Weeks spent watching and analyzing film of Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce has convinced Adam Shaheen of two things.
‘‘The guy there is really, really talented,’’ said Shaheen, the Bears’ second-year tight end.
And?
‘‘We’re going to have opportunities more so than we did last year, just as a tight end room as a whole,’’ Shaheen said.
In coach Matt Nagy’s offense, tight end is of the utmost importance. In a way, it’s where everything starts.
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Finding a ‘‘U’’ tight end — see Kelce or Eagles Pro Bowler Zach Ertz — was the first personnel move Nagy discussed with general manager Ryan Pace. To fill the role, the Bears signed Trey Burton — who played behind Ertz with the Eagles — to a four-year, $32 million contract.
But what about Shaheen? Where does the 45th overall pick of the 2017 draft fit in Nagy’s offense and plans?
‘‘We’re going to be all over the field,’’ Shaheen said. ‘‘It’s going to be good to be a part of.’’
The ‘‘Y’’ (in-line) tight end spot should be viewed merely as a starting point. If Shaheen develops as expected, he should enable Nagy to be more creative with his personnel groupings, route combinations and play-calls.
Shaheen also will learn the ‘‘U’’ responsibilities, but he and Burton will form the kind of tandem Nagy didn’t have with the Chiefs.
In his two seasons as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Nagy’s second tight end was Demetrius Harris, an undrafted free-agent signee in 2013 who played basketball, not football, in college. As Harris developed, his role grew. He made 17 catches on 31 targets in 2016 and 18 catches on 35 targets last season.
Shaheen should provide Nagy with much more.
‘‘He’s bigger than I originally thought he was, and then . . . his catching radius I’d put in the same category,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘He has very natural hands. He’s a guy that fits our offense very well. Now it’s a matter of how fast is he going to learn it and just figure out the details and just the ins and outs of the different routes we run.’’
When the Bears designed their offseason training plan for Shaheen, their goal wasn’t to increase his power or strength — ‘‘I was pretty damn physical last year,’’ he said — but to make him more fluid, mobile and flexible.
Part of the Bears’ focus was to eliminate what Shaheen described as ‘‘nagging injuries that I had over the season’’ by improving his core strength. But the Bears also wanted him to improve as a route-runner.
‘‘[It’s] just to be able to move and run better than I did last year,’’ Shaheen said. ‘‘Just to be able to run, cut, get lower, everything in blocking, better leverage. Just core stability is huge. I think it’s helped a lot.’’
Nagy’s vision for Shaheen will help, too.
The Bears spoke glowingly about Shaheen after drafting him, but his role was limited behind Zach Miller and Dion Sims. At times, the jump from Division II Ashland (Ohio) to the NFL appeared overwhelming. While the Bears emphasized Shaheen’s blocking, he battled nerves.
But Shaheen’s natural pass-catching skills were underused last season. He made 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came from a three-point stance.
‘‘I made the most of it,’’ he said. ‘‘When I was given an opportunity, I showed that I can play and be a starter in this league.’’
Shaheen said the Bears had formations and plays last season in which he lined up elsewhere and was upright, but ‘‘it just never
materialized into anything.’’
With Nagy, the expectations are that Shaheen will turn into something significant. Everything is different for him and the tight ends.
‘‘We didn’t have great numbers last year — really any of us — from a catching standpoint,’’ Shaheen said. ‘‘But I think that will change with this offense.’’
