Matt Nagy is already all but out the door at this point as head coach. Having lost six of his last seven games with an offense that still can’t score with any regularity, his time is almost at an end. The big discussion now has shifted to the man who hired him. What about Ryan Pace? The GM is considered a bit of a murkier discussion because it appears as if his more recent decisions have met with greater success. Is it enough though?
If the Bears were still on the fence about him, then the Arizona game was likely the turning point. While Roquan Smith and David Montgomery were tremendous in defeat, other notable Pace guys picked a bad time to deliver some ugly moments. Jaylon Johnson was beaten for a touchdown on the opening series of the game. Cole Kmet bobbled an Andy Dalton pass that was intercepted. He also got beaten on a pass rush by Chandler Jones, who was able to deflect another Dalton pass that got intercepted. Last but not least, Darnell Mooney recorded his fifth dropped pass of the season as well.
Facts are facts.
The Bears didn’t play well but they were simply outclassed by a better football team. Too many of Pace’s most notable draft picks aren’t performing at a level they need to. Where are the stars? This is a question that is asked way too often in his tenure as GM. While he has indeed drafted some good football players, can anybody name a genuine superstar that he’s drafted? Smith might be the closest to that distinction and he has yet to make a Pro Bowl.
Winning teams are built on star power. It is that way in every sport. The Bears don’t have it. Their biggest names in the past few years are mostly guys Pace scooped up from other teams. Signing Akiem Hicks as a free agent. Signing Allen Robinson. Trading for Khalil Mack. Keeping Kyle Fuller who was drafted by a different GM. When it comes to homegrown studs? It hasn’t been good enough. Not even close.
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Ryan Pace doesn’t deserve to keep his job
People can talk about him trading up for Justin Fields and adding some solid players here and there. So what? A GM must be measured by the bottom line. Does his team win football games? For him, the answer is no. With five games to play in 2021, his teams have produced a 46-62 record. The 2018 season marks the only time he has produced a winning record since he took over.
Any other GM in the NFL would’ve been fired by now. He should’ve been after the 2020 season. If not for a fortunate bounce in the schedule that saw the Bears sneak into the playoffs at 8-8, he would likely be gone. George McCaskey may like Ryan Pace and the type of leadership he brings to the organization. Yet that isn’t enough to escape reality. The man isn’t good enough at the part of the job that matters most.
Building the actual roster.
When talking about his legacy, it comes down to two big mistakes. Drafting Mitch Trubisky in 2017 and then hiring Nagy a year later. Both moves proved to be massive flops. Maybe some of Pace’s other mistakes would be forgotten if those two had worked out. Instead, they’ve only magnified how inadequate he’s been. For the past 11 weeks, Pace managed to avoid universal criticism. Sadly the Cardinals loss was the last straw.
