Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace was given a reprieve this year. The team granted him a two-year contract extension, signaling their belief in the vision he’s trying to execute. It’s a gutsy call on their part since Pace’s teams have yet to produce a record better than 6-10 in three years. The extension may seem like a vote of confidence, but how long could it last if the losing goes through another year?
Perhaps this is a good time to review and assess. Pace has done extensive work rebuilding the Bears roster from top to bottom. The purge went as deep as any the organization has ever experienced. It was his mission to bring Chicago into the 21st century and thus far he’s done that much, though the winning still eludes him.
So we’re going to evaluate his roster building to this point. Each position will be covered, noting all the players, be they free agents or draft picks that have come and gone in the three years Pace has run the show. Keep in mind that 2018 acquistions are being kept off the list because they have yet to play actual games.
Each position will receive a grade based on the production Pace got from the players he added.
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Quarterback: C
Signed/Trade:
- Brian Hoyer
- Matt Barkley
- Mike Glennon
Drafted:
- Mitch Trubisky
Pace inherited the tail end of the Jay Cutler era so his primary job initially was to find quality backups. This he did fairly well with Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley delivered some decent performances. The first attempt at finding a start though was not ideal. Mike Glennon was a disaster during his brief four-game stint in 2017. Hopes remain high for Mitch Trubisky after taking over for the final 12 games, but there isn’t much to go on with him yet.
Running back: A
Signed/Trade:
- Jacquizz Rodgers
- Benny Cunningham
Drafted:
- Jeremy Langford
- Jordan Howard
- Tarik Cohen
Pace hasn’t made a high volume of moves at running back but that’s not a bad thing. It means he did his job. Nearly all of his acquisitions to this point have made solid contributions to the team. Langford was capable his rookie year in 2015 filling in for the injured Matt Forte. Cunningham is a fine third-string back and special teams ace. Howard is a Pro Bowler and Cohen might be one of the most versatile playmakers the Bears have on offense. Not bad work.
Wide receiver: D+
Signed/Trade:
- Eddie Royal
- Cameron Meredith
- Deonte Thompson
- Kendall Wright
- Dontrelle Inman
- Tre McBride
- Markus Wheaton
Drafted:
- Kevin White
There’s no getting around it. Pace has had terrible luck at wide receiver. Kevin White, Cameron Meredith, and Eddie Royal all experienced major injuries during their runs with the team and weren’t able to contribute as much as hoped. Thompson, Wright, and Inman were fine but nowhere near the status demanded of a top-flight NFL receiver. Hopes are high his 2018 haul will change this perception. The good news? There’s nowhere to go but up.
Tight end: C
Signed/Trade:
- Logan Paulsen
- Khari Lee
- Dion Sims
- Daniel Brown
- Ben Braunecker
Drafted:
- Adam Shaheen
It took some time for Pace to begin implementing his own plans at tight end. He inherited two proven pass catchers in Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller. After trading the former, others were brought in as experiments to see if the Bears could land some cheap options. Brown has served well as a reserve while Sims was decent in 2017. Shaheen flashed tons of promise as a rookie but thus far there’s been no breakout name.
Offensive line: B
Signed/Trade:
- Vlad Ducasse
- Patrick Omameh
- Will Montgomery
- Josh Sitton
- Bobby Massie
- Mike Adams
- Eric Kush
- Ted Larsen
- Tom Compton
- Bradley Sowell
Drafted:
- Hroniss Grasu
- Tayo Fabuluje
- Cody Whitehair
- Jordan Morgan
Building an offensive line is never easy. It takes persistence and a good eye for finding where players fit best. Give Pace credit. He never let up in his pursuit of quality blockers. While he did miss on a number of his acquisitions, he made enough moves to acquire some good names. Josh Sitton went to a Pro Bowl. Bobby Massie is a starter and Eric Kush a solid backup. Cody Whitehair has developed well as the starting center too. It will be interesting to see how things change with Harry Hiestand in charge.
Defensive line: A+
Signed/Trade:
- Jarvis Jenkins
- Mitch Unrein
- Akiem Hicks
- C.J. Wilson
- John Jenkins
Drafted:
- Eddie Goldman
- Jonathan Bullard
- Roy Robertson-Harris
No question that the Bears GM has done his best work on the defensive line. This shouldn’t be a surprise. He played in that unit during his time in college. He understands it better than anything else. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman are studs. Unrein was a steady starter for three seasons. Robertson-Harris is looking like a potential find as a former undrafted free agent. Bullard, Wilson, and Jenkins (both of them) all have provided decent snaps.
Linebacker: B-
Signed/Trade:
- Pernell McPhee
- Sam Acho
- John Timu
- Lamin Barrow
- LaRoy Reynolds
- Danny Trevathan
- Jerrell Freeman
- Jonathan Anderson
Drafted:
- Leonard Floyd
- Nick Kwiatkoski
This can be filed under the category of “okay but should’ve been really good.” Pernell McPhee, Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman all looked like quality finds in free agency for the Bears. It started out that way at least. Then problems began to rise. McPhee and Trevathan got banged up. Freeman got in trouble with suspensions.
Defensive back: B+
Signed/Trade:
- Alan Ball
- Antrel Rolle
- Tracy Porter
- Chris Prosinski
- Harold Jones-Quartey
- Bryce Callahan
- Jacoby Glenn
- Cre’Von LeBlanc
- Prince Amukamara
- Marcus Cooper
Drafted:
- Adrian Amos
- Deon Bush
- DeAndre Houston-Carson
- Deiondre Hall
- Eddie Jackson
It’s rather remarkable how well Pace has done to this point considering he’s yet to invest a high draft choice in the secondary in four offseasons. He was aided by the resurgence of Kyle Fuller, but otherwise he’s played it on the cheap side for the most part and actually done well for himself. Tracy Porter had a quality year in 2015. Prince Amukamara, Bryce Callahan, Adrian Amos, and Eddie Jackson have all become solid starters as well.
FINAL ASSESSMENT
Pace has done a far better job with the defensive side of the ball up to this point. That much is reflected in how the unit has performed, ranking in the top 10 last season. Given Pace is a former defensive player, this shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. GMs who played the game at any significant level tend to do better on the side of the football they were.
The Achilles heel for Pace to this point has been the offense. More specifically the passing game. The quarterback and wide receivers moves to date have woefully underachieved. Injuries have played a huge role in that, but there have also been too many misses. Thankfully this most recent offseason could start to change those fortunes. At least that’s what the Bears GM is hoping.
