Interesting off-season ahead for Bears GM Ryan Pace
By Dhruv Koul
After a disastrous 2014 campaign, Ryan Pace was hired to lead the front office for the Chicago Bears. His first offseason features plenty of chances to prove himself as a legitimate general manager, and it’ll be interesting to see what he’s capable of doing.
The Chicago Bears were a colossal flop in 2014, leading to the franchise’s front-office overhaul.
First time general manager Ryan Pace was hired, and he promptly brought in a respected and successful head coach in John Fox. The tandem then went out and assembled an All-Star staff with Vic Fangio and Adam Gase as the headliners.
It was a very impressive beginning to his Chicago Bears career, but now he faces the enormous task of revamping the player people, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Armed with roughly $25 million in cap space and six picks in the 2015 NFL draft, it’ll be very interesting to see how Pace attacks the offseason.
We’ll start on offense. Assuming the Bears take their best option and keep quarterback Jay Cutler for one more season, the Bears will need competition for Cutler at quarterback, offensive line depth, a complementary tight end to Martellus Bennett, and a speed threat at wide receiver that can help take the top off of defenses that have routinely resorted to bracketing both Brandon Marshall (assuming he also stays) and Alshon Jeffery.
Since the Bears don’t necessarily need new starters on offense, Pace will probably spend mid-to-late round draft picks, sign undrafted free agents, and hand out veteran’s minimum contracts to fill those needs. The Bears are most likely banking on the fact that a run-first, play-action based offensive philosophy, combined with an offensive coordinator that can actually adjust to opposing defensive wrinkles, will help bring out the best of an offense that is teeming with potential.
Defense is a different story. With Fangio on board as defensive coordinator, the Bears are likely looking at a move to a 3-4 base defense. Since the defensive talent level on the team is so low, this is a perfect time for the Bears to make such a switch. The Bears have a few players they can count on being solid contributors, such as Kyle Fuller, Christian Jones, Jon Bostic, and Ego Ferguson. However, they need a large infusion of youth and talent.
Two of the top free agents the Bears should pursue are Ndamukong Suh and Devin McCourty. Both are in the prime of their careers, and either would help to instantly bring some credibility to the defense. While it’s possible their current teams will franchise tag them, the Bears should not hesitate in entering negotiations with their agents. Can Ryan Pace convince either of them to avoid a frenzied bidding war and sign with Chicago?
The Bears have the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft. At least one of the top two quarterbacks, Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston, will likely be available when it’s the Bears’ turn to select. Chicago is unlikely to take either quarterback for themselves, but there are teams picking below them that may have a need and a liking for one of the two.
Since the Bears have just six picks in the draft and a dire need of a talent upgrade, can Pace possibly move out of the seventh slot and gather extra draft picks that will come in handy in adding much-needed depth to this aging and depleted roster?
Can he convince a team like the St. Louis Rams at number 10 that one of those two is their future quarterback?
How about the Cleveland Browns at number 12? With Brian Hoyer unlikely to return and Johnny Manziel looking like his career is going up in flames, can Pace talk them into moving up and starting over?
What about the Philadelphia Eagles at number 20? If Mariota is still on the board, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly would probably like nothing more than to move up and get his Golden Boy. Can Pace strike a deal?
Obviously, any trade must net the Bears commensurate value. However, depending on the way the Bears have the players rated, it’s entirely possible they can trade down and still get a player they like as much later in the round as well.
There are some players on the current roster who are young and/or talented that are going to be misfits in the new scheme, such as Willie Young, Khaseem Greene, and even Shea McClellin if the Bears are finished with him. Can Pace possibly swing a deal to trade one of these players for additional picks?
Ex-GM Phil Emery’s first offseason started with the trade for (stealing of) Brandon Marshall which, minus the histrionics of this past season, has been a blessing for Chicago’s offense. Ryan Pace’s first offseason is already off to a great start with bringing in John Fox & Co.
However, his real test begins in roughly three weeks with the start of free agency, and continues throughout the summer. How he attacks the project that is the Bears’ roster will be an interesting spectacle. Grab your popcorn.