Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace has nailed free agency
And the moves Ryan Pace has made this offseason for the Chicago Bears show that he is maturing and getting better with experience.
Entering the 2018 offseason, a few things were clear: the Chicago Bears were going to have a lot of money and quite a few needs to fill.
The entire point of free agency is to try and fill as many needs as possible so that you aren’t drafting entirely for need.
And Ryan Pace, after a lot of criticism from fans for not spending big in free agency in past years, delivered this year in a big way.
What was one of the biggest needs for the Chicago Bears? Wide receiver.
So, general manager Ryan Pace went out and brought in three of the top receivers on the open market: Taylor Gabriel, Allen Robinson and Trey Burton.
Allen Robinson is a rare free agent because he's young (24), already accomplished (Pro Bowler), and he has the potential to be better than he's been, assuming he can overcome the ACL issue. Outstanding acquisition by Ryan Pace and the Bears.
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) March 13, 2018
All three will be key contributors to the offense led by quarterback Mitch Trubisky in 2018. The nice thing about all of them is that they are so athletic that they can line up all over the field in a variety of formations.
The Chicago Bears have had trouble finding a kicker post-Robbie Gould. So, Pace identified Pro Bowler Cody Parkey, who played with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor in Cleveland. Pace, like most of us, was certainly tired of watching Connor Barth miss kicks with the game on the line.
Another big need on the roster is outside linebacker. Pace brought back Sam Acho, but he is a rotational player, at best.
So, Pace offered pass-rusher Aaron Lynch a one-year contract to rejoin his former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Chicago. Hopefully, Lynch can rekindle the pass-rushing spark that he had with Fangio in San Francisco.
Aaron Lynch turned 25 last week. He’s 6-foot-6 and had 6 sacks as a rookie playing for Fangio with the 49ers, then 6.5 in 2015. He’s played in only 7 games each of the past 2 seasons and has 2.5 sacks in those 14 games.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) March 15, 2018
Now, pass rusher still remains a need, but I feel like these signings make it to where the team isn’t completely forced to draft an outside linebacker in the first round.
Pace also matched the Kyle Fuller offer sheet from the Green Bay Packers to shore up the cornerback position. Pace let the Packers do the dirty work and negotiate the contract for Fuller, keeping him away from Green Bay and also locking up a good corner for the next four seasons.
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Now, heading into the draft, Pace can focus on the defensive line and offensive line, which has question marks due to the release of guard Josh Sitton.
I’m sure other areas will be addressed in the draft like corner, middle linebacker or receiver. However, they aren’t in dire need of them as bad as the needs in the trenches.
Free agency isn’t over, yet. So, more depth can certainly still be added. Don’t forget Akiem Hicks was signed in the second wave of free agency in 2016. Even with all these signings Pace has made, the Chicago Bears are still top-five in cap space with $50,696,002 remaining, according to Spotrac.
Next: Grading the Chicago Bears’ main moves in free agency
For now, though, Kudos to Pace for addressing a lot of issues on this roster and giving new head coach Matt Nagy nice chess pieces to work with.
And in doing that, he’s showing Chicago Bears fans that he’s learned from his early days as general manager and is growing into the role.