These five players will not be back with the Chicago Bears in 2020
After a frustrating season has come to an end, fans are ready to see changes. The Chicago Bears added a couple of new offensive minds into the building, but that is just the start of changes that are going to occur.
Like every year, the team will move on from a variety of veterans in an effort to find cheaper and younger support.
Who are five players who may have made an impact in 2019, but are very unlikely to be on the 2020 roster.
5. Taylor Gabriel
Gabriel had a very disappointing season, going from 67 receptions in 2018 down to 29 in 2019. His per-game numbers were down just a bit, but the biggest issue for him was his health.
Gabriel missed seven games and was banged up in another two of them. After playing 830 snaps in 2018, he played just 445 in 2019, his lowest total since 2016. Gabriel will enter the offseason at age 29. Most wide receivers tend to hit their peak and start to decline at age 30.
Considering speed is a significant factor of his game, and injuries have already hit, it would be a fine line to walk to expect him to get back to his 2018 self, let alone improve on it.
The Bears could save $4.5 million by letting Gabriel walk, and it is fair to say that they can find a speedster for less than that. Do not be surprised if the Bears cut ties from Gabriel and look to the future.
4. Adam Shaheen
Many fans were disappointed to hear Ryan Pace stick up for Adam Shaheen at his end of season press conference. Pace confirmed that Shaheen would be back in camp this offseason and that he is currently on the roster.
However, Pace said that knowing that they currently do not have the answers they want at tight end. Assuming the team makes enough moves in the offseason to remedy this issue, Shaheen is still a long shot for the roster. He may get his chance to compete in camp, but he is a long way from the Bears 53-man roster.
After missing ten games in 2018, Shaheen missed eight in 2019 and wound up on the IR. Still, even when he was healthy, the most he played was 46% of the snaps, and that was back in Week One.
From weeks 5-8, he played 12, 21, 15, and 16 snaps before being inactive and eventually placed on the IR.
Still, he was inactive for a few weeks without an injury designation, as the team trusted J.P. Holtz, and Jesper Horsted more. Shaheen will compete, but is currently behind those two, who will be considered depth assets and fringe roster players. Shaheen has a high hill to climb to make this roster.
3. Prince Amukamara
Amukamara will be 31 this offseason. As mentioned, it usually is around age 30 when athletes may start to see a bit of a decline. Amukamara hit that threshold, and his 2019 play was not as good as his 2018.
Amukamara missed a game with an injury and later was pulled due to a missed tackle. The team used the time to get a better look at Kevin Toliver in his second season. Whether they trust Toliver or not, they likely will bring in another name, but it is unlikely to be Amukamara. At least not on his current deal.
The Bears could save $8 million by cutting Amukamara this offseason. Considering his age and drop-in play, this is a no brainer. The team has already started to add cornerback depth, but if Amukamara wanted to come back, it could be possible.
However, it would start with him taking a pay cut. Keep an eye on this situation.
2. Danny Trevathan
The writing is pretty much on the wall for this one. To start, Trevathan is already a free agent. Trevathan is going to be 30 years old this season. He also is coming off of a season-ending arm injury. Missing time, being older, and saving the team money not to re-sign are strong indicators that Trevathan will not be back.
Trevathan was still good when he was on the field, and his 2018 play was phenomenal. However, that is the only season he has played a healthy 16 games since 2013. There is a long list of injuries that are starting to pile up for Trevathan, and his healthy 2018 is much more of the outlier than his injury-filled 2019.
Trevathan is going to have a market, but the Chicago Bears should not pay what he is going to see offered.
1. Haha Clinton-Dix
When Clinton-Dix signed a one-year deal this offseason, it could have been expected that one year would be the only time he was going to spend in Chicago.
Clinton-Dix joined a good defense with the hopes of getting his reputation back and getting a more secure deal in the coming offseason. The year did not go exactly as planned, but there is still a good shot that Clinton-Dix will only spend one year in Chicago.
What may keep him here is that his market will not be crowded. He played well, but not well enough to be a commodity on an open market. If Clinton-Dix wanted to return for cheap, it is possible.
However, he was not the best fit in Chicago. Playing next to Eddie Jackson limited some of the playmaker’s ability of Jackson. If another team were to offer more than the minimum and more than a one-year deal, the Bears should let him walk.