Cleveland Browns need to bring back Taylor Gabriel

The Cleveland Browns signed Taylor Gabriel back in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and should bring him back now that he was released by the Chicago Bears

Every once in a while, we all get the chance to right something we got wrong earlier in life. For the Cleveland Browns, they have a chance to do just that this offseason thanks to the Chicago Bears releasing wide receiver Taylor Gabriel in a cap-saving move.

Cleveland should waste no time in reaching out to the 29-year old Gabriel who still has enough talent to be the No. 3 wide receiver for the Browns. It would also help them atone for the mistake they made in 2016 when they inexplicably released the game-changing deep threat.

Undrafted out of Abilene Christian, Gabriel was signed by the Browns in 2014 and quickly became a favorite weapon for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. As a rookie, the 5-foot-7 receiver had 621 yards on 36 receptions, good for an average of 17.3 yards per catch.

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Shanahan left in 2014 and John DeFilippo took over but he clearly didn’t have the right understanding of Gabriel’s skill set as he had just 28 catches for 241 yards (8.6 per grab) and no touchdowns. It was the worst season of Gabriel’s career and led to his release.

Gabriel then re-joined Shanahan with the Atlanta Falcons and once again was a stud. In his first season with the Dirty Birds, he had 579 yards receiving and six touchdowns while averaging more than 16-yards per catch.

His next season wasn’t as great but that was under Steve Sarkisian who replaced Shanahan after he took the head coaching job with the 49ers. As for Sarkisian, his short tenure was a bit of a problem for Atlanta, and no player should be looked down upon for not playing up to their expectations that year.

From there, Gabriel signed a big contract with Chicago and in two seasons with the Bears, Gabriel had 96 receptions for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns. These numbers are impressive considering how bad the offense was in Chicago and the fact that he missed seven games in 2019.

For the Bears, they couldn’t justify paying the remainder of his four-year, $26 million deal. And that could be a good thing for the Browns who have a talented set of receivers in Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry, but have very little beyond that.

Gabriel would provide a reliable veteran pass-catcher who also has the ability to take the top off the defense if they fail to focus enough attention on him. And with Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt running the offense now, they have a staff that could utilize him in the right way.

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This move feels like a no-brainer and the Browns should waste no time reaching out to their former player.

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