BOURBONNAIS — Bears wide receiver Taylor Gabriel hauled in a pinpoint deep ball from Mitch Trubisky in the corner of the end zone to beat Kyle Fuller early in training camp, toe-tapped for the 50-yard touchdown and immediately went into celebration mode.
Without stopping, he hopped the ropes in front of the stands at Olivet Nazarene University, sat down in a chair in the first row and accepted congratulations and glad-handing from excited Bears fans.
After a successful introduction to the Bears as a free agent last season, this is a new year for Gabriel. A year ago, the 5-8, 165-pound speedster from Abilene Christian nicknamed “Turbo” was getting acclimated to everything about the Bears — including quarterback Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy’s offense.