Ryan Pace could be nearing his end as Chicago Bears GM. The big question everybody keeps asking is who will replace him? Only George McCaskey can answer that question and he’s not talking. There are rumors the Bears chairman is already doing preliminary research on possible candidates. If so, one has to imagine a name that will come up is John Dorsey.
The 60-year old executive has been around the NFL for a long time. He got started as a scout in 1991 for the Green Bay Packers and played a role in their eventual ascent to the top of the NFL. Not only was he there for their 1996 Super Bowl win, he rose to become their Director of College Scouting by 2000 and held that job through 2011, during which they won a second Super Bowl in 2010.
Dorsey learned how to construct teams from some of the best.
That includes Hall of Famer Ron Wolf. These lessons prepared him well for his first stint as a GM in Kansas City in 2013. There he laid the foundation for their eventual Super Bowl title in 2019. Players like Eric Fisher, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill, and Patrick Mahomes were all acquired under his watch. However, he was fired in 2017.
He wasn’t unemployed long. The Cleveland Browns made him their new GM later that same year. With his help, they acquired Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Landry, Wyatt Teller, and Olivier Vernon. All of whom have played a major role in the team going 9-4 so far in 2020. Their best start since the franchise was reinstated in 1999.
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Yet once again he was fired before seeing his work bear fruit. Now he’s a consultant up in Philadelphia awaiting his next opportunity. Why is this the case?
John Dorsey has a unique management style
The general consensus on Dorsey is he’s a good person. Easy to get along with. Nothing he does is meant to be vindictive or underhanded. His problem lay in his management style. Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star explained back in 2017. Based on his information, Dorsey has a problem with not communicating his plans to ownership. Be they hiring, firings, player signings, trades, or draft picks.
But behind the scenes, the Chiefs’ front office did not always run smoothly under Dorsey. Team chairman Clark Hunt’s decision to fire Dorsey was fueled, in part, by concerns about his internal communication and management styles, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity.
As one of the sources said while describing how Dorsey had removed two front-office executives without much explanation: “John does stuff and doesn’t tell people why.” Another source said Dorsey’s management style “could wear on people.”
One other big issue is Dorsey’s personality. He isn’t known for running a tight ship. Discipline isn’t at the top of his agenda, which often allows those under his watch to do whatever they please. So it’s not hard to see why the guy would rub owners the wrong way. Most of them prefer to be kept in the loop on all things. Staying patient with somebody who doesn’t wouldn’t last long.
Would that mesh with the McCaskeys?
While not the most overbearing owners in the NFL by a long shot, they don’t strike as the sort of people who will just let their GM do whatever he wants. There is no denying John Dorsey has a gift for finding talent. Especially quarterbacks. Is it worth the risk giving him a third opportunity to take over the GM chair after how his last two stints ended?
A tough decision to be sure. One thing is for certain. The Bears can expect a contender-worthy roster to be built if they go for it.