Just 48 hours separate Chicago Bears fans from an event they've waited many months for. The NFL draft is back. It will mark the fourth under the direction of GM Ryan Pace. It could arguably be his most important to date. After three years of losing, he has his new head coach and quarterback in place. The excuses are disappearing fast. He needs to get this team back to the playoffs.
A good or great 2018 draft could be the final push they need. So with that as a backdrop, Pace took his place before the Chicago media one last time before the action begins. There were plenty of questions to answer. Per usual he didn't give any inside information away, but that didn't stop him from having a few notable "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" moments.
Ryan Pace on whom the Bears are eyeing
Pace is a man known for having an attention to detail. He has a countermove planned for every possibility. A contingency for his every contingency. So it would make sense he's arranged a box of certain players whom the team would be more than willing to take at #8. Who are those players? Of course, he wouldn't reveal that. All one can do is speculate. Much depends on who goes in the first seven picks but it's nice to know the Bears are guaranteed to get a player they like, and could even end up having options.
On the idea of a possible trade out of #8
The big question that Bears fans want answers to is will this finally be the year that Pace decides to move down in the first round? He has his quarterback. He doesn't have a third round pick. Everything points toward that possibility. This statement by Pace can be taken one of two ways. It's a reminder that he is more interested in quality than quantity or it's a subtle hint that the Bears have a good chance of still getting a player they like if they were to move down. Naturally, he left it up to interpretation.
The Bears have traded up in each of the past two drafts. The first was for Leonard Floyd and then Mitch Trubisky. So there's no question that Pace has zero fears about going up to get "his guy." In an off-season full of bold trades, the Bears have been curiously quiet. Could this mean they're merely saving their big move for the draft? If nothing else, Pace makes it clear that there wasn't and still isn't any reason to doubt they'd do it again.
On using the 5th year option on Kevin White
There isn't a ton of mystery to this one. Even if the Bears are postponing a decision on White's fifth-year option, there is no earthly reason for them to pick it up. White has played in just five games during his NFL career. He's suffered three-straight season-ending injuries. Giving him $14 million for the 2019 seasons would be highly ill-advised from a business standpoint. If the Bears didn't do it with Kyle Fuller, there's no way they do it with White.
On why Cameron Meredith was not retained
Of all the moves made by the Bears this off-season, the decision to let Cameron Meredith be signed away by New Orleans was the only one that drew heavy criticism. They had the money and then some to match. Meredith had 888 yards in 2016 and showcased plenty of promise. Why not keep him around to see what he could do alongside Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel? The simple answer is health. People forget how devastating the knee injury he suffered was. He tore almost everything and himself admitted he may not be 100% when the season begins. Clearly, Pace got advice that said paying him $5 million over the next two years might prove to be wasteful. Some fans may not like it, but he trusted his guys.
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