Chicago Bears: Reviewing just how bad Ryan Pace was this offseason

How bad was Ryan Pace for the Chicago Bears this season?

Alright, so now is the time to answer the question. Just how bad was Ryan Pace this offseason? Well, it’s probably too early to tell, but when trying to remain objective and check my emotions at the door — yes, I am still upset about Rodney Adams — the general manager had some hits and misses just like every GM in the league. If we were to put this on a grading scale, I’d say that Pace gets a B-.

I know the comment section is going to go crazy with this one and that’s okay. First and foremost, I do not blame Ryan Pace for the pandemic (no one can) and that definitely affected his plan for 2021. Teams do not plan for only the current year, they plan for one, two and even three years out. This directly affects the Kyle Fuller situation. Now, he does get the blame for restructuring the contract in a way that Fuller was to be paid $20 million dollars this season. That is just bad contract work.

Landing Justin Fields was probably a gift, but making the trade-up and keeping a second-round pick in 2022 and 2023 in the exchange was fantastic. Now we just hope that Fields pans out as well as I (top-five QB in the league for years) think he will. The Teven Jenkins injury puts a black cloud over that pick, but go back to May and everyone loved it. I still do despite the surgery.

Not having a backup plan at left guard was awful, but Pace somewhat saves that with the signing of Jason Peters. Peters might be 39, but if he can stay healthy, he can be dominant. Look at his 2019 season — fantastic. If he plays 75% of the season I still give this a win for Pace. That said, I would still prefer Russell Okung due to his age and durability. Cutting Charles Leno and keeping Jimmy Graham could be a big mistake in the end though.

All I can say is that most general managers make poor decisions that go along with the good ones. This roster is one worth being proud of when you compare it to what Pace took over back in 2015. His overall record might look bleak, but if we look at only the last three years (28-20 with two playoff appearances), it’s highly acceptable compared to most other teams.

I am still putting Pace on the hot seat and although he won’t be, he deserves to be fired (along with Matt Nagy) at the end of the year if they don’t win at least nine games.