Green Bay Packers Free Agent Target: WR Taylor Gabriel

The Chicago Bears recently released wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and he could be an option this offseason for the Green Bay Packers.

It’s that time of the NFL year when we see teams making cuts to free up cap space for the upcoming free agency period. And a recent move made by the Chicago Bears could very well draw the interest of GM Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers.

It was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN that the Bears were moving on from wide receiver Taylor Gabriel even though he still had two years left on his contract.

After watching this Green Bay Packers’ offense in 2019, it’s no secret that they need more weapons in the passing game moving forward. Geronimo Allison overall just struggled, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling saw his playing time disappear, and even with these issues, Jake Kumerow still didn’t see the field very often.

So we know that the Packers are going to address receiver this offseason and whether that is solely in the draft or a combination of the draft and free agency, that remains to be seen. But if they do choose free agency, given their current cap situation as well as their other needs, they likely won’t be landing Amari Cooper or Robby Anderson because of the cost.

Instead, a more likely route is a veteran receiver who won’t break the bank. For example, Breshad Perriman, or the aforementioned, Taylor Gabriel.

After spending his first two seasons in the NFL with Cleveland, Gabriel had a three-year stretch – two years in Atlanta and one in Chicago – where he really began to make a name for himself. During that span, Taylor totaled 1,645 receiving yards at 12.2 yards per catch with nine touchdowns. He was also uber-reliable during these three years, catching nearly 70 percent of the passes thrown his way.

Unfortunately, in 2019 we saw him take a step back. He would appear in only nine games due to injuries and when he was on the field he did struggle with drops, three to be exact according to Pro Football Focus.

Those two factors likely played the biggest roles in his regression and hopefully once back to 100 percent, he can return to a similar form from year’s past.

Bringing Gabriel to Green Bay would give this Packer offense a speedy slot receiver that can attack and make plays over the middle of the field. This skill set was lacking in 2019 with Allison as the primary slot receiver. Not to mention that Gabriel paired with Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and one of the many talented receivers from this draft class could really turn this Packers’ passing attack around.

Of course, the cost is going to be a huge factor. As I mentioned above, the Green Bay Packers don’t have the spending power that they did last season but Gabriel should come at a reasonable price.

During his time in Chicago, he was making $6.5 million on average per year and given that he is coming off a down season with injuries, there’s the possibility that the Packers could sign him at an even lesser amount.

If anything, it’s at least worth Gutekunst picking up the phone and seeing what kind of deal Gabriel is looking to land. Although undersized, when back to full health, Gabriel’s presence in the slot could be a real boost for the offense.