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Chicago Bears tight end Adam Shaheen suffered a gruesome ankle injury during Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Denver Broncos. Although the injury was feared to be serious initially, recent reports indicate that he may be back sooner than previously expected.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted out on Sunday that Shaheen is believed to have suffered a low-ankle sprain after the first round of tests.
It looked nasty, but the ankle injury for #Bears TE Adam Shaheen wasn’t nearly as bad as it appeared. Source said Shaheen suffered a low-ankle sprain based on initial tests. More tests are coming, but if that holds, he wouldn’t be ruled out to play Week 1.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2018
As Rapoport also mentioned, Shaheen could potentially play in Chicago’s first matchup of the regular season against the Green Bay Packers.
Shaheen, the Bears’ 2017 second-round pick is expected to make a large step in his second season in Matt Nagy’s offense. The six-foot-six, 270-pound Ashland alumnus caught twelve passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns last season in a limited role.
Through the first three games of the preseason, Shaheen has had four receptions for 58 yards. Although he is likely out for the remainder of the preseason, the fact that he is unlikely to miss much time in the regular season must be a sigh of relief for the Bears.
Jacob Infante is a Chicago Bears writer at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron. He is also an NFL Draft writer at USA Today SMG’s Draft Wire. He can be reached through Twitter @jacobinfante24 or emailed at jacobinfante1208@gmail.com.