1. Trevis Gipson hit a wall with the Chicago Bears
Trevis Gipson is another player who had a tremendous opportunity entering the season. He is also a player where his standing in the organization fell dramatically between now and then. Then, he was a promising young player who was looking to get a bigger role.
The trade of Khalil Mack was supposed to bring that, but the team wound up playing Al-Quadin Muhammad much more than Gipson. That surprised many, especially because Gipson was playing well.
Still, when Robert Quinn was traded, it was clear that Gipson was limited for a good reason. Once he went from being the backup to the elite pass rusher and became the name that teams focus on, his pressures fell off a cliff. There was a run when Gipson went four straight weeks, 77 pass rush reps without recording a pressure. It was getting bad.
The Chicago Bears learned what they have in Gipson. Perhaps back as the fourth rusher with some big names in front of him he can be a high-energy depth piece. However, that appears to be his upside, when last year at this time, that looked like his floor.
Trevis Gipson had a chance to show coaches that they did not need to worry about adding a starter in front of him. However, now, the team is more sure than ever that they cannot trust Gipson as a starter.