NFL free agency update: Taylor Gabriel joining Bears

After two years playing for the Atlanta Falcons, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel will reportedly be joining the Chicago Bears in his unrestricted free agency.

The Chicago Bears want to get better in a hurry in free agency, especially on offense. They have already made a big leap forward in landing No. 1 wide receiver Allen Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars. It looks like they have added another wideout in the form of former Atlanta Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel. WSB-TV in Atlanta’s Zach Klein first broke the news.

Gabriel was a reclamation project with the Falcons the last two years. He played an integral part in the historically dominant 2016 Falcons offense, led by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan would win NFL MVP and Atlanta would reach Super Bowl LI, ultimately in a losing effort.

Gabriel wasn’t as explosive in new Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian’s offense, but still has value on the open market. Atlanta may have wanted to keep him, but cannot afford him due to salary cap constraints. His departure from the Falcons was inevitable.

Chicago will be getting a high-end gadget receiver with blazing foot speed in Gabriel. He’s not a possession receiver like his former Falcons teammate Mohamed Sanu, but has elite playmaking ability. Having him in the same passing game with Robinson and tight ends Adam Shaheen and Trey Burton should really help quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in his second NFL season.

Contract Details

Details of Gabriel’s signing to the Bears have not been revealed. However, it is clear that he will not be going back to the Falcons for a third year in 2018. Maybe his former Cleveland Browns teammate Andrew Hawkins is in the know? Hawkins tweeted that Gabriel is his source on this: it will be a four-year deal with the Bears for Gabriel. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport would retweet this, so you know it’s legit.

National Reaction

Next: 2018 NFL free agency tracker

Grade

A four-year deal for Gabriel is a bit lengthy given his NFL career up to this point. Obviously, it’s a great deal for him in terms of security and he’d be joining potentially another on-the-rise offense in the Bears. Head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich are creative enough to design plays to get Gabriel the ball in space. However, he’s not the type of receiving talent that takes a bad receiving corps over the top. Gabriel is a high-end No. 3 receiver, but not more than that. He is still an upgrade for the formerly putrid passing offense of the Bears though.

Grade: B-