Ryan Pace is the Chicago Bears GM. It’s going to stay that way until ownership says otherwise. He insists George McCaskey and Ted Phillips have the utmost confidence in him. Of course, that can change if the team fails to perform in 2020. Then again the crazy situation created by COVID-19 might make it difficult to justify a change. One could argue Pace didn’t get a fair shot to fix all the team’s issues.
It might be better to opt for stability in 2021. Especially with a twin-pronged nightmare that is coming down the pike. People have already heard about the possible drop in the salary cap next year due to projected revenue losses. The Bears could lose as much as $23 million in cap room, which would force them to shave off a number of their more expensive contracts.
If that weren’t enough, it appears plans for the NFL draft are about to change too. The Big Ten conference announced there would be no football this fall. Expectations are others will follow. An absence of college football could throw a gigantic wrench in draft evaluations for every team. Former Bears GM Jerry Angelo expressed just how brutal the challenge will be on Bears Barroom Radio Network.
“Very, very challenging. I don’t have the answer…Drafting is no exact science as we all know. It’s tough enough when we have all the information. So give them that scenario you presented, David, it’s going to make it even more challenging…
…I always say this. The people that you’re evaluating? I never worried about a guy that wasn’t on the board. I was more concerned with the guys that we say who we know. I think probably the best thing just off the top of my head is we go into evaluations with as much information as we can gather and base it on that. Try not to throw darts.”
Ryan Pace will need to be on his game next year
Teams rely so much on game tape to help set their boards. No game tape is more important than the most recent. That gives people an idea of which trajectory prospects are on. So try to imagine that tape not being available and teams have to go two years back instead. Thought the guessing involved was bad before? It would get crazy next spring.
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Pre-draft events like the Senior Bowl and scouting combine would gain a measure of importance neither has seen in history. Pace has a rather streaky track record with the draft. He’s had his high moments and his low moments. That sort of inconsistency isn’t ideal for this situation. A ton of luck would be needed for him to deliver a strong draft.
Luck this organization hasn’t had in a long time.