One of the hardest things for fans to accept is inaction from a team that is losing. The Chicago Bears are 3-4 and losers of three-straight games. The NFL trade deadline was at hand. It felt like the perfect time for them to send a message of some sort. Either secure a notable player who can help the team win more games or start shipping out players on the roster who are dead weight. Try to secure a few extra draft picks for 2020.
In the end, the Bears did neither of those things. The 2019 deadline proved to be one of significant anti-climax. Despite having several names floating around including a number of quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota and Andy Dalton, it appears asking prices were too high in most cases. GM Ryan Pace wasn’t interested in going after a player of note and also refused to sell off anybody on the roster.
In truth, both of these scenarios aren’t a big surprise. Several factors play into why it went down this way and why Pace, in spite of the heat from the outside, made the right call.
Chicago Bears weren’t in a position to buy or sell
The reality is the Bears were in an awkward spot going into this week. At 3-4 they have a losing record but nobody would say it’s bad enough to where they should be calling it quits on the season. Teams have rallied from starts like this several times in years past. There is no reason to think with a little luck and better overall play that they can’t make a run to 10-6 and give themselves at least a chance to sneak into the playoffs. This is why Pace didn’t see any reason to sell off players on the roster.
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So what about being a buyer?
This answer is far simpler. The Bears didn’t have the resources for that. Pace isn’t a fool. He knows that his aggressiveness has emptied the teams’ coffers lately of draft picks and money. Thanks to the deals for Khalil Mack, Anthony Miller, and David Montgomery they are left with no 1st, 3rd, or 4th round picks in the 2020 draft. That leaves them with only two picks in the first four rounds. Not exactly ideal for a team that appears to have a number of roster gaps they need to plug in the near future.
Selling off another pick, even a late rounder for what would likely have been a forlorn hope at the deadline isn’t smart business. Pace needs to retain everything he has, both in picks and salary cap space. Fans may not like it right now, but it can work out in the team’s favor long-term.
