The 2016 season is (mercifully) over for the
Chicago Bears. Fans watched as their beloved franchise endured a 3-13 campaign. It goes down as the worst record ever produced by this organization in a 16-game season. Not exactly something one wants on their resume. GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox were adamant it wouldn't happen again.
Pace in particular seemed emphatic on that point and also that he intended to take full advantage of the resources that come in 2017. First is the healthy amount of salary cap space Chicago will have. Latest estimates via overthecap.com say they'll have over $58 million to spend. That's without additional moves to free space.
Then there is the NFL draft benefits. Owning the tiebreaker with Jacksonville, who had the same record, the Bears own the #3 overall pick. It's the highest they've held since 1972 and their first top five selection since 2005. With it comes the inevitable speculation of who they might take. In addition comes the other favorite debate among draft enthusiasts.
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Will the Bears trade down? There are no picks more valuable in a draft than a top five selection. In the right circumstances they can fetch multiple high selections. It's for that reason alone that many fans are clamoring for Pace and the front office to field calls about moving down from the third pick. There are plenty of roster holes left to fill. Holes that extra 2nd and 3rd rounders might well fix.
It sounds so enticing, but does it work? The only way to answer that is to see if the Bears have ever done it before and whether it proved fruitful. As it turns out they have done it before. The last time was back in 2003. Coming off a 4-12 season they held the #4 pick. GM Jerry Angelo knew he could put his roster in a strong position if he hit on a enough picks. So in order to maximize his chances, he decided to acquire more. Here is how the process played out.
- Traded #4 pick to New York Jets for #13, #22 and 4th round picks
- Traded #13 pick to NE Patriots for #14 pick and 6th rounder
Selected Penn State DE Michael Haynes at #14
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One of those shooting stars during a college season. Michael Haynes was dominant for Penn State in 2002, winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Angelo felt the team needed a pass rusher and so took him at #14, hoping to make him another key part of a developing front seven. It didn't work out as planned. Haynes played just three seasons in Chicago, a total of 43 games and managed just 5.5 sacks.
Selected Florida QB Rex Grossman at #22 (via NYJ)
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Angelo had waited three years to select his quarterback of the future and finally got him in Rex Grossman. The young man from Indiana had enjoyed a productive career at Florida, showcasing a strong arm and leadership qualities. At times he looked like a potential star in Chicago, but was routinely hampered by injuries. It also quickly became clear he had a gunslinger mentality, often leading to painful turnovers. His faults eventually cost the Bears a shot at winning the Super Bowl.
All told he went 21-14 as a starter, throwing for 6, 947 yards, 37 TDs, and 39 interceptions.
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Selected DT Ian Scott with 4th round pick (via NYJ)
Though he never became a star, Ian Scott filled a nice rotational role at defensive tackle for the Bears during a four-year run. He collected 95 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
- Traded 6th rounder (via NE) and two others for 5th rounder from Jaguars
Selected WR Justin Gage with 5th round pick (via JAX)
Gage became a solid special teams contributor and backup wide receiver for the Bears in four seasons. He made 67 catches for 936 yards with four touchdowns in that span. Though not a highlight reel, he did make some nice catches during the playoff years in 2005 and 2006.
That's about it. For giving up the #4 pick the Bears got four players in total. The sum result of it? Not much. Haynes was a bust and out of the league after three years. Grossman started on the Super Bowl team but was a big reason they lost. Scott and Gage with solid backups. It should be noted that in in the 10 slots of draft position including #4 that Angelo gave up in that trade, five future Pro Bowlers were selected.
Ironically one of them was a future star pass rusher named Terrell Suggs.
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This is not to say trading back always leads to disaster, but history shows it tends not to yield the grand prizes fans expect despite a haul of extra picks. Sometimes the best course of action is to simply stay put and get the best possible impact player available.
Then again two years later Angelo had the #4 pick again and used it on Cedric Benson. So maybe it was just the GM wasn't very good at his job.
