As the Chicago Bears head into their bye week, there has been a lot of discussion about the remainder of the 2021 season. Heading into the 2021 season, both head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace's futures with the Bears were in jeopardy if the team did not make the playoffs. Although it appears highly unlikely that Chicago will make the playoffs, Pace's job could be saved by the performance of his 2021 draft class.

The Bears' 2021 Draft Class Has Been Productive In Their Rookie Campaign

Through the first half of the season, several of the Bears' rookies have garnered significant playing time and have made the most of that playing time. The most important rookie has been quarterback Justin Fields, who the Bears traded up to the 11th selection to draft in the first round of this year's NFL Draft. Fields has struggled for most of the season but has played well in the team's last two games. He rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago while passing for 291 yards and a near game-winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

The second most impressive rookie for the Bears this year has been sixth-round running back Khalil Herbert. Herbert has rushed for 364 yards and a touchdown on only just 85 attempts. The rookie running back was explosive in his three starts during David Montgomery's time on injured reserve as he recorded a run of 20 yards or more in each of the three starts. Following the selection of Fields with the 11th overall pick, Pace made it a point to protect his rookie quarterback by drafting two offensive tackles in the second and fifth rounds. Tevin Jenkins and Larry Borom are expected to be the Bears' future starting offensive tackles. Borom has been a pleasant surprise as Chicago's starting right tackle in the previous two games. He has faced two of the league's best defensive ends Nick Bosa and TJ Wyatt, while only allowing one sack. Jenkins will be returning soon from back surgery within the next few games, and if he can perform similar to Borom, the Bears could have two legitimately talented offensive tackles from the same draft class.

On defense, rookie defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga has been used significantly in Chicago's defensive line rotation. Tonga's large size has been valuable as he has been a solid backup to Eddie Goldman as a defensive anchor and run-stopper. The rookie defensive tackle could be a solid role player for the Bears moving forward.

Having Consistent Success With Draft Classes Is Vital For Pace's Future

Pace has overseen seven drafts as the Bears' general manager and has succeeded in drafting talented players in each of the draft classes. Since 2015, Chicago's general manager has drafted multiple impact starters and four Pro Bowl players. Pace's recent drafts are vital as he has added several starters at the skill positions on the offensive, including Montgomery, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, and tight end Cole Kmet.

Although Pace has been criticized for the struggles of his first-round selections in wide receiver Kevin White, linebacker Leonard Floyd, and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, a majority of his draft selections are still with the Bears currently. The main reason Pace's job is in jeopardy is because of the struggle of Nagy as Chicago's head coach. Despite hiring the coach in 2018 and the Bears winning the NFC North, the team has finished 8-8 the last two seasons, including an embarrassing playoff loss this past January. The issue the McCaskey family faces if they choose to replace Pace as general manager is that they will have to oversee a search for a replacement that is better than their current general. Ownership was not responsible for the hiring of Pace as consultant Ernie Accorsi was responsible for the general manager search in 2015. Although Pace has put together a playoff-winning team, he oversaw the rebuild of an extremely poor roster left by the disastrous Phil Emery regime. After three losing seasons, the Bears haven't had a losing record since 2017.

Even if the Bears don't make the playoffs, another solid draft class turned in by Pace that features an ascending quarterback in Fields could lead ownership to retain their general manager. On top of that, the McCaskey family could entrust their general manager in hiring his third head coach, a rarity for most general managers. Depending on the level of production from Fields, Herbert, Jenkins, Borom, and Tonga in the second half of the season, Pace's job could be sparred, while Nagy's is lost.