Five Replacements For Ryan Pace If The Bears Tank

Most of the talk around possible changes to the Chicago Bears' power structure has centered on Matt Nagy. He's the head coach and is always in front of the cameras. What most businessmen would call the "heat" position. However, plenty of fans and media haven't forgotten about Ryan Pace. The GM that hired Nagy in the first place and has just one winning season since taking over the organization in 2015. Many feel it is long past time for him to lose his job. Yes, he's had successes here and there. Yes, he moved up to grab Justin Fields. However, this league is about results. Pace hasn't gotten them despite having six years to do so. Most general managers never get that much time without at least one playoff victory. He has zero in two opportunities. That is why rumors persist the Bears could move on from him as well, wiping the slate clean for a new regime. What nobody knows for sure is who the team might pursue in such a scenario. Here are five names to watch.

Bears will have plenty of possible Ryan Pace replacement options

Will McClay (Dallas Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel)

It seems like the NFL always has that one big fish several teams try to catch. An executive everybody knows is going to be good at running his own team but is reluctant to leave his current position. For many years that man was Eric DeCosta in Baltimore. Eventually, the Ravens promoted him to GM before another team could snag him. Since then, it feels like Will McClay has become that elusive white whale teams are trying to catch. After a long stint as a coach and executive in the Arena Football League, McClay joined the Cowboys as a pro scouting coordinator in 2009. Five years later he ascended to Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Since that promotion in 2014, the organization has started to experience a significant uptick in the quality of its drafting.

• Zack Martin
• DeMarcus Lawrence
• Byron Jones
• Ezekiel Elliott
• Dak Prescott
• Leighton Vander Esch
• Michael Gallup
• CeeDee Lamb
• Trevon Diggs
• Micah Parsons

Dallas is now one of the best teams in the NFC and a favorite to reach the Super Bowl. McClay hasn't desired to leave up to this point, both because he loves it there but also likely because he is waiting for a good situation. If the Bears could get him, they'd be in great shape.

Rick Smith (Former Houston Texans GM)

GMs rarely leave a job at the peak of their powers. Yet somehow that is exactly what happened to Smith. Since earning the job with the Texans in 2006, he'd transformed them from an expansion franchise into a playoff contender. After back-to-back postseason trips in 2015 and 2016, he appeared to deliver his knockout punch to the NFL when he landed Deshaun Watson in the 2017 draft. Nobody could've imagined Smith would be gone a few months later. How did it happen? The official story is the man stepped away from football to be with his ailing wife who was battling breast cancer. Some though believe he was the victim of a power play by current Texans executive vice president Jack Easterby. Whatever the reasons, Smith was out of the picture for the next two years. Not until last season did he make his official return. Despite getting initial looks, he hasn't found a new home yet. Most believe it is only a matter of time though. If the Bears want somebody experienced to take over for Ryan Pace, they can't do much better.

Joe Hortiz (Baltimore Ravens Director of Player Personnel)

One of the biggest surprises about the NFL hiring cycle every year is how little attention the Ravens' front office gets for possible GM candidates. Few teams are better than Baltimore when it comes to loading and reloading their roster year after year with quality talent. This is why they're always in playoff contention. Yet only DeCosta got significant interest from other teams. That has to change and Joe Hortiz is the man to call. A Ravens lifer, he became their director of college scouting in 2009. Since then he's been a central voice in their draft process and it's hard to deny their success since.

• Jimmy Smith
• Torrey Smith
• Tyrod Taylor
• Kelechi Osemele
• Brandon Williams
• Kyle Juszczyk
• Ricky Wagner
• C.J. Mosley
• Za'Darius Smith
• Ronnie Stanley
• Matt Judon
• Marlon Humphrey
• Lamar Jackson

It wasn't a surprise that DeCosta immediately promoted Hortiz to director of player personnel the same year he became GM. He understood the sort of asset the man was. If the Chicago Bears want somebody with knowledge on how to build a consistent contender? Hortiz has lived that process for years in Baltimore.

Peyton Manning (Hall of Fame quarterback)

Every list needs a wild card and it doesn't get much bigger than the Sheriff himself. Most industry experts believe it is only a matter of time before Manning gets back into football in some capacity. Thus far he's done well for himself as an analyst for ESPN, working the highly successful Manningcast during Monday Night Football with brother Eli. Still, many believe he is destined to take over a football operation somewhere in the future. Why not Chicago? Some will challenge this idea for obvious reasons. Namely the fact Manning has never worked a day in his life as a scout or personnel executive. Sure, he is an all-time great quarterback but that doesn't automatically mean he understands how to run an entire football team as a GM does. The counterargument to that is the man's brain. Many consider him one of the football-smartest people to ever live. Few understand every facet of the game as he does. On top of that, he's known for being a demanding leader with an absolutely unquenchable thirst to win. Having somebody like that at the top of the organization should lead to good things. To say nothing of Manning's extensive connections around the league.

JoJo Wooden (Los Angeles Chargers Director of Player Personnel)

Probably one of the sneakiest top GMs in the NFL today is Tom Telesco with the Los Angeles Chargers. The man has held his job since 2013 and delivered a steady stream of quality players via the draft since then. It really is a shame he doesn't get more credit. Part of the reason why is a mixture of being sandwiched between the Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes eras while suffering a remarkable streak of bad luck. Still, he has persevered and the Chargers remain AFC contenders. His right-hand man throughout that process was Wooden. A former linebacker, the man is a seasoned scout who helped turn around a dismal New York Jets franchise into a reasonable AFC playoff contender in the 2000s. Telesco, who worked for rival New England, took notice of him and sought to bring him to San Diego. Their results together since then can't be argued with.

• Keenan Allen
• Jason Verrett
• Melvin Gordon
• Joey Bosa
• Hunter Henry
• Mike Williams
• Desmond King
• Derwin James
• Justin Herbert
• Rashawn Slater
• Asante Samuel Jr.

That is a lot of quality talent. On both sides of the ball too. Wooden may not get the same attention as guys like McClay or Smith. However, his resume holds up pretty well against theirs. This is a phone call the Bears would be wise to make if Ryan Pace is out.