We are just over a week away from the start of training camp for the Chicago Bears and there is some hope on the horizon in the form of former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
After Chicago move up to draft him No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, fans got a new sense of hope and excitement that Fields could finally solve a decades long issue at the position. While we wait and see when Fields hits the field for the first time, the long-term of the franchise is still in focus.
But one publication doesn’t believe in the Bears’ long-term future.
ESPN released their future franchise rankings on Monday afternoon, projecting which teams are in the best shape for the next three seasons basing it on quarterback situation, roster, drafting ability, coaching and front office.While the Kansas City Chiefs took the top spot, the Bears found themselves buried far down the list at No. 27 behind Green Bay (No. 13) and Minnesota (No.19), but finishing ahead of Detroit (31st).
The Bears ranked 20th in QB situation (71.8), 25th in coaching (66.8), and 21st in overall roster (72.0). Here is what Field Yates had to say about the Bears:
“The Bears have a clear and direct path to flying up these rankings in Justin Fields,” wrote Field Yates. “If the former Ohio State quarterback meets the promise so many see in him, Chicago’s fortunes turn immediately, and GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy likely continue to be the architects of this team going forward. If Fields does not pan out, this franchise could be headed for change next offseason — and the future is a little less bright with a roster that includes limited cap flexibility, draft capital and some aging veterans.”
The biggest thing to note about this ranking is that Ryan Pace was ranked dead last among general managers in the NFL with a score of 59.3, which is just brutal.
Now, Pace has had his blunders before with the most notable being taking Mitch Trubisky over DeShaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. But dead last among all NFL GM’s? Eh.
Pace has made some good moves in his tenure and is responsible for drafting Fields, Roquan Smith, Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson, Cody Whitehair and Tarik Cohen, all pieces that should be here for the long term. He’s also traded for Khalil Mack and signed Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson in free agency. So he does deserve some credit.
While you may not like Pace, it’s tough making the argument he’s the WORST GM in the league….
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1 Comment
It’s not tough to rank Pace last. He not only traded up for Trubisky when he didn’t have to, but he picked the wrong guy among not just one, but at least two better choices. Watson’s off-field behavior has certainly is a problem now, but it’s revisionist history to not say Pace missed on 2 better QB talents. Because of that, he became the rare GM who was given enough time to select another QB (because we also have had the worst ownership in the league for decades) and he had to part with another first rounder to find him. So he has spent 3 first round picks, including the second pick overall, 2 third round picks, 2 fourth round picks and a fifth round pick to end up with a rookie at QB this year and no first round pick next year. What other GM is allowed to waste that much draft capital for so little return?
How about his roster management? Last year we had nine TEs on the roster, including Jimmy Graham, who he just signed to a big contract to replace his previous expensive TE bust, Trey Burton, and Adam Shaheen, a second round bust, so in a draft where we already had no first round pick, he drafts a TE in Cole Kmet. This doesn’t mean Cole isn’t a good player and can’t be a better one, but you only have so many draft picks, fewer high ones and barely any high ones when you are always trading them away, so you can’t manage a roster like that.
Giving him credit for Mack is a joke. The trade was no brainer for a number of teams and reports are others came to the Raiders with similar packages, but Gruden thought Chicago was the worst team of the lot so they’d be the best picks.
And if you want to give him credit for Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd, his other first round credentials include Kevin White. Also, Floyd just had his best year in another uniform when they let him go only to give a similar big money contract to a 31 year old Robert Quinn who got 2 sacks and 0 TFL.
Pace lucked in to a few picks because they were top ten picks and might have a decent scouting eye for mid-round talent, but that is his ceiling and he’s been completely overwhelmed as a GM and fleeced in trades by his fellow GMs, including when John Lynch was a rookie GM.