The Chicago Bears made headlines on Friday afternoon after releasing cornerback Prince Amukmara and wideout Taylor Gabriel. Their odds to win Super Bowl 55 are now at +3300. Their 2020 Super Bowl chances hinge on who their starting quarterback will be but let\u2019s take a look at their latest moves and how they impact the team\u2019s chances next season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bears made a couple of roster moves on Friday, cutting slot wideout Taylor Gabriel and cornerback Prince Amukamara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting with the offense, the move to release Gabriel only costs the team a $2 million dead cap hit, which is what they opted to do instead of keeping him for the remainder of his two-year, $14 million contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s success is obviously quite closely tied to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and clearly, Trubisky didn\u2019t cut the mustard last season. Two seasons ago, Gabriel saw 93 targets, caught 67 passes for 688 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Last season, he had four touchdowns, but with the offense struggling and injuries catching up to him, he collected just 353 receiving yards in nine games. The 2020 NFL Draft is viewed as having a deep draft class, so the Bears figure they can find a cheaper replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for Amukamara, there are differing views on how useful he was. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the team\u2019s fourth-most valuable player. Others viewed him as a replacement-grade cornerback, giving up a catch rate of 54.2%. He\u2019ll leave a hole on the Bears defense \u2013 one they can likely fill but it\u2019s hard to argue the defense is better today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s moves clear out $13.5 million off the books and the Bears are expecting more to be freed once guard Kyle Long retires. That now gives them about $26 million in space to work with. Before the moves, it felt like they\u2019d be in a really tight spot to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge for the Bears is they\u2019re looking to add a quarterback as there are a lot of good veterans available. Guys like Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Philip Rivers are all in the conversation. Even though those players might be getting cut or traded from other teams, none of them will come cheaply. Even backup quarterbacks can make $5-$7 million, so even someone like Marcus Mariota will cost the team. Now they at least have the flexibility to go out and get someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bears regular season win total has opened up at eight and their success next season will be contingent on who is under center. If it\u2019s once again Mitchell Trubisky, they\u2019re not going to look very different next season than they did this year. They\u2019ll be in the .500 range. However, if the Bears do use their renewed cap space to upgrade at quarterback \u2013 the team\u2019s biggest liability \u2013 then they\u2019re going to again be a contender in the NFC North. They don\u2019t have too many glaring holes besides quarterback and maybe offensive line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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