The Chicago Bears have operated for years like a team that isn’t going to betray their intentions to anybody. Especially when quarterbacks are involved. GM Ryan Pace made that clear back in 2017 with his now-infamous cloak and dagger campaign to grab Mitch Trubisky. Nobody saw it coming. While it was a triumph of misdirection for him, the pick itself proved to be a disappointment.
Now here he is again. Team chairman George McCaskey preserved his job despite that failure. Despite only one winning season in six years. Other GMs would’ve already been fired by now. Pace should consider himself lucky. Few men in his position ever survive missing on a quarterback. Yet here he is, being given a second chance to perhaps get it right.
Will he take it?
This is what people aren’t sure about. Chicago sits a fair distance away from the top quarterbacks in the class. They pick 20th this year. Experts tend to agree the top five QBs could be gone before the top 10 picks are even over. This means one of two things. Either one of them will unexpectedly drop or, more likely, the Bears will have to move up to get one.
If it’s the latter, then it comes down to the right name being within reach. With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson widely believed to go #1 and #2 to the Jaguars and Jets, the speculation surrounds the remaining three and where they will go. One of them will end up going #3 to the San Francisco 49ers.
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After that? Nobody knows. As for the Bears? They may have just tipped their hand on who they’re hoping for according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will be attending Alabama’s pro day to watch Mac Jones throw.
“According to a source familiar with the attendance list, the Bears’ representation at the event will include general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy.”
Did the Chicago Bears betray their real intentions?
Normal people would leave this to assume Pace and Nagy have a major interest in Jones. The Heisman final and national champion even said in a recent interview that he had a great meeting with the team and is hoping to do so again. However, experienced fans should know by now that this may not be what it seems. Keep in mind the Ohio State pro day takes place on the same day with their star QB Justin Fields set to throw.
So let’s get this straight. Pace and Nagy were in person for Lance’s pro day a couple of weeks ago. Now they’re in person for Jones who they met at the Senior Bowl. Yet not Fields? That is interesting. Just not for the reason people think. The Chicago Bears taught everybody an important lesson back in 2017. Pro day attendance can be used as a major tool of deception.
Just ask Deshaun Watson.
Chicago had their entire entourage present for the Clemson pro day four years ago. A surefire sign to many that they had designs on taking Watson at #3 overall. Then Trubisky happened. Pace had used Watson as a distraction. Nothing more. So with this regime, it has become less about where they do appear and more about where they don’t.
Showing up at Alabama instead of Ohio State says way more about Fields than it does Jones. SM already reported that the team likes Fields more than they’re letting on. This latest tactic only seems to reinforce that belief. If the Buckeyes star somehow falls next month, don’t be shocked if the Bears make a move up to grab him.
