Chicago Bears: Reviewing just how bad Ryan Pace was this offseason
The Chicago Bears may have won the 2021 NFL Draft on paper, or so it seemed
Wow. I still get chills thinking about how exciting the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft was for the Chicago Bears and their fans. Ryan Pace watch Justin Fields fall outside of the top 10 and he pounced. He got on the phone with Dave Gettlemen of the New York Giants and they worked out a deal where the Bears moved up from 20th overall to 11. This was somewhat historic because Gettlemen has a reputation of not moving down in the draft. He did it more than once this year.
When I saw that the Chicago Bears had traded up and both Justin Fields and Mac Jones were still on the board, I of course knew it had to be Fields. Fields should have been selected ahead of Zach Wilson and Trey Lance in my opinion. I had him as my 1B behind Trevor Lawrence (1A) in the 2021 NFL Draft. I have big expectations for the rookie and I foresee him being at least a perennial top-10 quarterback with the potential to be top five.
Ryan Pace shocked me again when he traded up in the second round for a player I had graded out as a first-round pick. Teven Jenkins was slotted by many as a potential pick for the Chicago Bears with the 20th pick in the draft. To land him in the second — wow! This team needed fresh blood at the left and right tackle spots, unfortunately, things looked better on paper after hearing about Jenkins’ medicals.
Jenkins had to have back surgery this summer and we have no idea if he will return or not before the end of the year. The good news is that the team did not put him on injured reserve before September 1, 2021. Now, Jenkins is eligible to return before the end of the season. The thing is, will he be ready by then or not? Back injuries can be very serious and people are upset that Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy not only took him, but they also traded up for him. A trend that keeps biting Pace in the rear end at times.
Personally, I am still excited about the Jenkins pick. he looks to be very legit if healthy and the upside here is too great — especially since this team does not have the firepower this year for a legitimate Super Bowl run anyway.