The Chicago Bears are likely going to move on from Taylor Gabriel
The hard thing about declining from 2018 to 2019 is knowing that the team is not going to be the same again. Changes were made to the coaching staff, and the roster will begin to reform as well.
One move that the team is going to have to consider is Taylor Gabriel. Gabriel missed seven games in 2019, one of the reasons for the teams overall regression.
Should the Chicago Bears? What are the benefits? Here are five reasons why the Bears need to move on from Taylor Gabriel
5. Salary Cap Space
As the Chicago Bears currently stand today, they have $5 million in cap space. Fans want to add players, but the fact of the matter is that they are barely going to afford to sign their draft picks with the money that they currently have saved.
Of course, the team is going to restructure deals, and extensions can help lower the cap as well. On top of that, players will get cut.
The players that are looked at as cut candidates are the ones who do not have high guaranteed money totals. After paying Gabriel for two seasons, the majority of his guaranteed money has been earned.
While Gabriel has two years on his contract, $3 million is guaranteed. The Bears will have to pay Gabriel that no matter what, but they can get out of cap hits of $6.5 and $7.5 million in 2020 and 2021.
In 2020, they can save $4.5 million against the cap by letting Gabriel go. In 2021, they save $6.5 million. The Bears do not have the cap space. The price they have to pay is moving on from a known quantity in Taylor Gabriel.