Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace has his share of critics. All of them have their reasons for not liking him, often different. For some it’s his selection of Kevin White back in 2015 they still can’t get over. For others it’s his awful 2017 free agent class featuring Mike Glennon and Markus Wheaton. However, there is another small grudge held against him until recently. One that turns out may not have been his call.
The 2016 draft class was perhaps the best of his tenure so far. Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, and Jordan Howard spearheaded a strong crop of players for the Bears to build around. Still, it wasn’t a pick Pace made that has people upset about that draft. It’s more the pick that he didn’t make. One specific pick as it turns out.
By far the biggest steal of that draft was the Dallas Cowboys plucking Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round. He would go on to supplant Tony Romo as starter and lead the team to a 13-3 record. He finished with 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in a Pro Bowl year.
Is it possible he was almost a Bear?
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Ryan Pace may have had eyes for Prescott but was steered away
The first two years of Pace’s tenure were marred by near-QB misses. He tried to trade up in 2015 for Marcus Mariota then again in 2016 for Carson Wentz. Meanwhile he had multiple shots to take Prescott including three different times in the fourth round alone. How in the world could Pace have justified not pulling the trigger?
Most felt it was simply a mis-evaluation on his part. As it turns out, another reason may have gotten in the way. A source informed me of this in a recent conversation.
“Pace wanted Dak Prescott. Fox wanted Cutler.”
It’s no secret that Pace was anxious to get his own quarterback just based on the attempts for Mariota and Wentz. So there’s no reason to think he was out for some reason on Prescott, especially after the strong Senior Bowl and pre-draft the quarterback had. It seems it was the complete opposite in fact.
“Pace was all in on Prescott. Scouted him at all his games and was very excited to know he’d be in position to land him. Prescott met Pace a few times with Pace telling him he’s going be a star and would draft him if he gets the chance.”
Obviously that didn’t happen with Fox vetoing the idea in favor of sticking with the veteran Cutler. One can understand. Why draft a QB when the one already in place is coming off his most efficient season as a Bear. The story by itself makes sense but could it have really gone that way? Well actually yes if we recall the other vital piece of the puzzle that Chris Mortensen broke back in April.
Pace’s Trubisky deception on Fox makes far more sense now
Mortensen revealed that Fox actually had no idea that Mitch Trubisky was going to be the Bears’ selection at #2 overall until right before it happened. It was later hinted that Pace was merely trying to maintain complete secrecy and Fox had a tendency to get too chummy with people. However, nothing about that ever felt quite right.
Wow. Per @mortreport, even @ChicagoBears coach John Fox didn’t know about plan to draft QB Mitchell Trubisky until a couple hours before.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 28, 2017
This new information would suddenly shed some light on that. What makes more sense? Pace just doesn’t want Fox to know to keep it a secret from the press? Or maybe Pace didn’t want Fox to know so the coach can’t stop it from happening like with Prescott? Those parameters are far easier to believe. Struggles between a coach and GM on personnel is nothing new in the NFL.
Either way Pace ended up getting his quarterback. Now he may be looking to solve his other problem at head coach.
