Chicago Bears: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
(2018-Present). Taylor Gabriel. 12. player. 57. . WR
All eyes were on Allen Robinson for the Bears, as he was their prized acquisition during the 2018 NFL free agency period. Robinson missed all of 2017, but was still highly sought after.
He’s a legitimate No. 1 wideout and recorded 1,400 yards through the air in 2015 with Blake Bortles throwing him the ball with the Jacksonville Jaguars. After landing Robinson, the Bears also went for Taylor Gabriel, who didn’t get as much attention as “A-Rob”.
This isn’t to say people weren’t excited about Gabriel, but the diminutive receiver was coming off a down season in 2017. After recording 579 yards and six touchdowns through the air in 2016 for the Atlanta Falcons, Gabriel had just 378 yards for the Dirty Birds the following campaign.
That left Bears fans expecting him to be the kind of guy who could make a splash play here and there. They ended up getting much more than that in 2018.
Gabriel proved to be a more balanced receiver than expected, as he actually had more receptions than Robinson in their first year in Chicago together. He finished the season with 688 yards off 67 receptions, landing him behind only running back Tarik Cohen (71) for the team leader in catches.
While it’s easy to say his season wasn’t great, as he averaged just 10.3 yards per catch, that wouldn’t be accurate. Gabriel proved he’s a complete receiver, as he was able to run every route asked of him.
He even finished with just one less reception than he had in 2016 and 2017 combined for Atlanta. It was the best season of his career and proved to be a great signing for Chicago.