Bears Cut Prince Amukamara, Taylor Gabriel for Cap Purposes
The Bears have made a few salary cap moves Friday and they were both huge but expected.
They released cornerback Prince Amukamara and wide receiver Taylor Gabriel.
The Bears will have to eat $1 million of dead cap money for the bonus on Amukamara's deal, but he was to receive a salary of $9 million in 2010.
Gabriel's deal was to last two more years, so the Bears will have about $2 million in dead money to eat. They save about $4.5 million on his contract in 2020 because he was to receive a $5.5 million salary.
The Bears have three wide receivers with the skills to step in for Gabriel, who made a career-high 67 receptions in 2018 when Chicago made the playoffs. He had only 29 catches last year due to injuries. Javon Wims, Riley Ridley and Anthony Miller all could fill the role, but none of the three has the type of speed Gabriel possessed. He was said to have run a 4.27-second 40 at a Pro Day while getting ready for the draft six years ago.
Two concussions last year and a past with concussions have put Gabriel's career in question.
Amukamara's coverage tailed off some last year, but this was true of the entire secondary after the departure of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to coach the Denver Broncos, and also with a depleted pass rush that had 18 fewer sacks (32). Amukamara's passer rating against jumped from 75.3 to 105.2 last season, although he did give up one less touchdown in coverage (2) than in 2018.
The cornerback spot will be a question for the Bears going into free agency and the draft. Kevin Toliver, an undrafted cornerback from LSU, has been with them two seasons but hasn't really been tested under fire much. He played on 13% of the defensive snaps in 2018 and 16% last year.
They also have Tre Roberson, a cornerback from the CFL who signed earlier this offseason and Duke Shelley, a sixth-round pick last year who barely played. Stephen Denmark was a cornerback drafted in the seventh round last year but was cut and spent all season on the practice squad.
As a result, it wouldn't be surprising for the Bears to devote a pick in the second round to cornerback, but they also could sign a free agent at a lower cost.
Trevor Reagor of TCU and K.J. Hamler of Penn State are two of the faster receivers who could be available. Speed testing for cornerbacks comes near the end of next week's scouting combine while the receivers are more toward the middle.
The Bears were at a projected $13.3 million under the cap before those cost-cutting moves.
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