The Chicago Bears have a ton of work ahead of them in 2020. This is still a good football team with a lot to build off of. They have a top defense and some nice, young weapons emerging on offense. At the same time, they still have questions at quarterback, an underperforming offensive line, and literally nothing at tight end. These issues must get worked out in the coming months by GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy if they want to overcome the disappointment of 2019.
However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune isn't convinced the changes will stop in those areas. He believes some notable adjustments will come at wide receiver as well. While the team has a couple of standout playmakers at the position, the depth isn't quite as strong as some had hoped. Javon Wims and Riley Ridley have potential but neither has flashed enough to warrant trust that they'll ascend next year. The biggest issue though is with Taylor Gabriel.
"I believe the Bears will have to address the wide receiver position as well. Anthony Miller has really stepped up in the second half of the season and he looks like he’s going to be a pretty good player. But other than Allen Robinson, they are thin at that position, and I think they need to move on from Taylor Gabriel and come up with a quality option."
Chicago Bears are out of reasons to keep Gabriel
The fact is Biggs isn't wrong to be thinking this. Gabriel was a nice option for the passing game in 2018 but he regressed notably this year. In addition to missing several games with concussion problems, he's also not catching the ball as efficiently when he does play. Across nine games, he dropped three passes. For context? He dropped zero passes in 16 games last season. It's impossible to argue the guy has struggled this year.
Then there's the contract. Gabriel will make $6.5 million in 2020. Not a small amount of money. Cutting or trading the receiver would secure the Bears an extra $4.5 million in salary cap space. Given how little he's aided their bottom line this year, it's not hard to imagine them doing one of those things. Gabriel will turn 29-years old next February and is a top-flight speedster when healthy. NFL teams always love speed. So a trade is certainly plausible.
Either way, it does feel like his days left in Chicago are numbered.
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