The best way to describe Ryan Pace these days is a…shall we say…divisive figure among Chicago Bears fans. He’s been GM since 2015. In that time he has managed to produce only one winning season. At 4-7, that track record isn’t likely to get any better by the end of 2021. This is a big reason why many want him gone. However, the man does have his supporters. Many who feel he isn’t the problem. The coaching is.
Why? A perfect example is the 2020 draft. Let’s set the scene. Thanks to a series of trades, the Bears went into that April with no 1st, 3rd, or 4th round picks. They had just two selections in the top 150 slots. Both in the 2nd round and neither of them near the top. So the odds of Pace being able to put together a class that could produce anything of note for the organization were long.
What followed might be the most impressive work a Bears GM has done in many years.
Halfway through 2021, it appears Pace may have secured not one, not two, not three, but four viable starters for his roster.
- Cole Kmet (2nd round, 43rd overall) – On pace for 557 yards this season
- Jaylon Johnson (2nd round, 50th overall) – 84.7 passer rating allowed in 2021
- Trevis Gipson (5th round, 155th overall) – 3 sacks and 18 pressures in 2021
- Darnell Mooney (5th round, 173rd overall) – On pace for 1,074 yards this season
Those four young men have played good football this season. Maybe not superstar-level stuff that some were hoping for, but all look like they can play at the NFL level. Mooney and Johnson seem to have bright futures as they continue to gain experience. Give this group a better coaching staff and they could get even better. This along with the immense promise of Justin Fields is why Pace may yet keep his job.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Ryan Pace may not keep his job but his case isn’t weak
It is okay for fans to want him out. There are valid reasons for. Not winning enough football games being the biggest. Never mind his failure to close the gap with Green Bay or the consistent string of bad offenses he has produced. Hiring Nagy. Trading up to draft Mitch Trubisky. The case against him is strong. That said, if he were truly as bad as many claim he is then he’d likely have been fired already.
The reality is Ryan Pace has done an admirable job acquiring talent for his football team. Especially since 2018. Among the list of standouts include Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, Allen Robinson, Bilal Nichols, David Montgomery, Robert Quinn, and of course the four men mentioned above. The guy isn’t completely inept. That is why Bears ownership is wrestling with the decision of whether or not to keep him, fire him, or even re-assign him.
There are cases for both sides.
Either way, one thing is clear. Pace deserves a nod of respect from fans for what he accomplished last offseason. Securing four starters in a draft without the benefit of a 1st round pick is beyond difficult to do. He did it. If he does get another chance, he’ll have to do it again in 2022 since the Bears once again won’t be in the top 32.
