Is Ryan Pace on the hot seat? This is a question that comes up a lot and is somewhat complicated to answer. The Chicago Bears GM built this team up from basically nothing in 2015 to an NFC contender boasting one of the best defenses in the NFL. At the same time, his run of bad 1st round picks spearheaded by Mitch Trubisky has held the team back from being better than they should is the primary reason his teams have had just one winning record during his tenure.
There is no doubt the man has his critics and they've been vocal recently. Chief among them is Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. In his latest GM power rankings, he ranked Pace a distant 19th in the league. A four-spot drop from a season ago. While he applauds the willingness to go get Nick Foles, Rosenthal thinks the Bears GM has a bad habit of taking way too many high risks.
"Five years in and just one winning record to his name, credit Pace with finding a capable alternative to Mitchell Trubisky (Nick Foles) at a reasonable price. Pace -- who moved up for Trubisky in the loaded 2017 quarterback draft -- will always be tied to the pick. But even the legion of Pace loyalists and coach Matt Nagy knew there was a risk of going down with the Trubisky ship if the team didn't have a Plan B this year.
The Bears' defense declined a year ago, as great defenses do. The Jimmy Graham and Robert Quinn signings were high-risk moves by a GM who's always short on draft picks because of the Trubisky and Khalil Mack trades."
Ryan Pace is doing all he can. Is it enough?
One thing people can never say about Pace is he plays it safe. The man is doing everything and anything in his power to make the Bears a winner. Yes, he picked the wrong quarterback in 2017. He must own that. However, at least he had the courage to do so. Most GMs in Bears history never had the guts to take a QB that high. Pace stuck with his convictions and it almost worked. That 2018 team was capable of winning a championship. Sadly the kicker ended up doing them in.
There is no denying that Pace is taking some risks this offseason. That said, he's also making the Bears a better football team. At least on paper. Jimmy Graham is better than Trey Burton, even at age 34. Nick Foles is better than Trubisky and has the ring to prove it. Robert Quinn is way better than Leonard Floyd. If he can produce a draft that delivers a couple of instant contributors? The Bears are in a position to win this season.
