Ryan Pace will forever be remembered as a failure in Chicago. The former GM vowed to pull the Bears out of the darkest period in franchise history. He would make them contenders. It is painful to imagine how close he was. His entire vision seemed within reach after 2018. The team was loaded with talent and won the division. They seemed primed for a run. Then it all fell apart, spearheaded by his failed marriage between Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky. Those two decisions will forever haunt him.
It was obvious Pace sought redemption in 2021. He desperately wanted to erase the sting of that Trubisky pick four years prior. He tried trading for Russell Wilson, but that fell through. So his only remaining hope was the draft. Thanks to a series of unexpected breaks, he worked a deal to move up for Justin Fields. Then a day later, he struck again by nabbing offensive tackle Teven Jenkins.
People were ecstatic. It felt like the Bears had landed two blue-chip talents.
Sadly, Pace couldn’t do the same with Nagy. The head coach did a poor job with Fields throughout the 2021 season, leading to consistency and health issues. Jenkins suffering a back injury during that same time period made matters worse. Chicago finished 6-11, and Pace was fired in January. One has to wonder what he must be thinking right now as both Fields and Jenkins have suddenly morphed into two of the fastest-rising players at their respective positions.
Fields has amassed 1100 total yards, 11 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 99.7 passer rating in his last five games. The Bears’ offense has averaged 31 points per game in their previous three. Jenkins shifted from tackle to guard this off-season, a position he had no familiarity with. Now he’s the 5th-highest rated run blocker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and has only allowed nine total pressures in pass protection.
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One thing is for sure, Teven Jenkins will finish blocks and generate knockdowns in the run game pic.twitter.com/FPV4p6DY8M
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 7, 2022
#76 TEVEN JENKINS HAS TO PLAY EVERY GODDAMN SNAP pic.twitter.com/ApxZfBuPEK
— Morale Supply Co.™ (@moralesupplyco) October 6, 2022
Ryan Pace drowned right as he learned how to swim.
He spent his entire GM tenure in Chicago trying to find that franchise quarterback for the Bears. He signed Mike Glennon, drafted Trubisky, traded for Nick Foles, and signed Andy Dalton. Those decisions either blew up spectacularly or fizzled out after showing early promise. Fields was his last chance to stop the avalanche from destroying the village. He came close. So painfully close. Fields was playing great football by last November. The Pittsburgh game was his coming-out party.
Then he got hurt.
Momentum was lost, and the team crumbled down the stretch. It is fair to wonder where Ryan Pace would be if Fields had managed to finish strong. Maybe the McCaskeys would’ve given him more time. That is the bittersweet reality of the NFL. You can make the right decisions, but they often come too late.
Pace was his own worst enemy at times. He made plenty of bad choices that came back to haunt him. His firing was earned. Still, if Fields and Jenkins continue to elevate as they have, it’s important to feel a measure of gratitude to the former GM. It is possible neither ends up in Chicago without his maneuvering.
My observation is that Pace’s picks are leading the offense right now. Poles has cleared the cap space but has yet to have an offensive player he drafted or picked up make a contribution. Claypool didn’t his first game but he probably will be the first when he does. This is very important to moving forward: Poles showing evidence that he can make the picks on offense.
@johnwalles that is a great take!! Fangio was directly involved in winning Nagy coach of the year and Also Pace’s Executive of the Year award.
Also I saw Kevin White had a reception for NO the other night… 🤣
Erik, you smoking crack or just too much weed? Pace was terrible. Who leaked the data that said McCaskey wanted Fox when Pace hired his first new Coach? So you go from an old war horse to an unproven bullsh!t artist. Andy Reid calls the games in KC Period. Nagy never got to call games and it showed when he couldn’t call a game or get any offense flow going to save his soul. Fangio saved Nagy with the great defense he put on the field his first year and a Fox holdover. Gase was a pretty good Off Coord… Read more »
Just got lucky, It was bound to happen at least once. Dude sux!!!
The Broncos paid for Wilsons RIGHTS, just think of all those future Walmart ads!!!!
Yeah, if Pace had any balls, they would have hired Arians. Man, what could have been.
Pace is a 🤡 who was way over his head.
Free agency is not how you build a team. It’s how you complete a championship team. You build a team through hiring the right coach and the draft. When you have the right draft picks in place – meaning your draft picks and coach prove themselves first – then you determine what the missing pieces are that will to take you to the mountaintop. That’s when you ‘maaaaybe’ look at free agency. Pace’s fatal flaw was hiring Nagy and drafting Trubisky. Everything snowballed after that. Before even seeing if Nagy and Trubisky were truly THE guys, he went on a… Read more »