Expert Unfairly Blames Ryan Pace for Bears' Biggest 2018 Dilemma

People always seem to enjoy finding ways to bombard Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace with criticism. In some cases it's fair. His 2017 free agent class was indeed as putrid as it looked last March. Other times he catches flak for no reason at all, like his 2017 draft class. A group that has since proven far better than anybody realized. Why are so many out to get him? Well, there are a number of reasons. It probably started in 2015 when media favorite Chris Ballard was passed over by the Bears in favor of Pace. Some were probably instantly turned off on him by that decision. Then there's the fact his team hasn't won. He's overseen one of the worse stretches of Bears football in terms of wins-losses in team history. Last but not least? He's young. Even after three years, he's still the youngest GM in the game. Youth is celebrated among players in the NFL, but it's seen as a potential weakness at the front office level. Some feel Pace probably wasn't ready for the opportunity. Either way, he remains in charge and hasn't done a terrible job. Especially considering the horrific roster he inherited. Now though he's under attack again, this time for something that was not his fault.

Ryan Pace lambasted for his decision not to pick up Kyle Fuller option

The biggest piece on the Bears 2018 agenda as of now is pending free agent cornerback Kyle Fuller. His contract is set to expire in March. At which time teams will almost certainly scramble to gain the services of the 25-year old after completing the best season of his career. He finished with two interceptions and 22 passes defended. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com believes this makes him a prime candidate for the franchise tag. Not only that but in his mind, it also calls Pace into question once again as a viable GM>

"Fuller is the Doug Martin of cornerbacks, mixing in an eye-opening season every three years. Luckily for Fuller, his great years came as a rookie and in a contract season. A long-term deal here would be preferable, but it makes no sense for GM Ryan Pace to allow a young starter coming off an excellent campaign to leave, further weakening a position of need. Pace's decision not to use the fifth-year option in Fuller's rookie contract last May has come back to haunt the franchise, like a lot of Pace's decisions."

It's a fair point on the surface. If the Bears had used the fifth-year option on Fuller they'd be able to postpone using the tag until 2019, controlling his rights for two more seasons at affordable prices. Except Rosenthal conveniently ignored the context of the situation. As is typical of many national analysts.

Fuller showed zero signs of breakout prior to 2017

This must be made clear. Fuller's 2017 run wasn't surprising. It was stunning. Up to that point, there'd been no indication he was capable of that level of player. He crashed hard as a rookie in 2014, started poorly but finished strong in 2015, and then missed all of 2016 with a knee injury. What exactly about that stretch would compel a team to utilize a fifth-year option to pay Fuller close to $9 million? Everything about how this played out was a sound business strategy. If the option were picked up and Fuller floundered in 2017, the Bears would have to deal with a heavy salary cap hit for a player who clearly wasn't going to pan out. Yet they knew they still had the franchise tag in their back pocket on the off chance he turned things around. Sure the extra year would've been nice, but there were zero indicators that Fuller was capable of that. Blaming Pace for not taking an unnecessary gamble is somewhat shortsighted.