Chicago Bears: Will tight end Adam Shaheen finally break out in 2019?

The Chicago Bears need more out of Adam Shaheen in 2019. Can he give it to them?

Falling in love with his size and athletic upside, the Chicago Bears drafted tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was a relatively unknown prospect out of Ashland University, but the Bears took a chance on him after seeing him absolutely dominate the lower-level of competition.

Through two seasons, Shaheen has flashed that upside at the tight end position, but he has not been on the field often enough to make the most of his abilities. The young tight end has only played in 20 out of a possible 33 games in his NFL career, missing significant time last season with an ankle injury.

The Bears signed Trey Burton to be their primary tight end last offseason and Burton found an immediate rapport with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Burton’s role in the Bears’ offense is secure, but if Shaheen can stay healthy, he could still carve out a sizeable role for himself.

The Bears are not exactly loaded with talent at the wide receiver position. Sure, guys like Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel are good, but it is not like they have five or six guys who they must find consistent playing time for. Head coach Matt Nagy is an expert at finding ideal matchups for his offensive players and using more two-tight end sets could be a way to find those matchups.

When the Bears line up in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends), opposing defenses will primarily stick with their base defense. This will allow for advantageous matchups for Burton, Shaheen and running backs Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery. However, in order for Nagy to be able to consistently run with 12 personnel, he has to be able to rely on Shaheen.

According to Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Shaheen is taking the proper steps in his development.

"“Very encouraged last year, very encouraged in the preseason, and he knows this, he’s just got to stay healthy,” Pace said, according to JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports. “He’s had a great offseason. He’s just got to keep on stacking positive day after positive day. Nagy utilizes the tight end position a lot. Part of it, especially for Shaheen, is just staying healthy.”"

Shaheen has an impressive combination of size, speed and overall athleticism that gives him massive upside as an NFL tight end. He can be a real matchup nightmare in the middle of the field and has the skill set to be a supreme blocker at the tight end position. However, he must continue to improve and stay healthy if he is ever going to come close to reaching his natural upside.

While Burton is the number one guy, the Chicago Bears clearly believe in Shaheen’s ability to make an impact on the field. They would not have made him a second-round selection if they did not. That being said, it is now up to him to prove them right.

Shaheen will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself in 2019 and as long as he can stay healthy, I fully expect him to make the most out of them. Barring injury, I see a breakout season coming from the young tight end in 2019.