5 Chicago Bears players who won't be back next year

4. Trevis Gipson has one more season with the Chicago Bears

It is not as simple as gutting the Ryan Pace players for one last season, but in this case, it makes plenty of sense. This comes down to the fact that the defense Gipson was drafted into and the defense that he is being asked to play now are not the same defenses.

When Gipson was a depth rotational piece, he was fine, but once the team traded Robert Quinn things began to turn quickly. The attention was on Gipson and he completely disappeared late into the season. He may always be fine as a rotational rusher, but the Chicago Bears are still rebuilding that edge group, and they do not want to tie themselves down with Trevis Gipson.

When you look at the edge rusher depth chart, the team just signed DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green. The thought is that both will start over Gipson and the Bears hope both are in their long-term plans unlike Gipson, who they did not go out and acquire. Beyond that is Dominique Robinson, a recent draft pick entering year two.

The Chicago Bears are far more interested in his development than what Gipson will bring. It is fair to think that all three rushers could be ahead of Gipson this season, and all three are definitely higher on the long-term pecking order.

If the team wants to upgrade this offseason it will be moving on from Gipson. It is hard to see him sticking around. From the defacto number one last season to the number four and on his way out, things change quickly in the NFL.