These two August ailments offer a glimpse into the Bears' most pressing concern for a non-kicking position. Their depth at tight end was a question mark entering training camp, and it's already being challenged.
"I just want everybody to be healthy coming into the season," Bears tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride said after practice Monday.
Related
The Bears came to appreciate the steady production of Burton in 2018, the first season of his four-year deal with Chicago. He hauled in 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns in 16 regular-season games. But they also realized his importance during a loss in the wild-card round, as Burton was conspicuously absent due to a sudden injury that was revealed the night before the game.
Without Burton, the Bears are left relying on unproven pieces at tight end. There's Shaheen, the 2017 second-round pick who has missed a combined 13 games while dealing with three different injuries in his first two seasons. There's Bradley Sowell, the converted tackle who lost 35 pounds entering training camp. There's Ben Braunecker, primarily a special teams player over three seasons. Then there are undrafted rookies in Dax Raymond and Ian Bunting.
The Bears' tight ends other than Burton have combined for 25 career receptions. That's including Sowell's tackle-eligible touchdown in a win last December.
With a month left before the Bears open the regular season against the Packers on Sept. 5, the team is using Burton's absence as an opportunity to evaluate.
"For the most part, I’ve liked where they’re at," Nagy said. "But we’re really going to be able to evaluate them in the preseason."
It will be especially important for the intriguing rookies Raymond and Bunting. Raymond was added to the roster not long after the draft ended without his name called. Bunting is a player who first caught the Bears' attention at their local pro day held at Halas Hall in April.
Both Raymond and Bunting have made impressions in training camp, but that's only the beginning of their auditions.
"You want to see how they perform, how they react in a game environment," Gilbride said of the two rookies at his position. "It's good to see when we get the pads on, their level of toughness and their level of finish.
"We didn't necessarily know if they're going to be some finishing, tough guys. But during practice, we've seen they have that in them. Now, I just got to get it out of them play in and play out."
The Bears transitioned Sowell from his swing tackle role in part because of their need for depth at tight end. He played at 312 pounds last season but now looks the part of a tight end down after his weight loss.
Nagy knew his commitment was real when he heard Sowell wasn't touching a golf club all offseason. But losing weight was the easy part of this move. The Bears need Sowell to look and act like a tight end in every aspect of his game. That's what has stood out to Gilbride.
"The way he's controlling his body is so much better than it was in the spring," Gilbride said. "He took every coaching point that I gave him in the spring, took it into the summer and worked his butt off to try to control his body better, whether it's in the run game, pass protection or running routes."
As for Shaheen, the goal is simply about "health," as Gilbride said. The Bears have hardly gotten a feel for what Shaheen can be in their offense. He had 12 receptions and three touchdowns as a rookie before suffering a shoulder injury. In 2018, he suffered a foot/ankle injury in a preseason game and missed nine games, then suffered a concussion after being activated from injured reserve.
Shaheen committed himself to good health this offseason and isn't excusing his injuries as poor fortunes. The back soreness was a minor setback, but now he's back on the field and trying to prove his worth. Gilbride maintained that Shaheen could be a "tremendous" player if the Bears can keep him healthy.
"I just want to play all 16 and help the team whatever way it is," Shaheen said upon returning last week.
Knowing there remains plenty of time before the regular season opens, the Bears are comfortable taking precautions with Burton. With Nagy hinting that he will again rest starters for much of the preseason action -- which begins Thursday night -- opportunities will be there for Shaheen, Braunecker, Sowell, Raymond and Bunting.
Depth at tight end is already being tested. Whether the Bears have solutions behind Burton is something they'll soon find out.