Things aren’t going well for the top Chicago Bears brass. Matt Nagy is already considered a lock to get fired when the season concludes on January 9th. This is due to the team’s 4-8 record and 30th ranked offense. What people have wondered at this point is whether GM Ryan Pace will join him. Though he made the trade for Justin Fields and has added some solid players in the past couple of offseasons, it hasn’t been enough to win football games.
So what does Athletic insider Mike Sando think? He constructed power rankings of NFL general managers at this stage of the season. In order to be fair, he separated them by the length of tenure to secure more accurate comparisons. Pace fell into a bracket of eight GMs that have presided over 5-9 drafts since taking over their respective teams. Suffice to say? The man didn’t exactly come out looking rosy.
“8. Ryan Pace, Chicago Bears (.430): The Bears rank 10th in defensive EPA per game since Pace became GM, but they paid more than $100 million during that time for 84 combined starts from quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky, Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon, Nick Foles and Andy Dalton. They now have Justin Fields but probably will be hiring another coach. Pace and the Bears have declined to say how long the GM is under contract. Is the end near?”
This is hard to stomach but is nothing but cold truth.
Pace has fallen into the same category as every other GM the Bears have employed in the Super Bowl era. He built an excellent defense and a capable running game. Yet he failed miserably to fix the quarterback position. His big swing on Mitch Trubisky was a disaster, enhanced further by the hiring of Nagy as head coach who has proven to be anything but an offensive guru. When you miss big on those two spots? You can’t keep your job.
Then again this is the Bears. George McCaskey already proved back in January he was ready to take the media hits in order to keep Pace. Would he do so again? Reports are ownership loves him and the leadership he brings to the front office. They might feel firing the head coach would be enough to assuage fans. Then again, if the team continues losing that might change their minds.
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Ryan Pace has gotten a longer leash than most would
Usually, it is two things that get a GM fired in the NFL. Not winning enough games and whiffing on the quarterback position. Pace checks both of those boxes and yet has somehow survived seven seasons. His only winning record to date was in 2018. His teams have made the playoffs twice and were one-and-done both times. All his high-profile QB acquisitions have performed well below expectations.
The offensive line is makeshift at best and the wide receivers struggle to get open. Everything about this team is headed in the wrong direction. To say nothing of their painful lack of depth and salary cap issues looking towards 2022. Ryan Pace has mismanaged the situation and now the Bears face a rebuilding period even if Fields ends up being a good quarterback as many hope.
It feels like the organization needs a fresh start.
What makes people nervous is knowing McCaskey will be the one leading the search for a possible replacement. His track record to this point doesn’t offer much optimism. Phil Emery in 2012 and then Pace. Two winning seasons between them in almost a decade. Could the third time be the charm? They better hope so.