Report: Shaheen Trade Brings Bears Back Sixth-Round Pick
The Bears didn't have to wait long to get a deal they liked for tight end Adam Shaheen.
They didn't even get to training camp.
According to an NFL Network report, Shaheen went to the Dolphins Saturday for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. It ended a Bears career marred by injuries and ineffective play.
Shaheen finished last year on injured reserve with a foot injury, the second straight season he went on injured reserve.
In 2018 Shaheen missed 10 games with a foot injury and seven games with one last year.
The departure of Shaheen seemed assured since the drafting of Cole Kmet and signing of Demetrius Harris in free agency. Both play the Y tight end or in-line tight end spot like Shaheen did.
Shaheen played in only 27 out of 48 games he was eligible to play in due to numerous injuries. The Bears never got more out of him in a season than when he was a rookie under coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggain. He made 12 catches on 14 targets that season for three touchdowns, and his catch percentage of 85.7% was the best of his career. The last two seasons he had just five and nine receptions.
For a 6-foot-6, 257-pound tight end, Shaheen wasn't much of a blocker, either.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace drafted Shaheen in Round 2 in 2017 out of Division II Ashland. Pace drew heat for the move right away due to the poor level of competition Shaheen had faced.
Shaheen was the second tight end in two days to be jettisoned. The Bears cut Ben Braunecker on Thursday after four seasons with the team.
They now have seven tight ends on the roster: Kmet, Harris, Jimmy Graham, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Darion Clark and Eric Saubert.
The Bears haven't had much success with sixth- or seventh-round draft picks under Pace. Wide receiver Javon Wims is the only sixth- or seventh-round pick by Pace since his arrival in 2015 to start a game.
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