Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace has stuck to the status quo regarding the defensive pass rush after his blockbuster move to secure Khalil Mack back in September. For a time that was wise. Things were clicking great and quarterbacks were dropping like flies. Then Mack injured his ankle. Since then the Bears defensive line and outside linebackers have failed to register a sack in three straight games.
This has led to rampant speculation that the team may have to make another move to find help. Leonard Floyd has regressed further than anybody expected with zero sacks in his past eight games. Aaron Lynch is a decent rotational player but the fact is the Bears don’t have an edge rusher who can create for himself aside from Mack.
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, some wonder if Pace might make another aggressive move to fill that void. The odds don’t favor it. Chicago has neither the draft capital nor cap space to make an aggressive move unless they got creative. This means they either must stand pat or try a different avenue.
Depending on how risky the GM is willing to be, Pace does have one connection that remains unused to this point. One that maybe, just maybe could solve his problem.
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Ryan Pace may want to give Junior Galette a call
The name Junior Galette hasn’t been mentioned much this year. The veteran edge rusher hasn’t played an NFL game since December 31st of last season when he was with the Washington Redskins. Since then he’s kept active on Twitter, stating he has no plans to retire at age 30 and is awaiting his next opportunity. That was made clear when the Cleveland Browns worked him out on Monday.
Veteran OLB Junior Galette worked out for the #Browns today.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 29, 2018
Galette was a top rusher back in 2013 and 2014 for the New Orleans Saints, topping double-digit sacks both years. That was when Pace was director of player personnel for the franchise. However, off the field concerns forced the team to release him and he soon signed with the Redskins. There he endured two season-ending injuries that knocked him out for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Most presume he had a bad year upon his return last season with just three sacks but that’s not entirely true. Galette had 37 pressures total which was fourth-best on the team and he did it in far fewer pass rush snaps (258). Preston Smith, who had 39, rushed 368 times.
So what makes all this interesting?
Galette released a cryptic tweet earlier in the day. One with two rather intriguing buzzwords that might get the attention of Bears fans.
Pray 4 Da Bear I’m About to Go ROGUE😳 #SackManLives
— Junior Galette (@JovaisG) October 29, 2018
The fact that he had “Da Bear” in the tweet on the same day it’s reported he worked out for the Browns is interesting. Could it mean the Bears were another team that quietly kicked the tires on the veteran rusher? It wouldn’t be a total shock. The Pace connection, the need for rush help and the likelihood they could get him cheap make it an obvious avenue to explore.
