All of the focus during a season is on the coaches and players. That is only natural. However, when a team is floundering in mediocrity as the Chicago Bears continue to? Eyes start drifting further up the food chain into the front office. A place Ryan Pace has presided over as GM for the past six seasons now. This is his seventh and in all honesty, it doesn't look that much different from most of the others.
This team isn't bad. Far from it. The problem is it also isn't good. It's got clear flaws that are impossible to ignore. Flaws that can't be explained away as simple bad luck. Pace has had a loyal group of defenders for several years. People who feel he is better than he gets credit for. In reality? They aren't entirely wrong. There are a number of things the GM has done well during his time in Chicago.
It is more a case of the good failing to outweigh the bad. When that is the case, the better decision is to move on rather than keep trying with the same approach hoping for a different result. After over a half-decade, the Bears should know who Pace is by now.
The Ryan Pace legacy isn't the worst but hasn't delivered either
Pros:
Defensive line and running backs
GMs always tend to have areas of strength. Certain positions that they usually do pretty well at identifying talent. Pace is no different. For him, the areas of expertise center on the defensive line and running backs. While he's built a good defense all around, the work he did up front deserves special mention. He drafted Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols. Two rock solid starters. He also signed Akiem Hicks, a Pro Bowler while also adding underrated contributors like Nicholas Williams, Mario Edwards Jr., and Angelo Blackson. His work at running back might be more impressive though. Since 2015, the Bears have drafted six of them. Four ended up being Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, David Montgomery, and now Khalil Herbert. Howard was a Pro Bowler. Cohen topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2018 and was an All-Pro punt returner. Montgomery might be the best player on the Bears' offense. Herbert just ran for 172 yards in his first two games. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Khalil-Herberts-Best-Plays-From-First-Career-Start-vs.-Packers-_-Chicago-Bears.mp4"][/video]Late-round magic
This is the primary argument a lot of people make in the pro-Ryan Pace camp. Among his biggest successes to date, the most impressive has to be his ability to find capable talent outside the first three rounds of the draft. It's been consistent for years now.- Adrian Amos (5th)
- Jordan Howard (5th)
- Nick Kwiatkoski (4th)
- Eddie Jackson (4th)
- Tarik Cohen (4th)
- Bilal Nichols (5th)
- Darnell Mooney (5th)
- Khalil Herbert (6th)
Bargain shopper
People always have their eyes on the big-ticket free agents during the offseason. That is to be expected. Everybody loves the huge splash. However, good GMs tend to make their money finding quality bargains. Players who don't come with top names but end up contributing far beyond expectations. Pace has done this several times during his tenure.- Tracy Porter
- Akiem Hicks
- Prince Amukamara
- Nicholas Williams
- Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Tashaun Gipson
- Mario Edwards Jr.
- Cairo Santos
Cons:
Hyper aggressive
Here is a stat for you. Ryan Pace has overseen a total of seven drafts during his time in Chicago. Three of them resulted in the Bears making six picks or fewer. The standard amount is seven, don't forget. They've also conducted two of the last three without a 1st round pick. This paints a clear picture. Pace isn't just aggressive with his pursuit of players. He is almost too aggressive. Here is another stat for you. Since 2015, the Bears GM has made 13 trades during the draft. No fewer than 10 of them were moves up the board. The players acquired in those trades?- Leonard Floyd
- Nick Kwiatkoski
- Mitch Trubisky
- Eddie Jackson
- Anthony Miller
- David Montgomery
- Trevis Gipson
- Darnell Mooney
- Justin Fields
- Teven Jenkins







