Prior to the start of Sunday’s Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears made some moves on the offensive side of the ball.
Not only did they decide to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and James Daniels back to left guard, but they opted to make a change at tight end by benching tight end Adam Shaheen, who was inactive as a healthy scratch.
“We want all of our players to be able to be completely detailed and play hard and do everything they can to be the best player they can be,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Monday.
While Shaheen was a healthy scratch in Week 10, don’t expect an immediate return to the lineup Sunday against the Rams.
“We’re still working through all of that,” Nagy said.
Reserve tight end Ben Braunecker seemed to have more success in one game than Shaheen and Trey Burton have had all season. Braunecker caught his first career touchdown pass — an 18-yard reception from Mitchell Trubisky in the waning minutes of the first half to give the Bears a 7-6 lead. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Expect to see more of Braunecker moving forward as he’s a better receiver than Shaheen and a better blocker than Burton. The Bears have also utilized tight end J.P. Holtz in their offense, especially as a fullback.
Much has been made about the performance of Bears tight ends this season, and rightfully so. They haven’t been productive in this unit, but then again, who has? Chicago’s offense has struggled mightily in its first eight games, and they seemed to get a glimpse of a spark at the end of the first half leading into the third quarter.
Shaheen, a former second-round draft pick, has been ineffective and costly at times. His special teams fumble on the final play of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles ended any hope of a last-second miracle comeback by the Bears offense.
But even when Shaheen is on offense, he hasn’t done a whole lot. He has just nine receptions for 74 yards this season.
Matt Nagy seemed to send a message to his team by benching Shaheen and switching a struggling Daniels back to left guard: Do your job or we’ll find someone that will.
Shaheen’s benching and the switch on the offensive line likely won’t be the last changes we see on this Bears offense moving forward in the final seven games of the season if the struggles continue.
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