Trying to understand the Chicago Bears 2021 build process
The Chicago Bears media, fans, podcasters, and just about everybody seem to believe two things about the front office. The Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace will be taking a promising developmental quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft. The other common thought is that both members are on the hot seat and could be riding on what happens this season to keep their jobs.
Which one is true? In my opinion, both cannot be true. At least not for general manager Ryan Pace. At the same time, he has only drafted one quarterback since being the general manager since 2015. It is now six years later.
Do we believe that despite him only drafting one quarterback that the McCaskey family is ok with him starting over at the most critical football position with a developmental quarterback? Both Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy made it clear that Andy Dalton is their quarterback going into 2021. We heard that same thing from Pace in 2017 about Mike Glennon, but something feels and sounds a bit different.
The Chicago Bears held the third overall pick that season and currently hold the 20th pick this season. Even if they send everything they have to move up in the draft, they would be banking on selecting the correct player. Andy Dalton or the rookie would then need to provide a promising enough season to save face. They could also try to find a Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, or Dak Prescott in the draft.
They would still need them to perform just as those two of them did their rookie season. Brady was the season after. That averages to be about 11 wins and a rookie of the year finalist. The Chicago Bears have yet to find a true franchise quarterback out of the gate. So either Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are hoping to strike gold in the draft, or they are banking on building the best supporting cast a team could ever have around a veteran quarterback.
I was only going to do one more mock draft, but this has me thinking. How does one build around Andy Dalton hot and heavy right now? That is what we are about to find out. This article will be about who would, could, and should be around during their draft picks and build around Andy Dalton or a future quarterback prospect. Keep an open mind that most mock drafts never go the way of an actual draft.