Ryan Pace Free Agency History Says Bears Fans Are Quitting Too Soon

It's no surprise that Chicago is a little on edge about the Bears of late. That's what happens when the beloved football team sinks to a 3-13 finish. The worst record the franchise has produced in the Super Bowl era. Confidence is eroding in the plan set forth by GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox. It doesn't matter how bad a situation they inherited from years of mismanagement. The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. A bit unfair maybe but no less a reality. Pace and Fox are judged by how many games they win. They have nine victories total in two seasons. That is going to be on the minds of everybody all year long in 2017. Pressure is mounting for them to do something, anything to show that they're getting serious about having more success. Now and in the future. Often an acceptable way to do that is with an aggressive approach in free agency. The team would have upwards of $51 million in spending money at their disposal. Why not utilize it to bring in a couple notable names? Bears fans were pumped. Free agency figured to be the first step for their team to really make moves towards becoming a better team. Then they steadily watched one prominent name after another disappear to other cities. A.J. Bouye to Jacksonville. Ricky Wagner to Detroit. Stephon Gilmore to New England. Even Alshon Jeffery added to the woes by signing a one-year deal in Philadelphia. Within the space of two years people had gone from praising Ryan Pace and his staff to condemning them as the worst thing since Al Capone and his gang. Really? That bad? In truth most of it was probably because fans felt lied to. The team promised big spending and they got little evidence of that. So what happened? Nothing. In fact this is actually in line with how the Bears have operated under Pace in free agency since he took over. Namely a methodology that involved minimal spending early but a steady ramping up as time goes on. Here is a list of the most notable unrestricted free agents they signed dating back to 2015 and what days they were signed on.

2015

• Day 1:  Pernell McPhee
• Day 2:  Antrell Rolle and Eddie Royal
• Day 14:  Jarvis Jenkins
• Day 90:  Tracy Porter

2016

• Day 1:  Danny Trevathan and Bobby Massie
• Day 4:  Jerrell Freeman
• Day 6:  Akiem Hicks
• Day 187:  Eric Kush and Josh Sitton

2017

• Day 1:  Mike Glennon, Quintin Demps, Dion Sims and Markus Wheaton

The mode of operation is pretty consistent. Chicago tends to strike quickly for a few names they deem important to their roster structure. Then they take their foot off the gas and let the first wave of big deals go by. Why would they do this? Generally the first wave involves the most expensive (and overpriced) contracts. For some context, keep in mind Coby Fleener got $36 million and Brock Osweiler got $72 million last year. Not every big signing on Day One is going to work out. It seems 2017 has gotten off to the same start. Glennon was their big signing on a three-year deal for $43.5 million and $18.5 million in guarantees. After that they focused on acquiring quality depth options. Quintin Demps had six interceptions in Houston last year as a safety. Tight end Dion Sims garners high praise for his pass blocking and underrated receiving skills. Markus Wheaton was a productive, if overlooked wide receiving target in Pittsburgh. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Michael-Vick-Tosses-a-Bomb-to-Markus-Wheaton-for-a-72-Yard-TD-Steelers-vs.-Chargers-NFL.mp4"][/video] Maybe not the giant splash people were hoping for, but history says that the Bears are far from finished. If anything Pace has done his best work on later days. Tracy Porter wasn't acquired until June of 2015. He became a surprise quality starter in the secondary. Jerrell Freeman and Akiem Hicks both played at a Pro Bowl level in 2016 while Josh Sitton actually went to the Pro Bowl. That's solid work. Besides, don't forget some comments Pace himself has made.

His job is not to find superstars in free agency. His job is to find solid players with some upside while searching for potential future stars in the draft. He's made four moves to this point and in the eyes of Bears fans, it's been a colossal failure. Understandable since the team dropped several hints that they planned to do some serious spending. Here's the thing though. Free agency lasts more than one day. There are still several players out there. Ones who can perform on a football field with some serious skill. Ones who can be had at a much more appetizing price the longer the process draws out. That is where Pace really earns his pay. Finding quality talent at manageable prices. Rest assured the spending has just begun. The Bears may have come out of the blocks slow, but they've also shown great buildup speed this time of year.