With that being said, it is tough to imagine what kind of trade value Shaheen has at this point. He’s spent time on injured reserve in each of the past two seasons. Even in 2017, his healthiest year, Shaheen missed the final three games of the season because of a chest injury. In the end, missing nearly as many games (21) than he’s played (27) in his professional career probably doesn’t do Shaheen any favors.
Seeing his name pop up on the rumor mill this close to the draft suggests his time with the Bears could soon be drawing to a close. I wonder if the Bears can pitch a franchise on Shaheen’s age (he won’t turn 26 until October) and affordable salary (an estimated $1.27 million) and somehow snag a late-round pick in a future draft to clear a roster spot while clearing a small bit of cap space in the process. Otherwise, the Bears could look to release Shaheen after the draft if there are no takers. All thing considered, it would be wise to keep an eye on this situation as it develops over draft weekend.